William Butler Yeats, “When You Are Old,” is a poem of three stanzas, which consists of a consistent rhyme scheme. Yeats uses metaphors sometimes combined with series of poetic images. He exercises them well in poetry. They are meaningful, detailed and well understood. Yeats illustrates a man's genuine feelings, for what appear to be younger women. It takes place later; he was without the woman he loves and expressed what she had lost. In the first verse we talk about the future: “When you are old, gray and full of sleep” (Yeats, one) You will say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Since this metaphor is very detailed, it is easy to understand that she is talking about the fact that she is old, as you get older you become more tired therefore sleepy. Furthermore, Yeats describes the fact that as he grows older, he follows wisdom and will gain a deeper understanding of what he has lost. As Yeats illustrates the future, he also illustrates the past in the last two lines of this stanza "And read slowly and dream the soft look // Thy eyes had once, and their shadows deep" (Yeats, 3-4). In this case, the speaker wants her to feel, as if “what it was. ” Meaning he had soft, beautiful eyes and what once represented their love. The second verse, maintaining the rhyme scheme, also contains a significant amount of imagery. Yeats uses imagery to show more detail and importance on how the speaker feels. depicted in the past, how loved she was by many, “How many have loved thy moments of happy grace” (Yeats, 5). There is meaning in this as in the lines after she continues to explain herself, as what she loved was more special and more meaningful than the love others gave her. “But a man loved the pilgrim soul in you,” (Yeats, 7), as if the pilgrim soul he had, was something that was harder to acquire love for. The speaker was also saying that even though she was losing her beauty, he “loved the sorrows of your changing face.” This verse gives a voice of guilt in a way, for what she has lacked in the past. She may have taken the love he gave her for granted. Yeats uses his imagery in a wide range. Both perspectives of the speaker or the man and the woman. The third stanza talks about the future in the first and third person. At this point in the poem, it is where she has finally grown old and is withering somewhere alone. At this point, the first person is relevant, as she talks to herself about how love has been lost and realizes that love has run away and, due to her age and circumstances, is not returning. “Murmur, somewhat sadly, as Love fled” (Yeats, 10) This stanza consists of a significant amount of imagery used in conjunction with a metaphor. Use images to better set the scene, as well as give it more meaning. “And he walked upon the mountains above” (Yeats, 11). An excellent example of the imagery Yeats uses to add further depth to the poem. Since the poem is about love and how love has escaped, there is something that stands out. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The essential point of the poem represents how love ran away. As I stated in the introduction. It seems that the man who showed love to the attractive woman is older. The final line of the poem is a great conclusion. “And hid his face in a crowd of stars” (Yeats, 12). It's almost as if Yeats conveys two images to you with this line to end the poem. It shows that it is possible that, even if he hid his face from the.