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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,
Murmer, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

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Yeats, Wm. Butler.

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) remains to be viewed as one the
greatest English-language poets of the twentieth century. He was
born in Dublin, Ireland but moved with his family to London at
the age of two. In 1883, he returned to Ireland and attended the
Metropolitan School of Art. Five years later, his family moved
back to London and this is where Yeats immersed himself in the
life of the professional writer.

In 1898, he met Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory, who was
interested in Ireland's folklore. Yeats found that this lore
increased his interest his heritage, ancient Irish rituals and
pagan beliefs. Together they founded the Irish Literary Theatre
where Yeats would later show many of his plays.

Between 1909 and 1914, Yeats' abandoned his previous writing
style and his poetry matured into tightly-woven verses, sparse
imagery, and a new directness toward reality. It is during this
time that he wrote some of his most famous poems including,
Sailing to Byzantium, The Second Coming, and Easter.

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By Mickie Kennedy of http://www.poetrypreviews.com
Copyright DayTips.com, Inc., 2001. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright by respective poet or publisher; used with permission.
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