Logic would require that few should precede none; in fact, if the boughs were bare, no leaves would hang. Frank argues that Shakespeare did this on purpose, evoking sympathy from the reader as they "wish to nurse and cherish what little is left", taking him through the logic of pathos – ruefulness, to resignation, to sympathy. This logic, Frank asserts, dictates the entire sonnet.
Rationally, it should be that few precede none; in reality, if the branches were bare, no leaves would hang. Frank posits that Shakespeare intentionally did this to elicit sympathy from the reader as they "wish to nurse and cherish what little is left", guiding them through the logic of pathos – ruefulness, to resignation, to sympathy. This rationale, Frank maintains, governs the entire sonnet.