Write critical interpretation of the poem The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner.

The Lamentation of old Pensioner is a much more informative about the existence of Old Man
in which the poetic persona has foiled about the past and present life of old pensioner. The modern 20th
century poet W.B. Yeats has composed the poem depicting three different tones i.e. complacency,
resignation and surrender. Throughout the poem the poet has discussed about the omnipotent of time.
The poem has pictured the memory of the past of prodigy who is now anguished of his present life.

In the beginning stanza of the poem poetic persona is bewailing in the loss of the social life. The
poetic persona has compared him to the broken tree, who is now living a miserable life. The man whose
position was of utmost importance in the past is now considered to be insignificant. He remembers their
gossips about love and politics. Thus, the poetic persona in the poem is recollecting and glorifying the
past memory. Since he is not happy with his old life he recalls his past memory for complacency.

The second stanza is more focused on the present. In second stanza the poet disregards as well
as expounds the activities of the young lads who are involved in making pikes and causing human
tyranny. He calls them crazy rascals because of their ill will. The poet has compared and contrasted
past and present and admitted the flow of time. He considers human being as mere puppet under the
omnipotence of time. The poets indifferent character for outside setting and concern about his own life
is composed in second stanza. His contemplation is of time which has transfigured him into an old man
from a young genius. The poet surrenders himself in front of all powerful time.

In the last stanza, the poet is infuriated because of omnipotence of time. He regards time as his
enemy and spits in its face, which has transfigured him to ugly old man. Its time what made him ugly
and what caused the ignorance of women towards him. The old man could no longer gain the attention,
love, care from women as well as people since he is considered to be a broken tree. Thus, the poet
regards time as betrayer and deceiver which has snatched his glorified past, his energy, charm, his
friends, his power and authority, everything which made his past worth living.

To put in a nutshell, the poet regard time as antagonistic force. Although time has snatched his
glorifying past it is present in his memory.