How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide, and made my pains his prey. (1-4)
The first instance of writing in the poem is non-immortal writing. This ain't poetry; it's beach writing. This type of writing is ephemeral and fleeting. It's not supposed to last forever.
Quote #2
"Vain man," said she, "that dost in vain assay,
A mortal thing so to immortalize;
For I myself shall like to this decay,
And eke my name be wiped out likewise." (5-8)
The speaker's beloved knows that the beach writing is fleeting. And she also knows that her life is fleeting too. She seems okay with this fact. She's not stressing out over death here. Death's a part of life for the beloved.
Quote #3
"Not so," (quod I) "let baser things devise
To die in dust, but you shall live by fame:
My verse your vertues rare shall eternize,
And in the heavens write your glorious name: (9-12)
Ah, speaker. You've got such plans. He doesn't want his beloved to die out like those "baser things." He's got faith in his versifying skills. Check out all the alliteration in these lines. He's almost exaggerating his poetry aptitude by including all this alliteration.
Quote #4
Where whenas death shall all the world subdue,
Our love shall live, and later life renew." (13-14)
Oh hey, more alliteration. (We're counting four L words in that last line). The speaker is hitting us over the head with the fact that THIS IS POETRY. (Yes, all caps were necessary). And, if you're doubting the speaker's claims, just stop and think about what you're doing right now, which is thinking about "Sonnet 75." The very fact of your reading confirms the power of poetry, and especially the power of this particular poet.