'When You Are Old' by William Butler Yeats


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When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

Editor 1 Interpretation

When You Are Old by William Butler Yeats: A Masterpiece of Love and Melancholy

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

How many times have we read these lines and felt a shiver down our spine? How many times have we wondered about the soft look and the shadows deep? How many times have we contemplated the passing of time and the bittersweet memories that remain?

When You Are Old is one of William Butler Yeats' most beloved poems, and with good reason. It is a masterpiece of love and melancholy, a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of youth and beauty, and a tribute to a lost love that lingers in the poet's heart and mind.

Background and Context

When You Are Old was first published in Yeats' third volume of poetry, The Rose (1893), and was inspired by his unrequited love for Maud Gonne, an Irish revolutionary and feminist whom he had met in 1889 and who became the muse for many of his poems.

Yeats was deeply infatuated with Gonne, but she rejected his advances and married another man. Nevertheless, he continued to love her from afar, and his passion for her became the driving force behind much of his poetry. When You Are Old is one of the most famous expressions of that love, and it is often read as an elegy for a romance that never was.

The poem is written in the form of a sonnet, which is a traditional poetic form that originated in Italy in the 13th century and consists of 14 lines of iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABBA CDDC EFG EFG, which is typical of the Petrarchan sonnet, although Yeats adds a twist to the form by using a different rhyme for the final couplet (EF, instead of GG).

Analysis

The poem opens with an address to a beloved, who is asked to take down a book and read it in old age, when the memories of youth and love are all that remain. The book is not specified, but it is likely a volume of Yeats' poetry, which would make the poem a self-referential meta-poem.

The second line sets the tone for the poem's melancholic mood, with its image of an old person nodding by the fire, suggesting a sense of weariness, resignation, and detachment from the world. The verb "nodding" also implies a sense of sleepiness and a lack of alertness, as if the person is drifting off into a dreamlike state.

The third and fourth lines introduce the first of several references to the beloved's eyes and their "soft look" and "shadows deep." These images evoke a sense of tenderness, vulnerability, and mystery, as if the eyes are windows to the soul, revealing the complexities and contradictions of the human heart.

The phrase "shadows deep" is particularly striking, as it suggests both darkness and depth, as well as the possibility of hidden meanings and unspoken emotions. It also echoes the theme of mortality and the transience of life, as shadows are fleeting and ephemeral.

The second quatrain reinforces the idea of the passing of time and the inevitability of old age and death. The beloved is urged to "dream" of the soft look and the shadows deep that once defined her beauty, as if these memories are all that remains of her youth and vitality.

The verb "dream" also implies a sense of unreality and distance, as if the beloved's beauty and youth are now a distant memory, a phantasmagoric vision that can only be glimpsed in the mind's eye.

The third quatrain introduces a more personal and emotional dimension to the poem, as the poet describes the pain and regret he feels for not having been able to win the beloved's love. He tells her that he loved her not for her beauty or her social status, but for her "pilgrim soul," her sense of idealism and moral purpose.

This line is particularly significant, as it suggests that Yeats was not only attracted to Gonne's physical beauty, but also to her intellectual and spiritual qualities, which he saw as a reflection of his own artistic and political ideals.

The final couplet brings the poem to a poignant conclusion, as the poet acknowledges that the beloved will be loved again by someone else in the future, but that she will never be loved with the same intensity and purity as she was by him. The phrase "a love that had no time to sing" is particularly poignant, as it suggests the sense of loss and missed opportunity that haunts the poet's memory.

Interpretation

When You Are Old is a powerful and moving poem that speaks to the universal themes of love, loss, and mortality. It is a tribute to the enduring power of memory and the ways in which we carry our past selves with us throughout our lives.

The poem can be read as a meditation on the nature of beauty and the passing of time. The image of the old person nodding by the fire suggests a sense of fatigue and resignation, as if the beauty and passion of youth have been replaced by the weariness and detachment of old age.

At the same time, the soft look and the shadows deep that once defined the beloved's beauty are timeless and eternal, and they continue to haunt the poet's memory even as he acknowledges the inevitability of their fading away.

The poem can also be read as an elegy for a lost love that never was. Yeats' infatuation with Maud Gonne was one of the defining experiences of his life, and it inspired some of his greatest poetry.

When You Are Old is one of the most famous expressions of that love, and it speaks to the pain and regret that Yeats felt for not having been able to win Gonne's heart.

The poem can also be read as a self-referential meta-poem that reflects on the power of poetry itself. The book that the beloved is urged to take down and read may be a volume of Yeats' poetry, and the poem may be seen as a tribute to the enduring power of art to capture and preserve the fleeting moments of life.

Ultimately, when we read When You Are Old, we are struck by its beauty, its melancholy, and its haunting power. It is a poem that speaks to the human condition in all its complexity and mystery, and it reminds us of the enduring power of love and memory in our lives.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

When You Are Old: A Timeless Poem by William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, and his poem "When You Are Old" is a timeless masterpiece that has captured the hearts of readers for generations. This poem is a poignant reflection on love, loss, and the passage of time, and it speaks to the universal human experience of longing for what we cannot have.

The poem begins with the speaker addressing his beloved, telling her that when she is old and grey and full of sleep, she will look back on her life and remember the love that they shared. He tells her that she will regret the things she did not do, the dreams she did not pursue, and the love she did not embrace. He urges her to remember him and the love they shared, even though he will be gone.

The first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the poem, and it establishes the central theme of the passage of time. The speaker is addressing his beloved in the future, when she is old and grey, and he is reminding her that time is fleeting. He is urging her to seize the day and live life to the fullest, because once time has passed, it cannot be regained.

In the second stanza, the speaker reflects on the beauty of his beloved, and he tells her that she was once the most beautiful woman in the world. He remembers how her eyes shone with love and how her laughter filled the air. He tells her that he loved her not for her beauty, but for her soul, and he urges her to remember the love they shared.

This stanza is particularly powerful because it speaks to the idea that true beauty comes from within. The speaker loved his beloved not for her physical appearance, but for the person she was inside. This is a timeless message that is still relevant today, as we live in a world that often places too much emphasis on external beauty.

In the third stanza, the speaker reflects on the passage of time and how it has changed both him and his beloved. He tells her that her beauty has faded and that she is no longer the young woman he once knew. He acknowledges that he too has aged and that he is no longer the man he once was. However, he tells her that his love for her has not diminished, and he urges her to remember the love they shared.

This stanza is particularly poignant because it speaks to the idea that love is eternal. Even though time may change us physically, our love for one another can remain constant. This is a powerful message that speaks to the human experience of longing for connection and companionship.

In the final stanza, the speaker tells his beloved that he will be gone and that she will be left alone with her memories. He tells her that she will regret the things she did not do and the love she did not embrace. He urges her to remember him and the love they shared, even though he will be gone.

This stanza is particularly powerful because it speaks to the idea that we often regret the things we did not do in life. The speaker is urging his beloved to live life to the fullest and to embrace love, even though it may be fleeting. This is a message that is still relevant today, as we live in a world that often values material possessions over human connection.

In conclusion, "When You Are Old" is a timeless poem that speaks to the universal human experience of longing for what we cannot have. It is a poignant reflection on love, loss, and the passage of time, and it speaks to the human desire for connection and companionship. This poem is a testament to the enduring power of love and the human spirit, and it will continue to inspire readers for generations to come.

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