1889年1月30日，二十三歲的葉芝第一次遇見了美麗的女演員茅德·岡，她時年二十二歲，是一位駐愛爾蘭英軍上校的女兒，不久前在她的父親去世后繼承了一大筆遺產(chǎn)。When you are old 是威廉·巴特勒·葉芝WilliamButlerYeats(1865～1939)的詩。
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
當(dāng)你老了，頭發(fā)花白，睡意沉沉，
And nodding by the fire，take down this book,
倦坐在爐邊，取下這本書來，
And slowly read,and dream of the soft look
慢慢讀著，追夢當(dāng)年的眼神
Your eyes had once,and of their shadows deep;
你那柔美的神采與深幽的暈影。
How many loved your momentsof glad grace,
多少人愛過你曇花一現(xiàn)的身影，
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
愛過你的美貌，以虛偽或真情，
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you
惟獨一人曾愛你那朝圣者的心，
And loved the sorrowsof your changing face;
愛你哀戚的臉上歲月的留痕。
And bending downbeside the glowing bars,
在爐罩邊低眉彎腰，
Murmur,a little sadly,how Love fled
憂戚沉思，喃喃而語，
And paced upon the mountains overhead
愛情是怎樣逝去，又怎樣步上群山，
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
怎樣在繁星之間藏住了臉。
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
當(dāng)你老了，頭發(fā)花白，睡意沉沉，
And nodding by the fire，take down this book,
倦坐在爐邊，取下這本書來，
And slowly read,and dream of the soft look
慢慢讀著，追夢當(dāng)年的眼神
Your eyes had once,and of their shadows deep;
你那柔美的神采與深幽的暈影。
How many loved your momentsof glad grace,
多少人愛過你曇花一現(xiàn)的身影，
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
愛過你的美貌，以虛偽或真情，
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you
惟獨一人曾愛你那朝圣者的心，
And loved the sorrowsof your changing face;
愛你哀戚的臉上歲月的留痕。
And bending downbeside the glowing bars,
在爐罩邊低眉彎腰，
Murmur,a little sadly,how Love fled
憂戚沉思，喃喃而語，
And paced upon the mountains overhead
愛情是怎樣逝去，又怎樣步上群山，
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
怎樣在繁星之間藏住了臉。