"Swift as a shooting star
In autumn thwarts the night."
The rhythm of the line and the prevalence of sibilants suit the sense.
81. ~convoy~: comp. _Par. Lost_, vi. 752, "_convoyed_ By four cherubic
shapes." It is another form of _convey_ (Lat. _con_ = together, _via_ =
a way).
83. ~sky-robes~: the "ambrosial weeds" of line 16. ~Iris' woof~, material
dyed in rainbow colours. The goddess Iris was a personification of the
rainbow: comp. l. 992 and _Par. Lost_, xi. 244, "Iris had dipped the
woof." Etymologically, _woof_ is connected with _web_ and _weave_: it is
short for _on-wef_ = on-web, _i.e._ the cross threads laid on the warp
of a loom.