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.

这首诗通过描绘一个女人在年老时回忆青春岁月的情景，表达了诗人对她的深沉爱意。诗中提到虽然许多人曾喜爱过她年轻时的美好容颜，但只有一个人真正爱慕她内在的灵魂，并且欣赏她在岁月变迁中的沧桑之美。

叶芝在这首诗中运用了丰富的意象和细腻的情感描写，使得整首诗充满了浪漫主义色彩。他将时间流逝与爱情永恒这一主题巧妙地结合在一起，既让人感受到时间的无情，又让人体会到真爱的珍贵。

尽管这首诗已经流传多年，但它依然能够触动现代人的心灵。无论是在哪个时代，人们对美好爱情的向往始终如一。叶芝以他独特的视角和表达方式，为我们留下了一首感人至深的爱情诗篇。