When I Was One-and-Twenty
by Alfred Edward Housman
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
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,
“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,
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.
Reflection Questions:
1. What is the theme portrayed by the poem?
2. What specific attitude of the young towards life is shown in the text?
3. What specific advice was given by the wise man to the young man?
4. Did the young man listen to the advice of the wise man? Explain your answer.
5. Based on the text, how does the wise man perceive life?
6. How will you explain the idea of ‘wisdom of elders’ in the given poem? Relate your answer to your personal experiences..
by Alfred Edward Housman
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
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,
“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,
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.
Reflection Questions:
1. What is the theme portrayed by the poem?
2. What specific attitude of the young towards life is shown in the text?
3. What specific advice was given by the wise man to the young man?
4. Did the young man listen to the advice of the wise man? Explain your answer.
5. Based on the text, how does the wise man perceive life?
6. How will you explain the idea of ‘wisdom of elders’ in the given poem? Relate your answer to your personal experiences..
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Answer:
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1.Wisdom, Experience and Youth Are the Major Themes.
2.the Attitude of the young speaker towards life in contrast with wise man perception in life.
3.the wise man tells the young man to give away only materials possession but not his own heart and soul.
4.no, because he only realize it in the end.
5.the wise man has been through a lot in his life so he seems sad so he gave advice to the young man to gain knowledge.
6."when i was one-and-twenty" as representative of wisdom:this poem is about the speaker's personal experience. the poem begins when the wise man gives the speaker some valuable advice:never give your heart away, it will cost your happiness, bring emotional pain, and lead to endless sorrow.
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Explanation:
- MissCookie
[tex]\small {\mathtt{ \color{black}{CarryOnLearning}}}[/tex]
[tex]\small {\mathtt{ \color{black}{Pa follow po}}}[/tex]