When You are Old
by William Butler Yeats

When you are old and 1)gray and full of sleep
And 2)nodding by the fire, 3)take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of 4)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 5)pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

And 6)bending down beside the 7)glowing 8)bars,
9)Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled
And 10)paced upon the mountains overhead,
And hid his face 11)amid a crowd of stars.

当你老去

当你老了，头发白了，睡思昏沉，
炉火旁打盹，请取下这部诗歌，
慢慢读，回想你过去眼神的柔和，
回想它们过去的浓重的阴影；

多少人爱你年轻欢畅的时候
爱慕你的美貌，出于假意或者真心，
只有一个人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂，
爱你已改的容颜痛苦的皱纹。

躬身在红光闪耀的炉火旁，
凄然低语，爱为何消逝，
它漫步走上高高的山峦，
将脸庞隐没在了群星间。

注释：
1) gray a. 灰色，指头发灰白
2) nod v. 打瞌睡，点头
3) take down v. 拿下
4) the soft look 柔和的眼神
5) pilgrim n. 朝圣者，追寻者
6) bend down 弯腰
7) glow v. 灼热，发红光
8) bar n. 炉栅
9) murmur v. 喃喃低语
10) pace v. 踱步
11) amid prep. 在……中