Help pls!

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florazheng1015

#80758 Sun, 13 Mar 05 05:05 AM

of their shadows deep.
Q1: What ‘shadows’ does it refer here” ?
--------`
paced upon the mountains overhead
Q2: What is the meaning of ‘overhead’ here?
Q3: Who paced upon the mountains? ‘ you’ or he’?
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And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
Q4: Who is he here? Her lover? How to understand above sentence? or What's the meaning of above sentence. Please kindly share your intrepretation with me.
TKS!

When You Are Old ~ W. B. Yeats ~

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.

florazheng1015

Joined on Sun, Feb 20 2005

Full Member (155)

Mister Micawber

#80853 Sun, 13 Mar 05 01:59 PM

This I believe was addressed to Lady Gregory, whom Yeats was in love with.

Q1: 'shadows deep' probably relates to Lady Gregory's serious concern about and work towards the 'Irish Revival', although it could just refer to the attractiveness of her eyes.

Q2: 'Overhead' I think just highlights the 'higher' poetry that Yeats' love for Lady G. was transformed into; alternatively, his love paced and waited among Lady G's intellectual heights.

Q3: 'Love paced upon the mountains'- that is what the poet says the lady should murmur.

But what do I know? I haven't analyzed a poem for decades.

Mister Micawber

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004

Yokohama

Veteran Member (22,678)

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

Whom

florazheng1015

#80861 Sun, 13 Mar 05 02:59 PM

Hi Mr. Micawber,
Thanks a lot. But I am still in the dark..
1
[although it could just refer to the attractiveness of her eyes.]

Why does “ shadow” mean the attractiveness of her eyes.
I looked up my dictionary and found an example sentence as following.
Eg. Have shawdows around the eyes. (due to sleepless)

2
['Overhead' I think just highlights the 'higher' poetry that Yeats' love for Lady G. was transformed into; alternatively, his love paced and waited among Lady G's intellectual heights]

Sorry. I can’t understand your answer to my second question at all though I read it again and again.
What is “ intellectual height” here?
Cheers,

florazheng1015

pieanne

#80864 Sun, 13 Mar 05 03:06 PM

Hi, Flora!
Just a guess for 1...
Shadows are dark; darkness is bottomless; her eyes are bottomless, he could drown himself in them!

pieanne

Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005

South of France ...But I'm Belgian!

Veteran Member (7,512)

I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos...

florazheng1015

#80865 Sun, 13 Mar 05 03:13 PM

Pieanne, thanks for your response. Your intrepretation of this sounds good. Hmmm...

florazheng1015

pieanne

#80866 Sun, 13 Mar 05 03:15 PM

you're welcome Smile [:)]

pieanne

Mister Micawber

#80977 Sun, 13 Mar 05 11:35 PM

And I shall leave this thread in Pieanne's capable hands.

Mister Micawber

florazheng1015

#80979 Sun, 13 Mar 05 11:45 PM

Anyway, thank you for your help, Mr. Micawber. Smile [:)]

P.S. I read the story about Yeats and the lady before. Er, it was a kind of one-side love. Sad...

florazheng1015

pieanne

#81058 Mon, 14 Mar 05 09:28 AM

Hi, Flora...
For your 2nd question...
I agree with MrM. The poet has already compared his love to a pilgrim: this implies sanctity, but also a pilgrim doesn't stay, s/he moves from place to place (it was a kind of one side love). I guess that's why the author uses the verb "pace" (=walk, move); as to te mountains overhead, well the higher you go, the purer the air, we are back to the pilgrim's sanctity, +, intellectual heights.
I'm not sure I'm very clear?

pieanne

Verbs

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