1. Muse: a guiding spirit; source of inspiration.

3. fury: poetic inspiration.

4. darkening: debasing.   base: lowly; immoral; undeserving.

5. straight: immediately; at once.

6. gentle numbers: noble verses.

7. lays: short lyric or narrative poems intended to be sung; songs.

8. argument: subject matter.

9. resty: lazy; inactive; inert.

10. If: i.e., to see if.

11. If any, be a satire to decay: i.e., If you find any wrinkles, be one who rebukes the ruins of time.   satire: satirist.

12. spoils: ravages.

14. So thou prevent'st: so you will frustrate; so you will forestall.   crooked knife: sickle. —Both the scythe and sickle were used to cut wheat, hay, etc.

Father Time and Scythe

Saturn Bearing a Sickle