Essay -- Wrath of a Lover Scorned: An Analysis of a Not-Love Poem
In the poem "When You Are Old" by William Butler Yeats, love is a major theme. However, it is by no means a love poem. The poem describes a future in which the subject, the poet's beloved, reminisces about her past relationship with the poet, a relationship that is no more. Even though its opening lines relay a gentle, soothing mood, this sense of security is quickly upset, as the tone becomes labored and remorseful. The voice of the lover, too, diverges from the conventions of love poetry. There are few traces of the amorous, doting suitor. Instead of celebrating his beloved, the poet predicts for her a lonely future filled with regrets. The effect is that of a warning: since the future has yet to arrive, his beloved ought to examine her choices now, before it is too late. The first stanza of the poem seems to paint a pleasant enough picture. The poet addresses his beloved in a future he imagines, where the beloved is "full of sleep / And nodding by the fire"