ENGLISH PRESENTATION

BS EDUCATION 2ND SEMESTER

GROUP NO 4
PREAPARED BY:

Wajahat Minahil Irshad Aqsa Aqbar Wahab

shah Mazhar Ahmed Jabeen khan Hafeez
When You Are Old
 By William Butler Yeats(Poem + Analysis)
 William Butler Yeats’ poem ‘When You Are Old’ is directly addressed to his
lover, most probably Maud Gonne who was an Irish revolutionary
Read PoemPoetry
GuideShareCiteWilliam Butler Yeats
Nationality: IrishWilliam
Butler Yeats was one of the most important poets of the 20th century
He passed away in January 1939 after a career in prose, drama, and poetry
Key Poem InformationCentral Message: The fleeting nature of youthful love
and its lasting impact.
Themes: Beauty, Love, RelationshipsSpeaker: The poet
Emotions Evoked: Love for Her, SadnessPoetic
Form: QuatrainTime Period: 20th Centur
 This poem leads readers on a journey through past passions and the
profound connections that linger in life.View Poetry+ Review
CornerWhile W.B. Yeats did write political poems, this poem, ‘When
You Are Old,’ is not one of them.
 However, it should be noted that Maud Gonne, like Yeats, was seen
as a political figure in Ireland. Both were nationalists, and it was this
passion, coupled with her undeniable beauty, that made Yeats fall in
love with her.
 Tips to know before reading the poem
When You Are OldWilliam Butler YeatsWhen 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 lookYour 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 fledAnd paced upon the mountains overheadAnd hid his face
amid a crowd of stars.
Explore When You Are Old1 Summary2 Meaning3 Structure4 Literary
Devices5 Themes6 Analysis of When You Are Old7 Historical Context8 Similar
Poetry
 Summary
 ‘When You Are Old’ reveals that the speaker viewed himself as a true
lover, desperately hoping that his beloved might look into her future
and imagine herself old and regretting having never returned his
love.Many see this poem as highlighting the unrequited love between
the speaker, presumably Yeats, and his former lover. In this poem, the
speaker, talking directly to his muse, instructs her to open the book in
which this poem can be found and to re-read it. While re-reading, she
should recall how many people loved her for both true and false
reasons, namely because of her beauty.
 The speaker goes on to tell the lover that there was one man,
probably the speaker, who loved her completely. In the final stanza,
the speaker tells his former lover that she should remember that this
love did not last, and she should be filled with regret because of it.
 Meaning: To gather the full meaning of ‘When You Are Old’, a reader
must understand the love life of Yeats. For many years, he was in love
with a beautiful actress, Maud Gonne. Gonne would not (or could not)
return his love. This was a bitter rejection for Yeats, whose heart was
set on her. This poem is addressed to her.
 Structure
The poem consists of three stanzas, each containing
four lines. The rhyme scheme is very distinct and
steady; the first stanza is abba; the second is cddc; the
third is effe. Yeats uses this closed rhyming pattern to
emphasize the idea of each stanza. Additionally, there
are a total of ten syllables in each line. The stress falls
on the second syllable of each foot. Hence, Yeats wrote
the poem in iambic pentameter. This, coupled with the
steady rhyme scheme, lends a sing-song quality to the
poem. Apart from that, the rising rhythm is used to
depict the passion that the speaker still has in his heart
for his beloved. Besides, the stressed syllables consist
of the important ideas in a line.
 Themes
This poem reveals several themes, such as the reality of
passing time, the brevity of life, and the importance of
love. The most important theme of ‘When You Are Old’ is
the passing of time. This theme of transience forms the
basis of this poem. Here, the poet highlights the fact that
one’s youthful hours fade away with time.Time neither
stops nor stoops for anybody. Hence, the lady who is
wasting the lover’s time by not accepting his love will
suffer badly for the absence of that person. Thereafter,
the theme of the brevity of life is another important
aspect of the poem. Here, Yeats shows the transition of
a lady from her youth to old age and how she is going to
lament for the speaker. In this way, the poet also
emphasizes the importance of love.
YOUTH AND AGE
 The poem, 'Youth and Age', by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is said
to be one of the most romantic poems in which he presents a
contrast between youth and old age. Through this poem, the
poet has tried to explain how different these two stages of our
lives are. Where one is like a budding flower, the other is like the
dawn.

