That time of year

In each of the three quatrains, there are three major images introduced. In the first, the speaker is referring to the end of fall "when yellow leaves" turn colors from green and fall to the ground. The beauty of fall eventually comes to an end, just like almost everything in life. The image in the second quatrain is one of twilight and then night. "After sunset fadeth in the west," night comes and ends the day. Once again, the speaker is emphasizing that almost everything in this world will end. The last quatrain was a little hard for me to figure out. I think the image is one of a funeral or someone dead. These lines, along with the others reinforce the ending of something. The couplet at the end of the poem, though, contradicts the rest of the lines. The speaker says that although almost everything ends, these things will only make the love between him and his lover stronger.

My mistress' eyes

The tone of this poem is mocking towards the other love poems that compare lovers to nature (coral, snow, sun). These authors exaggerate with comparisons to flatter their women. The speaker is more honest in saying that his mistress is nothing like those things and will not waste his time with false comparisons. He believes that his love is more pure than any natural object and doesn't need to compare her to nature. The speaker wants to say that appearances don't matter because he loves his mistress the way she is. How she looks holds no meaning compared to her personality. She is just as beautiful to the women who are lied to.