How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Line)
Quote #4
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to setting. (7-8)
The progress of the sun is meant to correspond to a human being's progress through life. The "setting" is supposed to represent dying, but the image of the setting sun doesn't quite suggest death strongly enough. There's something graceful about it, an aspect captured in the word "setting," which suggests a temporary stasis, not necessarily something as permanent as death.