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The Explication of Two Lyrics

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The lyric poem "When You Are Old" by the late Mr. William Butler Yeats is a duodecet. This douzain is actually an allusion to "When You Are Very Old" by his inspiration Mr. Pierre de Ronsard, a writer from the Renaissance. Both authors incorporate a variety of stylistic devices in the compositions. In addition, the two composers address their muses in these forms of authentic communication via figurative meaning. This explication will analyze the different types of figurative language, which contributes to the overall effect of the poetry at large.
Repetition is an example of such thematic meaning in which the selected poets use in all twenty-six lines. In the latter work, there is an emphasis on the word "and" in all three quatrains. Similarly, there is a repetition of the word "you" in the octave as well as the sextet in order to remind the readers that the primary sources are written in second person. Another form of repetition in the latter piece includes alliteration in the fifth verse, i.e. "glad grace" and this insinuates youthfulness. Moreover, there is perfect rhyme in every single stanza and this also creates musicality by giving the lyrics a repetitive rhythm just like the repeated words in each segment.
Imagery is an additional element that helps the protagonists express their love to their sweethearts. In particular, the lyricists utilize several tropes and this especially includes symbolism in which the "fire" represents love in the first heroic stanza. This passion is additionally personified in the last stave of the masterpiece from the Industrial Revolution and World War I. In fact, research suggests that this devotion is a personification of the speaker himself and the gist of this final division is that he cannot make the lady feel the same way about him especially since her heart is not in it. In other words, the overall effect of this entire piece is unconditional love for a woman who gets bored as line seven implies in the middle of the twelve-liner and this is what is meant by the metaphor "pilgrim soul" in the seventh verse.
Besides comparisons, there is metonymy in the introduction and "grey" stands for old age or the elderly. To put it another way, this trope is a description of those who are not going to be around much longer. Even so, the narrators ask their beloved ones to picture themselves as old women who wish that they would have accepted true love during their younger days. In the sonnet, the persona foreshadows his death and implores his inamorata to please accept his love before it is too late. The latter speaker essentially wants the same thing for his flame, who did not feel the same way about him.
In summary, the two lyrics have a garden-variety of poetic elements and love is the theme for both subgenres. The passage of time is another key underlying main idea and each poet asks their love interest to think ahead to old age in order to reflect on their choices as young women. The pair of writers also use rhetorical devices, such as repetition and imagery in all of the sections. There is even a rhetorical question that begins in the middle and the co-creator wants to know how many men loved her for who she is. He, too, wants to know how many lesser loves were after her looks. The answer, of course, is many and this reply is in the metaphorical phrase "crowd of stars" in the very last line.

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