Question

time doth transfix the flourish set on youth
and delves the parches in beautys brow,
feeds on the rarities of natures truth,
and nothing stands but for his scythe to mow
and yet to times in hope, my verse shall stand,
praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand

in the poem, how does shakespeare allude to, or refer to, ovid’s poem?
options:
by referring to the story of the nativity
by comparing the passage of time to waves breaking on the shore
by personifying time as cruel and destructive
by copying the rhyme scheme and meter of the original poem

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: The poem does not reference the nativity story. Eliminate.
• Option 2: There is no comparison of time to waves breaking on the shore. Eliminate.
• Option 3: The poem personifies time (e.g., "Time doth transfix...", "his scythe to mow", "his cruel hand") as having human - like (cruel, destructive) actions. This matches.
• Option 4: The question is about alluding to or referring to Ovid’s poem, not copying rhyme scheme/meter. Eliminate.

Answer:

by personifying time as cruel and destructive