Ye Zhi [Ireland]
When you are old, gray-haired and sleepy,
Take a nap in front of the stove, please take down this poem.
Back slowly, dreaming of your eyes.
Soft light and faint shadows;
How many people have loved your beauty with sincerity and hypocrisy,
Love your happy and charming youth,
Only one person loves your pilgrim heart,
Love the sadness on your aging face;
When you lean over the burning fireplace,
You will speak softly, with a touch of sadness;
The lost love has now set foot on the mountain.
Hide its face in a dense cluster of stars.
(translated by Bai Fei)
When you are old, it is written in 1893, which is a poem expressing warm and sincere love to lovers. Ye Zhi was born in June 1865 at the age of 28, but he assumed that when you get old, you will miss my sincere love for you, thus causing the other party to cherish youth and love, especially the feelings expressed by the poet. The conception of this poem may have been influenced by16th century French poet Long Sha's work When You Are Aging, but Ye Zhi's poem is more lasting and moving.
In the first verse of the poem, the poet imagines that when my lover is old and sleepy, you will see my eternal love for you from my poem, you will remember dreamlike youth, and you will see tenderness and melancholy in your eyes. In this section, the poet focuses on expressing his love for his lover, not only because of his beauty and gentleness, but also because of his deep and quiet behavior. The second section is the center of this poem, which is sincere and simple. The first sentence of this poem expresses that the person the poet loves is a person with perfect appearance. In the second part, the poet further points out how many people pursue you and worship you. However, whether these people are sincere or false, they just love your youth and beauty. Only one person can really love your noble soul until death do us part. There is only one person who loves your sacred heart and loves you forever. The poet clearly expressed that the poet's love is different from ordinary people. Ordinary people only love that short-lived youth and beauty, and only poets can love your noble heart that never fails. In the third quarter, the virtual lover is old, leaning over the blazing fire, lamenting and regretting the lost love. That love has disappeared on the top of the mountain and in the starry sky, and I can't regret it any more. At this point, the feelings of poetry have reached * * *, impacting the hearts of lovers and our readers with strong emotional power. Let us pursue and reflect.
This poem is delicate and profound and thought-provoking. Reality and reality alternate, illusion and reality alternate, highlighting the power of truth and truth. Euphemism, sincerity and touching.
Appreciating this poem will remind us of Maud Gunny, which has a great influence on Ye Zhi's life and creation. From 65438 to 0889, Ye Zhi became a famous young poet. She met the actress maud gonne, one of the leaders of the Irish national autonomy movement, and fell in love at first sight. For this meeting, Ye Zhi later recalled that she was standing by the window with a large cluster of apple blossoms beside her, and she was radiant herself, as if she were an apple petal full of sunshine. Ye Zhi was infatuated with her and proposed to her again and again, but she always refused. Maud Gunny is a radical Irish nationalist. Although he admires Ye Zhi's character and talent, he doesn't think he is a like-minded partner. Later, she married Major McBride, one of the leaders of the Irish national movement. Although this is an unfortunate marriage, she is very stubborn and still refuses Ye Zhi's pursuit. On the other hand, Ye Zhi has a lifelong love for her, and has written many emotional poems in decades, among which When You Are Old is one. In this poem, Ye Zhi expressed his unique sincere, pure and noble love to Maud Gunny. Many people only love Maud Gunny's beautiful face, and only Ye Zhi loves Maud Gunny's holy heart to the death, so as to move Maud Gunny, get Maud Gunny's love for Ye Zhi, form a couple and realize his beautiful wishes. Therefore, the imaginary artistic conception of "when you are old" in the poem serves Ye Zhi's actual desire for a happy love life. The last section says, "The lost love has climbed to the top of the mountain and buried her face in the dense stars." It is also telling maud gonne what she wants, so that she can cherish the fleeting love. Although these two lines are traditional romanticism, saying that the shame of love is covered by mountains and nebulae and disappears between mountains and stars, they express Ye Zhi's persistent pursuit of Maud Gunny. It is also predicted that Maud Gunny will miss Ye Zhi's enduring love, loyal and blazing love in her white-haired lonely years. At the same time, it is inevitable to recall the lost love with sadness and pity.