POEM SUMMARY "THE OLD STOIC" BY EMILY BRONTE

THE OLD STOIC 

RICHES I hold in light esteem,
And Love I laugh to scorn;
And lust of fame was but a dream
That vanish'd with the morn:

And, if I pray, the only prayer
That moves my lips for me
Is, 'Leave the heart that now I bear,
And give me liberty!'

Yea, as my swift days near their goal,
'Tis all that I implore:
In life and death a chainless soul,
With courage to endure.


SUMMARY!!!!

THE OLD STOIC

The poem says that the objects that men most desire are wealth, love and fame. The old stoic gives no importance to any of these objects. She considers, wealth to be unimportant. She says that she strongly  despises love. She knows that a strong desire for fame is only a dream. Meaningless love she turns down and treats with contempt. To her the glory is momentary, only for the time being and it vanishes with the next morning. So she never wishes to become great and glorious.

The poet wishes to posses the same strength of heart that she now has. Her only prayer glides from her lips is that she must be permitted to be a free person and she should not be a slave to riches or love of fame.

The old stoic knows very well that the end of her life is very near. Even then she prays God to permit her to have a free soul. That soul must be ready to face any kind of situations firmly with courage and confidence. She prays that God must permit her to remain a stoic even in the future. She must have strength to endure pain.

BY EMILY BRONTE