The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner

William Butler YEATS (1865-1939)

TITLE:

The title of the poem, “The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner”, consists three content words, two nouns (“lamentation” and “Pensioner”), and an adjective, “old” that qualifies the second noun.“Lamentation” means mourning or wailing over the loss of some precious things, a privilege position or an advantage. The second noun used by the poet is “pensioner”. The poet could have used ‘man’ instead. But he didn't. It is remarkable. A pensioner is a senior citizen, who is provided with some (monetary) benefits for the services s/he has provided in her/his youth. It helps him/her to live in old age.

SUMMARY:

"The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner" is a philosophical poem composed by W.B. Yeats, a famous 20th century modern Irish poet. In the poem, the poet has proven that time is supreme and nothing can stand before time. The poet also suggests that everybody likes to be young and nobody wants to be old. But it is time that makes us old one day. So, the poet presents his reminiscences (remembrance) of the past events and experiences of his young life. He becomes very sad when he compares and contrasts his time of youth with the present old age. He finds old age more painful and lonely than his young life.

The title suggests that the poet is a Pensioner. It means he must be very old and is living a retired life. The elderly pensioner’s lamentation is that time has transformed him into someone that is no longer important or viable. The speaker is crying out rather than muttering softy at that which has been unjust to him: time. According to the poem, the poet has now become old. He takes shelter under a broken tree because he has not got any other places for shelter. He remembers his good old unforgettable days with friends. Before when he was young, he was leading a good life. He sat near the fire with other young men and talked about love and politics. Many beautiful women loved him. So, his past was romantic and unforgettable. Now, he laments over his life because not a single woman comes near to him to talk about love. Nobody likes him and lives near him. At the present moment, he has become a matter of hatred. Therefore, he is sad and dissatisfied with his old age. His bygones days are like a dream to him.

At present people are busy to make weapons to fulfill their treacherous (unreliable) plan. They are busy to do some conspiracy. Some young boys are making weapons to attack the government. Some crazy bad boys show their anger at human violence. But the poet has nothing to do with it. He only thinks about time that has changed him completely. When he compares present life with the past life he realizes that ‘Time has transfigured him from strong, energetic, vigorous and high spirited youth to a helpless, lonely and weak creature. Now, he is completely changed due to the course of ‘Time’ because it has the power to change us from young to old. At the present moment, his condition is miserable. He realizes that everything has changed because of time. Now, no woman would look at an old man. But he still remembers the beautiful woman that he loved. So, he becomes angry to the time and wants to spit into the face of ‘Time’. He says, “I want to spit into the face of time/that has transfigured me”.

Though the cruel time reduces a person from young to old one, it cannot seize one’s memories. So, at this point the poet feels superior to the time and does not want to surrender in front of the time – rather wants to spit into the face of the time. Thus, the poem makes us aware that we all become old one day and lament like the old pensioner due to the nature of ‘Time’. But we should not lament over the old age rather we should try to celibate it.

Essay on “Youth & Age"

Life is a journey from womb to tomb. A person has to cross different phases of life where if he lives a full life. A child of yesterday becomes a young today and old tomorrow. Eventually he or she disappears from the world and lives in his permanent home, the grave. So youth and old age are two sides of life. They are completely different but inseparable just like two sides of paper.

Youth is the most interesting and important phase of human life. A person becomes physically healthy and mentally sound in the phase. He or she becomes courageous to do any adventurous (risky) work. Youth is energetic and romantic too, young people keep interest in love and politics. Most of them don’t care about past and future but try to make the present perfect. They spend much time with friends in entertainment and creative activities too. If they make the best use of this phase, they can make their future bright. We find some young people misusing their time of youth and damaging their future.

Old age is rather miserable phase of human life. A person becomes physically weak and mentally forgetful. He or she spends much time at home remembering the happy days of his/her youth. He or she expects help from young people to do any work. He or she keeps interest not in romantic love but in family, love and religion. He or she wants to visit temples and so many other holy places. He or she likes to tell young people the story of young people according to his or her own experiences. However, unlike joyous youth, old age is bitter and painful. So, old people are very much passive, dull and pessimistic.  

Q. Why does the old man want to spit into the face of time?