English Literature - Poetry and Poetic Devices

English Literature
English Literature - Poetry and Poetic Devices

Which of the following themes is central to the poem ?


Read the following poem and answer the question:

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.

Options:

  1. The inevitability of death.
  2. The transformative power of love.
  3. The fleeting nature of beauty and enduring nature of true love.
  4. Forgiveness and hope of reunion in old age.

Right Answer: The fleeting nature of beauty and enduring nature of true love.

W. B. Yeats’s ‘When You Are Old’ contrasts two kinds of love. Many admirers loved the woman’s ‘moments of glad grace’ and her physical beauty, an attachment that faded as her face changed with age. Only one man loved the ‘pilgrim soul’ in her and even the sorrows of her changing face, a love that outlasted her youth. The poem therefore turns on the fleeting nature of beauty set against the enduring nature of genuine love. Death is not its subject; the ageing of the woman is only the vantage point from which she is asked to look back.

This question is part of English Literature - Poetry and Poetic Devices, which has 17 practice questions with answers.

Recent questions from every quiz

Latest Articles

Published: | Last Updated:
Deepak - Educational Content Creator

Written by Deepak

Educational Content Creator

I am an educational content creator dedicated to making learning simple, engaging, and accessible for students preparing for competitive exams. He specializes in creating high-quality study materials, including notes, multiple-choice questions (MCQs), previous year question papers, practice tests, and exam-oriented resources.

Experience: 10+ years in Education and Competitive Exam Content Creator