When You Are Old-Qs-Ans-WB Yeats-English for B.A. Semester III

 Questions & Answers: When You Are Old By WB Yeats:

Answer in about 20-30 words

Q1. Explain the rhyme scheme used in the poem ‘When You Are Old’.

Ans. In this poem, each stanza has four lines. We also find that in each stanza. the first line rhymes with the fourth and the second line rhymes with the third one. This is the rhyme scheme in the poem is abba,

cddc, effe

Q2. How does the poet use personification in this poem 'When You Are Old'?

Ans. The poet uses personification here to bring out the meaning that true love is a rare phenomenon on this earth. He says that it has left the earthly surroundings and fled by pacing upon the mountains. It has hidden his face amid the crowd of stars. One cannot pick up a star and bring it down on the earth. So it has become to find true love on the earth. The use of the word ‘murmur’ shows regret.

Q3. How does Yeats nostalgically recall his beloved?

Ans. The poet nostalgically recalls the days when his beloved was young and beautiful. He uses beautiful imagery here to make his point clear. The poet says that when a flower is fresh and young, so many drones fly around it. But as the flowers wither, all drones leave it. Similarly, in youth, many young men hovered around his beloved. But as she grew old, all the fake lovers would leave hovering around her.

Q4. Who is referred to as hiding his face in the crowd of stars?

Ans. The poet uses personification here to bring out the meaning that true love is a rare phenomenon on this earth. He personifies ‘love’ as a bird and ‘stars’ as beautiful objects that cannot be brought back to this physical world. He says that it has left the earthly surroundings and fled by pacing upon the mountains. It has hidden his face amid the crowd of stars.

Q5. What does the poet ask the lady to do when she turns old?

Ans. The poet advises his beloved to take down ‘this book’ and read it slowly when she grows old. After reading the book, she might remember that once she was young and beautiful. She would also remember that so many young men showed their love to her at that time. But, now, in her old age, all have left her. She would come to know that their love was fake. But the poet claims that he loves her still in her old age. His love is pure towards his ‘pilgrim soul’.

Q6.What will happen to the lady when she turns old?

Ans. The poet imagines a situation when his beloved grows old. At that time, her physical beauty would be lost. There would be no charm and freshness on her face. In her youth, so many young men claimed their love towards her. But in old age, all would leave her. No one comes to her to claim his love for her. But the poet claims that he still loves her truly. His love was always deep and permanent for her.

Q7.Why does the poet call the soul of his beloved a ‘pilgrim’?

Ans. The poet has called his beloved’s soul a pilgrim. It means that the poet also believes in life after death like Robert Browning, a great Victorian poet. According to Oriental philosophy, the human soul is immortal and leaves the body after death to take new birth.  Thus human soul travels like a pilgrim to reach its final abode, Heaven, the pilgrimage. The poet loved her soul. This is what the poet wants to convey to us by using the phrase ‘pilgrim soul’.

 

Answer in 100 to 150 words

Q1. General Question: About the poet’s personal experience/ views revealed on love in the poem

Ans. W. B. Yeats expresses his views on true love in this poem. He believes in true love that never changes. He says that most of the lovers in this world believe in physical love. Physical love fades away as the beloved starts becoming old. This poem expresses the poet’s personal experience. He had a deep love for his beloved, Maud Gonne. Several times he approached her and expressed his love for her. But every time he received a rejection. In the present poem, the poet expresses his true love for her. He imagines that at that time, she would be old and sitting all alone by the fire feeling sleepy. Then she would recall how several young men used to express their love for her. But in her old age, no one would be there to love her truly except one (i.e. the poet), who loved her pilgrim soul truly. The poet believes that her heart would be filled with regret at that time for not responding to the poet’s true love. But it would be too late then.

 Q2. Comment on the title of the poem, ‘When You Are Old’?

Ans. The title of the poem is quite appropriate (apt/right). In this poem, the poet imagines a situation when his beloved would be old in age. At that time, her hair would be grey and she would be feeling sleepy while sitting by the fire on some winter evening.

After that, the poet talks about how her physical beauty would be destroyed by the passage of time. His beloved’s eyes and cheeks would remain no more attractive. She would lose her all physical charms.

Then the poet says that his beloved had so many lovers in her youth. They used to keep hovering around her. But in her old age, all of them deserted (left) her. They did not love her truly. The poet also says that true love is a very rare phenomenon. Very few people like the poet himself are left there in the world having true love for their beloved. He loves the ‘pilgrim soul’ of his beloved.

Q3. The poem, ‘When You are Old’, comes up with a concept of love that is pure, spiritual, and unconditional. Elaborate.

Ans. The poet comes up with a concept of true love in this poem. He says that true love never changes with the passage of time. A true lover loves the spirit, the soul of his beloved, not the body. People may love their beloveds for their physical charms. But their love disappears as soon as the bodily charms start fading due to the aging effect. Such lovers are like the drones that hover around the beautiful flowers. But they leave the flower when they wither away.

 Actually, the poet clarifies all this through his personal experience. He had a deep love for his beloved, Maud Gonne. Several times he approached her and expressed his love for her. But every time he received a rejection. But in this poem, he says that he always loved his beloved unconditionally. He never expected the love in return from her. He always loved her in her sad and happy moments. He always noticed the minutest changes on her face. He loved her ‘pilgrim soul’, not her body. He never felt dejected whenever he received a rejection from his beloved.

Thus the poet explains the concept of true love in this poem.

Q4. Describe the role of Time in this poem ‘When You Are Old’.

Ans. We do find the role of time in the present poem. Here, we also remember William Shakespeare’s concept of true love and the role of time in it. Shakespeare talked about the ravaging effect of time on every object, living, and one-living in this world. All physical objects have to decay and die after some time. Similarly, the beauty of human bodies and that of other objects on this earth have to suffer decay and death. But true love never changes with the passage of time.

The same concept of true love and time finds echoes in this poem. The poet claims true love towards his beloved in this poem. He says that his love is beyond the destructive effect of time. He loved her when she was beautiful and young. He continued loving her even when she lost her physical charms. He still loved her ‘pilgrim soul’. His love is unique and different. His love was not accepted by his beloved, yet he continued loving her with the same intense feeling.

Thus time could not destroy the poet’s deep love for his beloved.