Men Improve with the Years
I am worn out with dreams; A weather-worn, marble triton Among the streams; And all day long I look Upon this lady's beauty As though I had found in a book A pictured beauty, pleased to have filled the eyes Or the discerning ears, Delighted to be but wise, For men improve with the years; And yet, and yet, Is this my dream, or the truth? O would that we had met When I had my burning youth! But I grow old among dreams, A weather-worn, marble triton Among the streams.
Men Improve with the Years - meaning Summary
Aging, Longing, Diminished Dreams
The speaker reflects on aging and failed possibilities, feeling drained of passion and left with memories that resemble carefully observed pictures. He admires a woman’s beauty but regrets that their meeting comes after his youth, when desire was strongest. The repeated image of a weather-worn marble triton evokes decay and stasis: he is stuck among dreams rather than living the vigor he once had, lamenting lost timing and diminished power.
Read Complete Analyses
Feel free to be first to leave comment.