 The poem, ‘Youth and Age’, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is said

to be one of the most romantic poems in which he presents a
contrast between youth and old age. Through this poem, the
poet has tried to explain how different these two stages of our
lives are. Where one is like a budding flower, the other is like the
dawn. In order to present these two stages of life, the poet used
many beautiful images.
 Verse, a breeze mid blossoms straying,
 Where Hope clung feeding, like a bee—
 Both were mine! Life went a-maying
 With Nature, Hope, and Poesy,
 When I was young!
As we read through the lines. These lines have been the opening
lines of Youth and Age by S. T. Coleridge. It comes to our
knowledge that the poet has attached all the positive things in life
with youth. Plus, with the use of some powerful imagery, the poet
has brought home to us all the joys and liberties that he enjoyed
when he was young. Everything appeared to be good that could
be achieved easily, the poet was full of aspiring dreams and
hopes for the future. The world appeared to be good and the poet
was filled with new vigor and vitality. Through his great
imaginative powers, Coleridge has succeeded in capturing the
joys of youth.
 When I was young?—Ah, woful When!
 Ah! for the change ‘twixt Now and Then!
 This breathing house not built with hands,
 This body that does me grievous wrong,
 O’er aery cliffs and glittering sands,
 How lightly then it flashed along:—
 Like those trim skiffs, unknown of yore,
 On winding lakes and rivers wide,
 That ask no aid of sail or oar,
 That fear no spite of wind or tide!
 Nought cared this body for wind or weather
 When Youth and I lived in’t together.
In the above lines of ‘Youth and Age’ by Coleridge, we see the poet again
reminiscing very woefully about the time gone by. He still remembers the
time when he was young. And with a heavy heart, he goes over the
changes time had brought in him, changes brought about in his body. So,
here we find that using his imaginative skills, Coleridge has succeeded in
capturing the helplessness of old age. The poet remembers that in his
youth he had all the blessings one could wish for. He was full of vitality and
 He says that just like those small but swift yachts that go about on the lakes
and rivers, without taking any help. In the same way, nothing used to affect
him nor did he have any worries concerning his surroundings. Because when
we are young we are full of health and vitality with never even thought about
getting unwell whereas in old age everything, our mental and physical health
both, is a downhill task.
 In the realm of winding lakes and expansive rivers, untouched by the need for
sail or oar, free from the whims of wind and tide, this body knew no concern.
Neither wind nor weather could trouble it, back when Youth and I were
inseparable inhabitants of this physical form.
 Flowers are lovely; Love is flower-like;
 Friendship is a sheltering tree;
 O! the joys, that came down shower-like,
 Of Friendship, Love, and Liberty,
 Ere I was old!
 Ere I was old? Ah woful Ere,
 Which tells me, Youth’s no longer here!
 O Youth! for years so many and sweet,
 ‘Tis known, that Thou and I were one,
 I’ll think it but a fond conceit—
 In these lines of ‘Youth and Age’ by Coleridge, the poet says that
when you are in your prime, everything looks lovely and you
enjoy nature. As a sensitive, young man he felt the charm of the
natural objects and looked forward with the vitality of youth. In
his youth, he was physically stronger and had an attraction
towards nature and its objects. The poet says that love is like a
flower and friendship is like a tree that protects you from all
kinds of weather. The poet feels himself to be lucky to be
blessed with friendship. But as he reconciles with this reality that
he has grown old he consoles himself with this philosophy that
we only grow old when our way of thinking grows old.
In these lines of the poem Youth and Age, Coleridge is describing the Pity
scene of an old man. An old man has been compared to a Poor relation
who has outstayed his welcome at his host is place. The Poor man is
welcomed at the beginning of his stay but very soon the host is tired of
him. The host is not open to his guest and asks him to go away but his
behaviour towards the Poor relation gets Colder and Colder. Even the
Jokes of the guest do not smile at the host. This is the scene of oldness.
The poet has used striking similes in this passage.
 Even though you grow old physically but you remain young
in mind as long as your way of thinking and your way of
living remains young. The poet says that although he has
grown old, his hair is all grey and he walks with a stoop but
still, he is young in mind because his thoughts are young.

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