The second metaphor is the “sunset” fading “in the west.” What is this compared with in a man’s life? Why is the imagery of the second quatrain so eff ective? The third metaphor is the “glowing” fi...

The second metaphor is the “sunset” fading “in the west.” What is this compared with in a man’s life? Why is the imagery of the second quatrain so eff ective?

The third metaphor is the “glowing” fi re. What is the point of this metaphor? What is meant by the fi re’s consuming “that which it was nourished by”? What is being consumed here?