When You are Old
当你老了

When You Are Old was written by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats for Maud Gonne. The idea of love in age is an ancient one, meant to express the fact that love inheres not merely in youth, but in something deeper and more lasting. Yeats capitalizes “Love,” thus personifying the concept, which is a nod to the poem's 16th century roots. Although monotheism had taken over Europe, Greek and Roman gods were very much a part of 16th century consciousness. Yeats's “Love” is a modernization of the ancient figure, Eros.
《当你老了》是爱尔兰诗人威廉·巴特勒·叶芝为莫德·冈尼写的一首诗。老年之恋，古而有之，说明爱情不光关乎年轻，而是比之更深沉、更长久。叶芝将爱情拟人化，为全诗抹上16世纪诗歌的宗教色彩。在16世纪，虽然欧洲多数国家信奉一神论，但是古希腊和古罗马的众神仍然为众人所信仰。叶芝诗中的“爱”即是爱神厄洛斯的现代化身。

In 1889, Yeats met Maud Gonne, then a 23-year-old beautiful English heiress and ardent Irish Nationalist. Gonne had admired “The Island of Statues” and sought out his acquaintance. Yeats developed an obsessive infatuation with her beauty and outspoken manner, and she had a significant and lasting effect on his poetry and his life. This poem was intended for a young, beautiful girl who was imbued with charm and attractive appearance. However, the poet chose to travel to the future and unfold a picture of the beautiful girl who had grown into an old, gray-haired and hunch-backed lady. Though it is cruel to tell a blossoming girl what she will look like in her old age, the poet revealed this undeniable rule of nature to his lover and more importantly, expressed his deep and profound love towards her in these inconvenient words.
1889年，叶芝第一次遇见了美丽的茅德·冈尼，她时年二十三岁，是英国一位女继承人，一位热忱的爱尔兰民族主义者。她仰慕这位“爱尔兰的丰碑”，开始和他结识。叶芝为冈尼的美貌和坦率的性格深深倾倒，一生的创作和生活都留下了她深深的烙印。诗人写这首诗时，他所爱恋的对象正值青春年少，有着靓丽的容颜和迷人的风韵。而诗人偏要穿越悠远的时光隧道，想到红颜少女的垂暮之年，想象她白发苍苍、身躯佝偻的样子。对一位正享受青春之果的少女宣讲她的暮年，也许太过残酷，但这却是不可抗拒的自然规律。诗人这样写并非只是向她说出这个“真理”，更是想通过这种委婉的方式向她表达自己深深的爱。