by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
The old men admiring themselves in the water Matches original text
Language: English
Our translations: FRE
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."
First published in Pall Mall Magazine, January 1903
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Composition:
- Set to music by Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022), "The old men admiring themselves in the water", 1997, published 1999, from Evidence of Things Not Seen, no. 32
Text Authorship:
- by William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939), "The old men admiring themselves in the water", appears in In the Seven Woods
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , copyright © 2016, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-08-04
Line count: 9
Word count: 48