5)      Movement of constituents.

In the following sonnet by William Shakespeare, certain constituents have been moved from an underlying post-verbal position to a pre-verbal position. Identify them. Are they arguments or adjuncts? Are these movements grammatical in modern English?

Underlined words are words I needed to translate. Btw, can someone help me to translate “erst” …. The german translations are written in brackets.

Bold words are moved constituents

Sonnet 12

William Shakespeare

When I do count the clock that tells the time,

And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;

When I behold the violet past prime,

And sable curls are silvered o´er with white;   ( düster )

When lofty trees I see barren of leaves, ( öde )

Which erst from heat did canopy the herd,  ( need translation for “erst” / bedecken )

And summer´s green all girded up in sheaves, ( einfassen / Bündel )

Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard; ( Bahre )

Then of thy beauty do I question make,

That thou among the wastes of time must go,

Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake,

And die as fast as they see others grow,

And nothing ´gainst Time´s scythe can make defence ( Sense )

Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence.

Suggested answers:

Lofty trees – is an argument of “see”

Thy beauty – an argument of question

Among the wastes of time – an adjunct

Themselves – an argument of forsake

´gainst Time´s scythe – an argument of defend