When You Are Old 是叶芝 ( Yeats, 1865 —1939)早期名诗,发表于1893年,献给比他小一岁多的爱尔兰著名民族主义者毛德 · 岗妮 ( Maud Gonne) 。
When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
当你老了,头发白了,睡意昏沉,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
炉火旁打盹,请取下这部诗歌,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
慢慢读,回想你过去眼神的柔和,
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
回想它们昔日浓重的阴影;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
多少人爱你青春欢畅的时辰,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
爱慕你的美丽,假意或真心,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
只有一个人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
爱你衰老了的脸上痛苦的皱纹;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
垂下头来,在红光闪耀的炉子旁,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
凄然地轻轻诉说那爱情的消逝,
And paced upon the mountains overhead
在头顶的山上它缓缓踱着步子,
And hid his face among a crowd of stars.
在一群星星中间隐藏着脸庞。