WHEN YOU ARE OLD
W.B. YEATS
William Butler
Yeasts has composed a beautiful poem “When You Are Old” In this poem he has expressed
his true and memorable love. The poet has addressed this poem to his lover, who
has rejected his love and left him. The poet has imagined about future when his
lover become old and regret for refusing his true love. As per theme here is
love, rejection and time.
In the first stanza
the poet assumes that when his lover becomes old and sitting beside the fire
place, nodding her head, no strength, feeling sleepy and reading the book of
poems. She remembers the past, her youthful beauty, the soft look that her eyes
had once, and recalls depth of lost beauty and elegance.
In the second
stanza the poet expresses that how many suitors try to court her, being charmed
by her beauty and love her physical beauty and grace of her youthful beauty.
Only the poet is one who tries to tell her that he loves her soul. He is not
attracted by her physical beauty but he is attracted by her inner self. Here he
says that his love remains constant even after she grows old. He assures that
even though her beauty fades as the period of time but his love for her remains
same forever.
In the third and
final stanza the poet visualizes that when she will be bending down beside the
bars of the fire place, she tells herself a little sadly that her true love has
left and gone far away to those mountains and hides his face among midst of
stars. However, she feels sad that her love also vanished.
