Contrast
Contrast between an attractive young girl and an old lady Contrast between other people’s love and the port's. Contrast between reality and imagination
Imagination
The poet imagine a picture in which an old lady read a book by accident, and she was deeply immersed in the the memories of the past.
Analysis
Major Works
The Countess Cathleen (1892)《凯丝琳女伯爵 》------a play - The Early Romantic Period’s Poems: Crossway (1899) 《十字路口》 The Wind Among the Reeds (1899) 《苇间风》 The Rose (1893) -The Period of Transition’s Poems: In the Seven Woods (1904) 《七重林中》 The Great Helmet and Other Poems (1910) 《绿盔及其他诗作 》 The Wild Swans at Coole (1919)《库利的野天鹅 》 Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921) 《迈可· 罗拔兹与舞者 》 -The Great Period’s Poems : The Tower (1928) 《塔楼 》 The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1933) 《回梯与其他诗作》
My Comments
• The last stanza seems to be irrelevant to the previous stanzas, but it is the elevation of his affection: the old lady will bend down beside the stove and murmur sadly about the God of Love fleeing away. He goes up a mountain overhead and hides his face among a crowd of stars. This is only the literal meaning of the third stanza and the implied meaning is seeing the God of Love flee away may make you a little sad, but in fact, the God just hides himself in the sky. We may not be able to get married in the human world, but our soul can unite when we are in heaven.
Background
This poem was written in 1897 by Yeats. The poet declared love for Maud Gonne many times, but he never get her response. So Yeats wrote this poem to imagine she could realize that he is the one who loves her forever when the woman read this poem by chance many years later.
William Butler Yeats
In 1923, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Nobel Committee described as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." He was the first Irishman so honored. Yeats is also a dramatist , writing verse plays in most of the cases. He wrote about 20 plays altogether from 1892 to 1939. The play was a great inspiration to the Irish nationalists who were fighting against the English government for their own freedom and independence .
Use of symbols
“fire” symbolized “warm”. “mountain” symbolized tough, sublimation “stars” symbolized forever
Emphasis
The repetition of fire Fire is so warm, but the poet felt despair for his love.
Yeats’ early poetry was under the influence of the romantic poets, but his Irish theme and his special use of language soon showed him to be a poet of distinction.
Analysis
And bending down beside the glowing bars, Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled And paled upon the mountains overhead, And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
How many loved your moments of glad grace, And love your beauty with love false or true. But one man love the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrow of your changing face.
When you are old
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.
Analysis
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 shadow deep.
My Comments
• The Tragic Beauty “When You Are Old” is mainly based on imagination. It starts with a lovely and warm picture of an old lady: when you are old, my lady, and your hair have turned grey, you will be nodding by the fire, full of sleep. The speaker imagines one day, when his beloved young lady is old, she will be reading this poem and feel the youth of herself again. The second stanza is a contrast between other admirers and the speaker: how many of your admirers love you is only because of your beauty and youth when you are graceful and elegant? Nevertheless, there is only one man who loves your noble soul and your aging face.