When You Are Old
Hummingbird Featured Poem. When You Are Old
by William Butler Yeats
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.
Curator’s Note: This poem talks about unrequited love, something many people will relate to. Its message: the passage of time and the regret that comes with missed opportunity.
Most men loved her beauty, but he loved her true soul - her pilgrim soul, after all, beauty does fade. I can hear the earnestness of his voice, his heartfelt and deep words.
