In “On My First Son,” the speaker mourns the loss of his young son. Explain what the speaker means when he says, “Seven years thou wert lent to me, and I thee pay, / Exacted by thy fate, on the just day” (lines 3–4)?

Answer:

The speaker means that his son was lent to him by God or fate for seven years, but fate reclaimed him on the predetermined day. The son was therefore not permanently his possession; he had to return what had been entrusted to him.