Bertram Andrews
That aged one, who still the fire
Of headstrong youth retains:
Who kindles ev’rywhere desire
And binds all men in chains:
Who sometimes hard and cruel would seem
Who makes and shatters many a dream:
For him, harsh master many a ream
I’ve spoil’d and lost my pains
Poor wight!
Each eve old Love comes sailing down
To wake my slumb’ring lyre.
And, for a while, without a frown
With verse he will inspire.
Then, when I think I’m going strong,
He hides his face and all goes wrong.
I’m stranded, so’s my lovely song.
Love smiles and I retire.
Good night!
Gailes
July 1916
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem is about the poet’s struggle with love and inspiration. Love is personified as an “aged one” who still holds the energy and recklessness of youth. This figure of Love is both powerful and unpredictable—someone who “kindles ev’rywhere desire” but also “makes and shatters many a dream.” The poet acknowledges that Love has caused them frustration, making them waste effort (“many a ream I’ve spoil’d and lost my pains”). There’s a mix of admiration and exasperation here. Love is described as a force that binds all people, yet the speaker seems almost worn down by its demands.
The second stanza shifts into a more personal and lighthearted complaint. The speaker describes Love’s tendency to show up in the evening, stirring their creative energy and inspiring poetry. At first, everything seems to be going well—the poet is filled with ideas, their “lyre” (a symbol of poetic expression) awakened. But then, just as things are flowing, Love suddenly disappears, leaving the poet stranded. The rhythm of the poem mirrors this sudden letdown. The lines build up the poet’s excitement, only to end on a deflated note: “Love smiles and I retire. / Good night!”
The poem captures the fleeting nature of both love and artistic inspiration. It suggests that the poet is at the mercy of forces beyond their control—Love can give and take away at will. There’s also humor in the way the speaker accepts defeat, signing off with a simple “Good night!” rather than any grand lament.
The fact that this poem was written at Gailes in 1916 is interesting. If the poet was a soldier, this playful take on love and poetry might have been a moment of escape from the more serious realities of wartime life. It also highlights the frustration of trying to create something lasting in the face of unpredictability. Whether it’s love or poetry, the poet is left waiting, knowing that both inspiration and heartbreak will inevitably return.