"Old Man" is an 1854 poem by Irish scholar and poet James Henry. The poem's speaker (the "Old Man" of the title) compares life at age sixty to life at age six. He draws a surprising parallel between these two times in his life: during both, he yearned for some beautiful "picture" or ideal vision, but could never reach it, despite his best efforts. He no longer believes it's attainable, either; he observes that an "invisible, compulsive force" seems to pull him back farther from it each day. The poem never specifies what this rainbow-like picture represents, but it might refer to happiness, meaning, and/or a general sense of fulfillment.
|
Get
LitCharts
|
|
The Full Text of “Old Man”
1At six years old I had before mine eyes
2A picture painted, like the rainbow, bright,
3But far, far off in th' unapproachable distance.
4With all my childish heart I longed to reach it,
5And strove and strove the livelong day in vain,
6Advancing with slow step some few short yards
7But not perceptibly the distance lessening.
8At threescore years old, when almost within
9Grasp of my outstretched arms the selfsame picture
10With all its beauteous colors painted bright,
11I'm backward from it further borne each day
12By an invisible, compulsive force,
13Gradual but yet so steady, sure, and rapid,
14That at threescore and ten I'll from the picture
15Be even more distant than I was at six.
The Full Text of “Old Man”
1At six years old I had before mine eyes
2A picture painted, like the rainbow, bright,
3But far, far off in th' unapproachable distance.
4With all my childish heart I longed to reach it,
5And strove and strove the livelong day in vain,
6Advancing with slow step some few short yards
7But not perceptibly the distance lessening.
8At threescore years old, when almost within
9Grasp of my outstretched arms the selfsame picture
10With all its beauteous colors painted bright,
11I'm backward from it further borne each day
12By an invisible, compulsive force,
13Gradual but yet so steady, sure, and rapid,
14That at threescore and ten I'll from the picture
15Be even more distant than I was at six.
-
“Old Man” Summary
-
-
“Old Man” Themes
-
Hope, Disappointment, and Aging
- See where this theme is active in the poem.
-
-
Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Old Man”
-
Lines 1-3
At six years old I had before mine eyes
A picture painted, like the rainbow, bright,
But far, far off in th' unapproachable distance. -
Lines 4-7
With all my childish heart I longed to reach it,
And strove and strove the livelong day in vain,
Advancing with slow step some few short yards
But not perceptibly the distance lessening. -
Lines 8-11
At threescore years old, when almost within
Grasp of my outstretched arms the selfsame picture
With all its beauteous colors painted bright,
I'm backward from it further borne each day -
Lines 12-15
By an invisible, compulsive force,
Gradual but yet so steady, sure, and rapid,
That at threescore and ten I'll from the picture
Be even more distant than I was at six.
-
-
“Old Man” Symbols
-
Rainbow
- See where this symbol appears in the poem.
-
-
“Old Man” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
-
Alliteration
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Enjambment
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Juxtaposition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Repetition
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
Simile
- See where this poetic device appears in the poem.
-
-
“Old Man” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Mine
- Th'unapproachable
- Strove
- The livelong day
- In vain
- Perceptibly
- Threescore
- Selfsame
- Beauteous
- Borne
- Compulsive
- Threescore and ten
-
- See where this vocabulary word appears in the poem.
-
Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Old Man”
-
Form
-
Meter
-
Rhyme Scheme
-
-
“Old Man” Speaker
-
-
“Old Man” Setting
-
-
Literary and Historical Context of “Old Man”
-
-
More “Old Man” Resources
-
External Resources
-
Henry's Poetry and Philosophy — Poet David Wheatley discusses Henry's neglected poetry and his views on religion.
-
The New Oxford Book of Victorian Verse — Check out the seminal 1987 anthology in which a handful of Henry's poems were published.
-
James Henry Biography — Learn more about the poet's life over at the Dictionary of Irish Biography.
-
Christopher Ricks on Henry — Literary critic Christopher Ricks talks about discovering Henry's work while compiling an anthology of Victorian poetry.
-
-
LitCharts on Other Poems by James Henry
-
Ask LitCharts AI:
The answer to your questions
Powered by LitCharts content and AI.
