169. Young And Old. Charles Kingsley Poem Appreciation By P S Remesh Chandran

169

Young And Old. Charles Kingsley Poem Appreciation

P. S. Remesh Chandran

Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum

Article Title Image 1 By Geralt. Graphics: Adobe SP.

Charles Kingsley was a nineteenth century English religious worker who wrote novels and poems. He inspired people to right living and founded the Christian Socialist Movement to promote his ideals. In his poem ‘Young And Old’ he describes the difference in the outlooks of the young people and the old people towards the world. The poem is presented in the form of an old man addressing a little boy, making clear to him how old age changes our outlook, brilliantly portraying the fine contrasting pictures of youth and old age. 

The same world looks lovely and young to a young man and dreary and dead to an old man.
 01. Carl Frederik Aagaard 1880 Lodge on Lake Como.

The world appears lovely, lusty and active to a young man who is teeming with energy, zeal and interest. Because he is young, the world also appears young and living to him. He will find the everyway inviting to lead a thrilling life in it. But the same world would not appear the same to an old man. The same world would appear dull, dreary and dead and inactive to an old man who has spent all the energies in his life. Because his days are over he will take it the world’s day are also over. 

Exaggeration and enlargement of ideas and vision is natural and common to people young.
  02. Hans Andreas Dahl 1900 Joyous Lass.
 

When we are young, the world also appears young in our eyes, though it is already millions of years old. Even old trees would appear to be young and green. That ugly flying bird Goose would appear to be like a Swan, the most beautiful bird in the world. Even an ordinary girl with no mentionable virtues would seem like a queen- proud, lovely and regal in her attitudes and behaviour. Exaggeration and enlargement of ideas and vision is natural and common to all people when they are in the young age. But it is exactly the time to call for one’s riding boots and horse and go round the world to see things and places.

 03. Barend Cornelis Koekkoek 1835 Panoramic Summer Landscape With Travellers And Castle Ruins.

Young blood should not remain stagnant and still like water in a pool. A stagnant pool would soon become polluted; a rolling stone gathers no moss. Young blood must have its course and so, must be flowing and kinetic. The poet reasons that every dog has its day and youth is the day of the dog to go seeing the world. He means that youth is that particular age of man that should be spent on sight-seeing, travel, romance and adventure. We do get an account of how the youth is and how it should be from the poem.

Article Title Image 2 By Menno de Jong. Graphics: Adobe SP.

The blessings of old age when a person has to creep back home to his remaining relatives.
 04. Alexei Kondratyevich Savrasov 1868 Early Spring In High Water.
 

In old age one has to withdraw oneself from all excitement, enjoyment and adventure that he has been indulging himself in throughout his young years. In that age the world would automatically appear to be old in the worn-out eyes of the old man. The trees which once looked evergreen would now look withered and brown. The once-interesting sports of the young age would now appear to be stale and non-interesting. The wheels of life have already run down and now one has to ‘creep back home’ for he won’t no more be able walk as easily on his legs as before. When he reaches that age he should return and stay at home among the equally spent and maimed members in his family. 

Human mind in old age will yearn for images common to both young and old ages- landmarks to fix one’s relative position in both ages.
 05. Markus Pernhart 1873 Winter.
 

There had certainly been many things in the world which demanded his constant attention and engagement and he certainly had spent his time to its fill on those things. Now nothing remains qualified and worthy enough in the outside world to receive his life-long love as before. Is there not at least one single thing in the world that remains common to the young years and also to the old years, out of which an old man can get the satisfaction and relief of shuttling between his feelings of young and old ages as if looking at a mirror?

06. Antonio Smith 1874 Crepúsculo Marino.

Human mind in old age will yearn for such images, experiences, remembrances, and feelings, common to and shared by both ages- landmarks to fix one’s relative position in both ages. God is not that unkind. For, he grants the old man the blessing of finding at least one human face at least in his home which he loved when all the world was young and which is still there, ready to receive his love still now as before- that lovely worn-out face of his old woman of long years.

 07. Hermann Ottomar Herzog 1878 Florida Sunset.

Article Title Image 3 By Geralt. Graphics: Adobe SP.

Written in: March 1995 
First published on: 05 October 2019
 
___________________________
Pictures Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
___________________________

Image Credits:
 
01. Carl Frederik Aagaard 1880 Lodge on Lake Como.
02. Hans Andreas Dahl 1900 Joyous Lass.
03. Barend Cornelis Koekkoek 1835 Panoramic Summer Landscape With Travellers And Castle Ruins.
04. Alexei Kondratyevich Savrasov 1868 Early Spring In High Water.
05. Markus Pernhart 1873 Winter.
06. Antonio Smith 1874 Crepúsculo Marino.
07. Hermann Ottomar Herzog 1878 Florida Sunset.
08. Author Profile Of P S Remesh Chandran By Sahyadri Archives.

Tags:

Charles Kingsley, 19th Century Novelists Poets, Young And Old, Right Living, Young Blood, Ideas And Vision, Blessings Of Old Age, Free Student Notes, English Essays Articles Literature, Ageing,

About the Author P. S. Remesh Chandran:

08. Author Profile Of P S Remesh Chandran By Sahyadri Archives.

Editor of Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books, Trivandrum. Author of several books in English and in Malayalam. And also author of Swan: The Intelligent Picture Book. Born and brought up in the beautiful village of Nanniyode in the Sahya Mountain Valley in Trivandrum, in Kerala. Father British Council trained English teacher and Mother University educated. Matriculation with distinction and Pre Degree Studies in Science with National Merit Scholarship. Discontinued Diploma studies in Electronics and entered politics. Unmarried and single.

Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/psremeshchandra.trivandrum
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PSRemeshChandra
You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/bloombooks/videos
Blog: http://sahyadribooks-remesh.blogspot.com/
Site: https://sites.google.com/site/timeuponmywindowsill/
E-Mail: bloombookstvm@gmail.com

Post: P. S. Remesh Chandran, Editor, Sahyadri Books, Trivandrum, Padmalayam, Nanniyode, Pacha Post, Trivandrum- 695562, Kerala State, South India.