I heard the old, old men say,
‘Everything alters,
And one by one we drop away.’
They had hands like claws, and their knees
Were twisted like the old thorn-trees
By the waters.
I heard the old, old men say,
‘All that’s beautiful drifts away
Like the waters.’
(William Butler Yeats)
More Poetry from William Butler Yeats:
- A Man Young And Old (William Butler Yeats Poems)
- A Lover's Quarrel Among the Fairies (William Butler Yeats Poems)
- A Deep-Sworn Vow (William Butler Yeats Poems)
- The Two Trees (William Butler Yeats Poems)
- Old Memory (William Butler Yeats Poems)
- A Man Young And Old: I. First Love (William Butler Yeats Poems)