Question

‘For summer has o’er-brimmed their clammy cells.’

1. Who is being referred to as ‘thee’?
2. What figure of speech is being used here?
3. What is the ‘store’ in this line?

Answer 1

1. ‘Thee’ refers to Autumn, whom the poet addresses as a person.
2. The line uses personification: Summer is described as if it could fill the bees’ cells.
3. The bees’ “store” is the honey and nectar gathered in their cells; in “amid thy store,” Autumn’s store means the abundant harvest.