“When You Are Old: Question and Answers” is a reminder that true love is not based on physical appearance. True love is based on the inner beauty of the person we love. The poem also teaches us that we should cherish the memories of our loved ones, even when they are no longer with us. Read More Plus Two English Question and Answers.
When You Are Old Question and Answers
Question 1.
Why does the poet ask his beloved to reflect upon the bygone days and the present moment?
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What does the speaker in When You Are Old’suggest to his beloved to reflect upon?
Answer:
The poet asks his beloved to reflect upon the bygone days and the present moment because he seems to be apprehensive that she will continue to ignore him, her beauty will vanish soon and she will be alone in her old age. That is why he is asking her to presume that she has grown old and grey and try to foresee her predicament in the future. He does so because he intends to persuade her to pay attention to his ‘value’ as a lover before it is too late.
Question 2.
Examine the theme of opposing stability of true love and the fickleness of false love in the light of the poem.
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How does the speaker express his longing for his beloved?
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Whose love in ‘When You Are Old’ is true and intense? Explain.
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How does the speaker in ‘When You Are Old’ bring out his love for his beloved against the changing circumstances and ravages of time?
Answer:
‘When You Are Old’ presents the moral dilemma faced by a sincere lover. The speaker/narrator is the sincere lover and his lady love is the one who is going to make a decision. The lady has attracted many suitors including the speaker. The speaker believes that the other suitors only love her physical charms, and not all of them are sincere in their love towards her. He means to say that they are fickle-minded and once she loses her charms they will desert her. On the other hand, he believes that he loves her truly and according to him true love is the love of the inner self and has a spiritual aspect in it. But, the lady has not responded to his love.
He feels frustrated and as a last attempt, he tries to tell her the reality. He wants her to realize that physical beauty is transient and love of the fickle-minded will also be transient. He wants to assure her that only his love will be stable and if she ignores him and makes a wrong decision she will regret it later. Thus the speaker tries to persuade his lover to make the right decision and receive his love, which is true and intense.
Question 3.
How does the poet express his feelings for his love in the poem?
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How is love that is not reciprocated by the speaker’s beloved expressed in the poem?
Answer:
The poet asks his love, who is still young, to imagine a time when she is past her prime youth. She would then be an old woman with grey hair and sleepy eyes. When she is in such a state, he wants her to read a book of memories from her youth. As the woman sits beside the fire, nodding her head and leaves through her memories, she would recollect the ‘soft looks’ she once had and the sorrows she had suffered until then. When she recalls her faded beauty she would also recall how she was admired by many suitors who were infatuated with her physical charms. At the same time, she would also recall how there was one man who loved her unique soul which was in search of true love. She would also realize that her true love has lingered on for a while, disappeared from the earth and hid amidst a crowd of stars in heaven.
Question 4.
The poem ’When You are Old’highlights the feelings of a true lover. Explain.
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How is the speaker’s passionate love for his beloved brought out in the poem?
Answer:
‘When You are Old’ highlights the writer’s true and unforgettable love for a lady. It presents the concern of sincere love for the future predicament of his lady love. Instead of focusing upon the present or the past, the poet looks to the future, a future in which the two people in the poem are destined to be forever apart. The poet imagines that the woman he loved has become old and regrets her refusing his true love.
The poem begins with the presumption that an old and grey lady is sitting beside the fire nodding her head. When she recalls her memories, she remembers the soft look that her eyes had once, and the number of suitors who tried to court her, being charmed by her elegance and beauty. While admitting that many suitors were attracted by her youthful beauty, the speaker tries to tell her that he was the only lover who loved the pilgrim soul in her.
He wants her to know that unlike others he was attracted by the beauty of her inner self and his love would remain constant even in her old age. He assures her that he loves even the sorrows of her changing face. He wants her to understand that over a period of time her beauty will have faded away and she will have grown old, with her face having shrunk and her skin has been wrinkled, indicating that she has passed through many difficulties and sorrows.
The speaker concludes visualizing that she is now bending down beside the dying fire, and she tells herself in a whisper, in a regretful tone that her true love has fled and is hiding his face amidst a crowd of stars. Thus, the whole poem is the delineation of the intense feelings of a true lover.