Question

When You Are Old

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 loves your moment of glad grace,

And loved your beauty with love false or true,

But one man love 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.

Questions:

1. What is the speaker of this poem like? How does the speaker describe himself?

2. To whom is the speaker speaking? What are you asked to conclude about the past relationship between the speaker and the listener?

3. Describe the dominant attitudes expressed by the speaker. What words might describe the poem’s tome?  

Answer 1

1. What is the speaker of this poem like? How does the speaker describe himself?

• The speaker of this poem is a old man and he likes reading literary books by sitting near the fire at the cold, night hours.

2. To whom is the speaker speaking? What are you asked to conclude about the past relationship between the speaker and the listener?

• The speaker of this poem is talking to a mystic personality who's hiding his face amid the stars: he might be the speaker's hero or he might be God, the Creator, the Almighty, to whom the speaker has given her heart.
• We  are asked to conclude about the past relationship between the speaker and the listener like this: it has been a divine love, and the lover is still continuing his soul-filled love even though he has hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

3. Describe the dominant attitudes expressed by the speaker. What words might describe the poem’s tome?  

• The dominant attitudes expressed by the speaker. is love for beauty, love for love's sake, deeper love for the soul, and love for the sorrows of a changing face.
• Fire, dream, shadows, glad grace, beauty, pilgrim soul, sorrows of your changing face, the mountains overhead, and, a crowd of stars. are the various words and phrases that set the TONE of this poem. (not 'tome' as it is given in the question: it is a spelling error.)