Analyzing a poem When I Was One and Twenty

“When I was One – and Twenty”

WHEN I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
‘Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies	5
But keep your fancy free.’
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,	10
‘The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
’Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.’
And I am two-and-twenty,	15
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

 (A. E. Housman (1859–1936) )

Summary:

This poem is written by A.E housman. This poem is about telling what hapenned to the speaker when he was twenty years old. This poem tells us that the speaker was being given some advices from a wise man who told him that the ability of love is more valuable than the material objects, the speaker should not give love too freely to everyone. But, the speaker seems did not notice the advice and at the end he regret with it. 


Analysis:

In the first stanza, it clearly explains us that the speaker was in 21 years old, it is marked on sentence “ when i was one -  and twenty”. The speaker also tells us that he was given some advices by a wise man that asked him (the speaker) to better lose the money than lose one’s heart or love. It means that we should not give our heart away. The money is symbolization from “Give crowns, pounds, and guineas”. The wise man also told to him that heart is important than the other. It is explained in a sentence “ Give pearls away and rubies but keep your fancy free”. It also shows us, we better to lose jewelry or valuable things rather than our heart. Fancy free refers to something valuable. But- unfortunatley the speaker did not notice the wise man’s advices because he (speaker) thought that he (speaker) is a young man who was inhabit of listening of advices from the other, he want to be free to enjoy his life. It is marked on the sentence“ No use to talk to me”.

In the second stanza, the speaker tells us that he was warned by a wise man more than once. It is marked on the sentence “ I heard him say again”. A wise man said to him that love or heart is important thing and never give up too freely to everyone. If the speaker do not hear the advices from a wise man, he will regret and feel sorrow. One year older, or when the speaker was in twenty two years old, he realized that the advice from the wise man is true. The word “oh” in the last line refers to regret and sorrow.

Theme :
Morality. It talks about the advice from wise man to young man but young man did not appreciate it.

Meter :
The poem uses Iambic tetramemter with some catalexis in the end of foot of the line.

Stanza lines : Octave

The structure :  The poem consists of two stanzas, each stanza consists of 8 lines.

Repetition : “when I was one and twenty”. It is repetition of line. 

Alliteration : “...Tis true...” there is repetition of sound “T” in the same line .

Symbolic :  Crowns, pounds, guineas = money
           Pearls, rubies         = Jewelry

Imagery         : Auditory Imagery “ I heard wise man ...”