Sonnet LXXV from Amoretti
One day I wrote her name upon the strand,
But came the waves and washed it away:
Again I wrote it with a second hand,
But came the tide and made my pains his prey.
Vain man (said she) that dost in vain assay
A mortal thing so to immortalize;
For I myself shall like to this decay,
He’s writing the name of his love in the sand but the ocean keeps washing it away. His second attempt, as futile as it may be, shows how relentless he is in trying to create something that’ll live forever. That’s what he’s doing with his poetry.
One Day I Wrote Her Name upon the Strand