由于翻译的不同，诗歌《当你老了》也被译作《当你年老时》，诗的作者威廉·巴特勒·叶芝（William Butler Yeats）也有的译作叶慈。下面留学群将详细介绍叶芝的这首诗。
《当你年老时》 是叶芝 ( Yeats, 1865 —1939)早期名诗，发表于1893年，献给比他小一岁多的爱尔兰著名民族主义者毛德 · 岗 ( Maud Gonne, 1866 - 1953) 。该诗文字浅显，叙述直白，意境优美，深受读者的喜爱，也被众多国内学者从不同角度进行解读。
诗歌原文
When you are old
When you are old and grey and full of sleep.
And nodding by the fire, take down this book.
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep.
How many loved your moments of glad grace.
And loved your beauty with love false or true.
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you.
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
诗歌译文
译文1：
当你年老时 (傅浩 译)
当你年老，鬓斑，睡意昏沉，
在炉旁打盹时，取下这本书，
慢慢诵读，梦忆从前你双眸
神色柔和，眼波中倒影深深;
多少人爱你风韵妩媚的时光，
爱你的美丽出自假意或真情，
但唯有一人爱你灵魂的至诚，
爱你渐衰的脸上愁苦的风霜;
弯下身子，在炽红的壁炉边，
忧伤地...