Explanations
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate; Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date;
These lines have been quoted from Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day". Here the poet attempts to describe the beauty of his friend by comparing it to the beauty of the summer season.
Fascinated by the beauty of his friend the poet feels an urge to, express it. He wonders whether the beauty of a summer day would be an apt comparison to depict it. The sunny bright summer day is traditionally held beautiful in England. The poet thinks that his friend is more beautiful and attractive than a summer day because the season has some inherent shortcomings. Very often its beauty is damaged by the natural process. For example, the sweet buds of May are torn by rough winds. By adding the word "darling" to the "buds of May" he pays homage to the rose, the symbol of beauty and youth. Even such a beauty is spoilt by the inevitable natural process. The words "summer's lease brings about the idea of property as if summer is a lord, all the beauty of the season being under the charge of the period. All the beauties belonging to it are sure to die, while the beauty of the poet's friend will be everlasting. Thus, in the above lines, the poet pays homage to his friend.