On growing old

by John Masefield
Be with me, Beauty, for the fire is dying;
My dog and I are old, too old for roving.
Man, whose young passion sets the spindrift flying,
Is soon too lame to march, too cold for loving.
I take the book and gather to the fire,
Turning old yellow leaves; minute by minute
The clock ticks to my heart. A withered wire,
Moves a thin ghost of music in the spinet.
I cannot sail your seas, I cannot wander
Your cornland, nor your hill-land, nor your valleys
Ever again, nore share the battle yonder
Where the young knight the broken squadron rallies.
Only stay quiet while my mind remembers
The beauty of fire from the beauty of embers.

Beauty, have pity! for the strong have power,

The rich their wealth, the beautiful their grace,
Summer of man its sunlight and its flower.
Spring-time of man, all April in a face.
Only, as in the jostling in the Strand,
Where the mob thrusts, or loiters, or is loud,
The beggar with the saucer in his hand
Asks only a penny from the passing crowd,
So, from this glittering world with all its fashion,
Its fire, and play of men, its stir, its march,
Let me have wisdom, Beauty, wisdom and passion,
Bread to the soul, rain when the summers parch.
Give me but these, and though the darkness close
Even the night will blossom as the rose.

Background of author
Famous poet
John Masefield
Poet, novelist, dramatist and journalist, John Masefield's literary career was rich and varied, and
although his reputation waned in later years, he is again being recognized for his wide range,
encompassing ballads, nature poetry and mythological narrative, and for his attempt to make
poetry a popular art.
John Masefield (1878-1967)
(English Poet Laureate, 1930-1967)

Masefield was born in the ancient town of Ledbury, surrounded by beautiful countryside in the
region of Herefordshire, England, on June 1, 1878. This picturesque area, located near the border
of Wales, was described by Masefield as his "Paradise". As a young boy, Masefield was able to
roam his nearby countryside, delighting in watching the ships moving up and down the local
canal; wandering alone through the meadows and woods; and taking an interest in and observing
the beauty of the natural flora and fauna of the area.

Themes
On Growing by John Masefield is a thought-provoking poem that engages with the idea
of man’s mortality, the transitioning from youth to old age, and the loss that comes with
it. It reminds us that even in old age, one yearns for the character of their youth. Yet, it
also goes on to show us that passion is all that is needed to live a life of fulfillment, and
while it burns bright in one’s youth, it is still required as one’s life comes to a close,
albeit accompanied by a newfound yearning for wisdom.

Summary
Growing Old’ is a piece full of questions, answers, and descriptions of what old age is actually
like. The poem begins with an initial question that is answered by the ending of the poem, “What
is it to grow old?” This question is expanded on and described in the following stanzas. The first
describes the loss of physical beauty and the second about the loss of physical strength and
feeling in limbs. The third stanza of the poem begins to speak on the expectations one had about
age during youth and how these expectations are not fulfilled. Old age is not a warm sunset, it is
not to look back on one’s life with fondness. In fact, trapped in one’s body as a prison, one feels
as if they were never young. The poem concludes by describing how by the end of life one will
come to hate their own body, blaming their aging prison for their loss of spirit, strength, and
emotion.

Analysis
Line 1 and 2
"Be with me, Beauty, for the fire is dying;
My dog and I are old, too old for roving."
The persona is asking Beauty to stay with him because he is aware of his decrepit years left and
his worn and feeble physical body. We can see that appearances are important to the persona. He
also states that he is physically weak and no longer has the strength to wander around.

Line 3 and 4
"Man, whose young passion sets the spindrift flying,
Is soon too lame to march, too cold for loving."

Masefield here talks about his early years from his experience at the sea. He was taken on for a
voyage on a sailing ship and those experiences impressed him so much, he wrote memorable sea
poem. He then says that soon he will be too frail to walk. Most elderly people also turn cold and
find it hard to love others.

Line 5 to 7
"I take the book and gather to the fire,
Turning old yellow leaves; minute by minute
The clock ticks to my heart"

The persona still seeks for knowledge despite his old age or he is looking back to an old book
(yellow leaves). Then, he says again about the clock is ticking. The time is moving and it waits
for no one. His heart will stop when the time comes.

Line 7 and 8
"A withered wire,
Moves a thin ghost of music in the spinet."
Line 9 to 14
"I cannot sail your seas, I cannot wander
Your cornland, nor your hill-land, nor your valleys
Ever again, nor share the battle yonder
Where the young knight the broken squadron rallies.
Only stay quiet while my mind remembers
The beauty of fire from the beauty of embers"

The persona only can yearn for the youthful activities and years for he is incapable of doing so.
He no longer can visit the beautiful places or take part in war where the brave soldiers fight. He
feels that he can only reminisce about those wonderful blooming years from his dying body.
Line 15 to 18
"Beauty, have pity! for the strong have power,
The rich their wealth, the beautiful their grace,
Summer of man its sunlight and its flower.
Spring-time of man, all April in a face."

Again, the persona asks mercy from Beauty. Masefield stresses that everything comes with
something. For the strong have power,
the rich with their wealth and the beautiful with their grace. He wishes that with his ageing years,
beauty will comes and save him from his wrinkled body.

Line 19 to 26
"Only, as in the jostling in the Strand,
Where the mob thrusts, or loiters, or is loud,
The beggar with the saucer in his hand
Asks only a penny from the passing crowd,
So, from this glittering world with all its fashion,
Its fire, and play of men, its stir, its march,
Let me have wisdom, Beauty, wisdom and passion,
Bread to the soul, rain when the summers parch."

The persona is describing the world he sees now as he grows older. The mob causing ruckus and
the beggar asking for money from the crowd. The ‘glittering world with all its fashion’ can be
implied as the intimidating world with all kinds of people and action, so different from what he
used to thought it is. The persona wishes for wisdom at his age, to see the world with a new eye
and beauty again, for appearance is important to him. He hopes to have the wisdom that will be
needed to face the crucial and needing world.

Line 27 and 28
"Give me but these, and though the darkness close
Even the night will blossom as the rose".

He feels that the wisdom, beauty and passion are important to him that even when the darkness
close, the rose will still blossom.
Literary devices
Personification
"Fire is dying"
"Withered wire"
"Thin ghost of music"
"Night will blossom as the rose"

Metaphors
· “Be with me, Beauty, for the fire is dying; My dog and I are old, too old for roving” [line 1
and 2] Masefield is suggesting that the persona is getting older and closer to death. The ‘fire’
represents the life of the persona.
· “Only stay quiet while my mind remembers The beauty of fire from the beauty of embers”
[line 13 and 14] ‘fire’ here is referred to the youthful man and woman while ‘embers’ is referred
to the elderly people. Fire is used to prove the strong and powerful young man and woman,
igniting with the passion and will to live but ember is slowly dying.

Visual imagery
"Man, whose young passion sets the spindrift flying"
this invokes a beautiful image of spray blown from waves in strong winds. In the same
way, a young man’s passion is so strong.

Alliteration
"minute by minute"
"a withered wire"