Daily Poem: When You Are Old, by William Butler Yeats

March 16, 2016 | Filed Under Poem for Hela | Comments Off on Daily Poem: When You Are Old, by William Butler Yeats

Today’s poem for Hela is one of my favorites poems, from one of my favorite poets.

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 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.

~William Butler Yeats

There’s a lovely version on YouTube, read by Tom Hiddleston. It’s even better with headphones.

 

 

 

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