Spenser is walking along the beach with the woman he loves and he writes her name in the sand. The waves come in and wash her name away so he writes her name once again in the sand. Again, the waves wash away her name. The woman calls Spenser vain and says that she would like to eventually decay and would also like her name to be erased from the sand. Spenser responds by saying that he will immortalize her in his poem and when death comes their love will live on.