Asked by: Conrad Johanna
books and literature poetry

When you are old by William Butler Yeats theme?

37
Summary of When You Are Old
It was first published in 1893 and is one of the famous love poems. It comprises the poet's eternal love for his beloved. However, its popularity lies in the description of the poet's meditation on catastrophic onslaught of time.


Keeping this in consideration, what is the tone of the poem when you are old?

The tone is cautionary - the' voice' in the poem is giving a warning to the person addressed that, because she has rejected the person who truly loves her, she may suffer a lonely old age.

Beside above, how is the journey from youth to old age described in the poem? Explanation: The journey from youth to old age is well described in the poem ' when you are old' in a way that touched the readers hearts. This poem says that when one start to grow old, all the troubles and struggles that he has faced will be seen in the form of his wrinkles.

Consequently, when you are old pilgrim soul meaning?

The phrase “pilgrim soul” may refer to Gonne's independent frame of mind, or perhaps her support for freedom and Irish nationalism. In any case, it is something unique to her in Yeats' mind and separate from the more transient qualities of her beauty. The third stanza seems packed with meaning and power.

What is Maud Gonne reminded of in the poem?

Maud Gonne is reminded of her youthful days when she was charming and energetic. She is also reminded of her only true love who would love her for her pilgrim soul. Others love was short-lived while as the poet's love was persistent.

Related Question Answers

Achour Lesan

Professional

What type of poem is when you are old?

Iambic Pentameter: It is a type of meter consisting of five iambs. This poem comprises iambic For Example, “When you are old and grey and full of sleep.”

Graciosa Laera

Professional

What does a pilgrim soul mean?

A pilgrim soul might mean a part of you that wants to travel, or it may mean that your personality changes over time. There is one man who loves that part of you. It's from a poem, so the meaning is not really clear, and its not at all a common expression. A pilgrim is a traveller.

Dinah Valindro

Professional

Who goes with Fergus?

Who goes with Fergus? Who will go drive with Fergus now, And pierce the deep wood's woven shade, And dance upon the level shore? Young man, lift up your russet brow, And lift your tender eyelids, maid, And brood on hopes and fear no more.

Amaro Prateek

Explainer

What does glad grace mean?

Answered Mar 17, 2019. Glade grace means the alluring beauty of the beloved ( Maud Gonne) of the poet which stirred sentiments towards her in all her lovers false or true. When You are Old Poem Questions-Answers and Summary | Smart Solutions.

Jame Miranda

Explainer

When you are old is addressed to?

"When You Are Old" is a short lyric of twelve lines in three stanzas. The poem is the product of the early period in Yeats's poetic career. It is addressed to Maud Gonne with whom he was in love. It forms a part of the group of poems published in 1893 with the title The Rose.

Aleida Djahbarov

Explainer

How many loved your moments?

“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.”

Roya Cardiga

Pundit

What does Sailing to Byzantium mean?

“Sailing to Byzantium” is a short poem of thirty-two lines divided into four numbered stanzas. The title suggests an escape to a distant, imaginary land where the speaker achieves mystical union with beautiful, eternal works of art. “Byzantium” is a loaded word for William Butler Yeats, a word rich with meaning.

Andreu Wiedenbrugge

Pundit

When was your old published date?

Poem first published in The Rose, by W.B. Yeats, 1893. About the Author: William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet.

Ceila De Diago

Pundit

What do the swans symbolize in The Wild Swans at Coole?

The swans are the poem's most prominent symbols. They remain unchanged despite everything that has changed in the speaker's life. The swans also symbolize beauty, grace and energy, and the poem endows them with a mythical status, portraying them as divine creatures unmoved by time and immune to pain and weariness.

Otilia Zschachlitz

Pundit

Where Is The Lake Isle of Innisfree?

Ireland

Mayka Auzan

Pundit

What is WB Yeats poetry mainly about?

Yeats began by writing epic poems such as The Isle of Statues and The Wanderings of Oisin. His other early poems are lyrics on the themes of love or mystical and esoteric subjects. His most important collections of poetry started with The Green Helmet (1910) and Responsibilities (1914).

Kamar Armijos

Teacher

What poems did WB Yeats write?

10 of the Best W. B. Yeats Poems
  • The greatest poems by W. B. Yeats selected by Dr Oliver Tearle.
  • 'Leda and the Swan'.
  • 'Death'.
  • 'The Second Coming'.
  • 'He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven'.
  • 'Long-Legged Fly'.
  • 'An Irish Airman Foresees His Death'.
  • 'Sailing to Byzantium'.

Pieter Nicklis

Teacher

What does the phrase your changing face suggest?

5 – What does the phrase 'Your changing face' suggest? 'Changing face' suggests how the young lady whom the poet loved realized that all her admirers loved her only for her beauty and grace and that only the poet loved her truly. How sad she felt.

Nahiara Gogorza

Teacher

Why did Maud Gonne reject Yeats?

“Maud Gonne refused to take part in it.” Unknown to Yeats, Gonne had an affair with a French journalist and secretly gave birth to a boy, who died at the age of 2; she returned with her lover to the child's tomb to conceive again, believing that reincarnation would bring back the lost son.

Neoma Arantzaeta

Reviewer

Was there another Troy for her to burn?

At the end of the war, Troy is burned to the ground and lots of people die. The speaker is saying that, if there had been another Troy for Maud to burn, she would have burned it. But since there wasn't, she had to go around making trouble for lovesick poets and stirring up violent protests against the British.

Monique Regue

Reviewer

When did Yeats meet Maud Gonne?

1889

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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29th January, 2020

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