Analysis of Beautiful Old Age

David Herbert Lawrence 1885 (Eastwood, Nottinghamshire) – 1930 (Vence)



It ought to be lovely to be old
to be full of the peace that comes of experience
and wrinkled ripe fulfilment.

The wrinkled smile of completeness that follows a life
lived undaunted and unsoured with accepted lies
they would ripen like apples, and be scented like pippins
in their old age.

Soothing, old people should be, like apples
when one is tired of love.
Fragrant like yellowing leaves, and dim with the soft
stillness and satisfaction of autumn.

And a girl should say:
It must be wonderful to live and grow old.
Look at my mother, how rich and still she is! -

And a young man should think: By Jove
my father has faced all weathers, but it's been a life!


Scheme AXA BXXX XXXX XAX BB
Poetic Form
Metre 111110111 1111011110100 01011 0101101011001 10100110101 11101100110110 0111 1011011110 1111011 101100101101 100010110 00111 11110011011 11110110111 00111111 1101111011101
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 653
Words 125
Sentences 8
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 3, 4, 4, 3, 2
Lines Amount 16
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 104
Words per stanza (avg) 25
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 28, 2023

37 sec read
145

David Herbert Lawrence

David Herbert Lawrence was an English writer and poet. His collected works represent, among other things, an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation. Lawrence's writing explores issues such as sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity, and instinct. Lawrence's opinions earned him many enemies and he endured official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile he called his "savage pilgrimage". At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had wasted his considerable talents. E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as "the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation." Later, the literary critic F. R. Leavis championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness. more…

All David Herbert Lawrence poems | David Herbert Lawrence Books

0 fans

Discuss this David Herbert Lawrence poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Beautiful Old Age" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/7815/beautiful-old-age>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    More poems by

    David Herbert Lawrence

    »

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    5
    hours
    12
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Which poet is known for writing "Ode to a Nightingale"?
    A William Wordsworth
    B John Keats
    C Percy Bysshe Shelley
    D Samuel Taylor Coleridge