About "when you are old"

The following is the poem by William Butler Yeats of Ireland, "When you are old", I wonder who takes down this book, the dream girl or the poet? I want to translate it into Chinese, that's why I need the clarification.
My understanding is that the poet suggests to the girl that when she becomes old, she should dream of her beauty in the past. I am just a beginner of English, so if you could help me understand this work, it will be much appreciated.

When you are old and grey and full of sleep 當你老了，頭髮白了，睡意沉沉,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book 靠著爐火打盹，放下這詩卷，

And slowly read, and dream of the soft look 徐徐沉吟，夢見你那柔美的雙眼

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep; 還夢見了當年的你黛影深深；




How many loved your moments of glad grace, 有多少人愛過你迷人的雍容，

And loved your beauty with love false or true, 亦真亦假愛過你那青春的美麗，

But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, 唯獨一人以至誠的心靈愛著你，

And loved the sorrows of your changing face; 還愛過你那紅顏老去的愁容；



And bending down beside the glowing bars, 俯身凝望那熊熊燃燒的火焰，

Murmur,a little sadly,how love fled 喃喃低語，帶著淡淡的憂傷，

And paced upon the mountains overhead 愛情漸行漸步向那遠山頂上，

And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.

This is my favorite.....truly
For me it meant that the poet loved the woman her whole life......watching her from a distance. Loving her young and old. Loving her his whole life. I'm crying now just thinking of it.

It's inspired by, and a loose translation of, Ronsard's 'Quand vous serez bien vieille' - worth reading that, too, for background.

Sugarfoot10 said:

This is my favorite.....truly
For me it meant that the poet loved the woman her whole life......watching her from a distance. Loving her young and old. Loving her his whole life. I'm crying now just thinking of it.

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I see this too--
he loved her for her soul while others loved her beauty
when her beauty fades that shallow love will fade and having chosen it she will have no love at all.

NotHisLady said:

I see this too--
he loved her for her soul while others loved her beauty
when her beauty fades that shallow love will fade and having chosen it she will have no love at all.

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Ah, the grand old tradition of "you shoulda chosen me, not those other jerks".

Lol, 3 responses and no one answered the question?

"take down this book" is in the imperative tense. The narrator is commanding the girl to take down the book. Specifically she should take down the book when she is old and grey-haired and sleepy.

sunandshadow said:

Lol, 3 responses and no one answered the question?

"take down this book" is in the imperative tense. The narrator is commanding the girl to take down the book. Specifically she should take down the book when she is old and grey-haired and sleepy.

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Thank you,madam, your paraphrase is very clear. If you are not so busy, would you paraphrase the whole? It will be much appreciated.

Its a lovely poem,

or maybe he understood her. Questioned if her own vanity would allow her to think beyond herself? Either way he accepted the out come. For he admired her and wanted more and never enforced his intellect. So frustrating to allow such wonders. Did the world suffered for this or is better for it?