William Butler Yeats wrote several poems that really speak to me. My favorite is “The Stolen Child,” but this one is a very close second.
This poem is a poignant reminder to choose the person who loves you for who you really are.
To all of my brides: I hope you have found the man that loves “the pilgrim soul in you.”
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
When You Are Old
–William Butler Yeats–
