Unrequited love is a common theme in poetry. Nature, death, wars, religions are all significant themes but love is the most important. It gives the reader an insight to the authors inner feelings. When You Are Old by William Butler Yeats is no exception. Yeats reflects upon his unconditional love for a woman who was not ready for a serious relationship.When You Are Old is about Maud Gonne, an Irish nationalist who William Butler Yeats was infatuated with and his unrequited love for her. In the poem, Maud Gonne is reflecting on past loves and relationships. She realizes that Yeats was her only companion who loved her unconditionally. Many loved her, or said they did, but not in every respect like Yeats. Perhaps if her realization were sooner, Yeats would have married her.Many key words jut out, giving us clues to which Yeats is describing. The most significant is Love on the tenth line. Love is capitalized representing William Yeats himself. Yeats or Love fled because he knew it was the best for her. When one loves another unconditionally sacrifices must be made; in this case ending the relationship was the solution. Two other key words are located in the sixth line, false and true. These words are used to exemplify the love she received from her past relationships. Some men truly loved her while others were artificial with their love. William Yeats is telling us how he loved her good qualities, along with her faults. This again is a prime example of his unconditional admiration and praise for her. Maud Gonne was a strong, independent woman. A key word to describe her is pilgrim, located on the seventh line. Yeats depicts her soul as a pilgrim, constantly moving and free minded. A person with a pilgrim soul must be set free to wander in life. Yeats knew this and ended the relationship because she wasnt totally happy. The imagery in this poem sets the scene and the mood. A strong image is in the first line. Yeats u...
