The masquerade here refers to the fleeting disguise of youth and of temporal beauty and worth. The young woman sits and ponders her own journey through the masquerade of life. Like the bouquet of flowers, her physical beauty is in full bloom for all to admire, but soon those things that are pleasing only to the physical senses shrivel and fade away. If these earthly things shall all pass away, then placing undue value and importance on them is as foolish as believing that the activities of a masquerade or a carnival have some enduring importanc. . .