This poem chooses from the poetry "rose" of Yeats, which is written in 1893, it is one of the representative early works of Yeats, addresses to his heart goddess, who is also the most important woman in his life.
“When you are old and gray and full of sleep, and nodding by the fire”, the poet starts with a pencil like painting a picture which interlaces the shadow with light , no vivid color, atmospheric background and lingering characters’ move, only a quiet life fabric of old age. Although at this time, Yeats was only 29, his lover was only 27 years old, but the "white head", "Sleep giddy" , "snoozing by the fire", a simple image, but let time rapidly move forth to the future of her. At that time, she lost the charming appearance, lost fresh youth; maybe the readers can't help asking: what kind of emotion is the poet for her at that time. “Take down this book, and slowly read, and dream of the soft look; your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep”, very few words, the poet lead her experience his deep feeling slowly. Let an old woman to look back may seem to be cruel and the gap between of the contrast will diffuse in the heart. And in this gap, the poet gradually recognizes the firm love, which likes an unexpected gift, a surprise. As if the gentle stream are starting to flow from the iceberg and melting slowly out of it, with the huge source, which is a long process.
The conception of the original whole poem in the first stanza describes that an old woman looks back to her love when she was young. What is love? Perhaps it is only the one who is really experienced that kind of real emotion can have sincerely feelings of its appearance. But no matter how, the memory of love is the sweetest and most often does when he or she is old just as what is written in the poem, beauty is old, the appearance is gone, and she is sitting by the fire and starts reviewing the past love.
“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”, since the poem has already opened, the feeling of the poet has been read slowly, after so long trial, he can't wait to contrast with other admirer, and express his strong feeling in his heart, which has been shaking his emotion. Other's "false or true" has passed through her long life, while his love to her pilgrim's soul, sweet and sad, in a few years. The faith of love let poet could no longer tell carefully, finally he sorrows unbearably, and compares himself to the only person passionately and proudly; "Only a man" is the most interest to her pursues, beyond time, space and secular.
Of course after understanding the heroine of the poetry, the reader is easy to know that she is a free movement warrior, she and Yeats has the common ideal and pursuit, that is the struggle for the liberation of Ireland. What’s more, Yeats is also a poet who possesses mysticism, romantic and aestheticism. At this time, the stream of love as if the flood in the valley, fast but still lonely. The thinking of the love is awakening slowly in the memory, facing so crazy profession, she should joy or grieve?
This poem is deepened in the final section. “And bending down beside the glowing bars, murmur, a little sadly”, the shaking fire shines upon the withered appearance; the screen is vague with light and shade, so that readers can't help imagining the old woman’s mood. Is she mourning the fleeting of youth, or the twining of love? Once let poet’ feeling burying in time, the past events in the time can't be chased, only the memories can give some consolations. “How love fled and paced upon the mountains overhead, and hid his face amid a crowd of stars.” With the time goes, which touched the old woman so much, love is also met subsequently slip away? No, there is such a kind of love, it remains, it is just not be responded, and it can't find its habitats, but it is very clinging to survive, or stepping on the mountaintop, or impaling in the stars.
The poet's love, is not accepted, is sweet torment, and hate is woven into the forever altered. At this time, the emotional stream has come to the estuary softly, going to the ocean, and sinking into the deep end, whose surface is calm. The monologue, endless miles of faithful attitude, endless grievance and injustice of the poet, these all return to the silent waiting in real life. Finally, the love as if the lofty and cold stars on the top, which have the insurmountable distance, but never fails to stare at her. Such enduring love may puzzle the readers, they still need to pack up their heart again and return to the reason reluctantly. It gives an everlasting and divine theme to love, making the reader feel the great love suddenly, and the precious of love. Let the reader to be affected by both the sentimental and the encouraging, maybe there is a kind of true love which is no need to own, however, it also tough exists and has been around!
Love is the entire of this poem; the whole poem uses the simple language level, but if you read carefully, there seems to be a mysterious breath of strong winds. The love and the persistent of the poet, the sad or happy of the poet, no matter how our readers or the translators who might feel the fall in love of the feeling can not really take hold in place. By writing this poem in this fashion, the narrator could possibly hope to achieve either of the following: the woman, once old, will remember the days when she was young with happiness but grow regretful that she did not take advantage of his love, or the woman, in the present, will see what an opportunity she is missing by ignoring his love for her and leaving him to fade into the past.
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