week 14（34-36）

When I Was One-and-Twenty

When I Was One-and-Twenty, or Poem XIII, is the informal name of an untitled poem by A. E. Housman, published in A Shropshire Lad in 1896. 

It is the thirteenth in a cycle of 63 poems. One of Housman's most familiar poems, it is untitled but often anthologized under a title taken from its first line. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations includes fourteen of its sixteen lines. Housman's New York Times obituary mentioned the poem: "Typical of his lyrics is the poem which has thrilled the world where English is spoken." 

Its subject matter, "then and now" temporal perspective, meter, and narrative structure within each verse parallel those of William Butler Yeats' Down by the Salley Gardens, itself a reworking of The Rambling Boys of Pleasure.

                                       

text :

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
‘Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;

Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.’
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.

When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
‘The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
’Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.’
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.

➤dis- : something negative

ex:（1）disheveled adj. : disorderly clothing or hair

       ⇨The nondescript, indolent beggar was in a disheveled condition. 

     （2）disdain n. / v. : dislike of someone or something that you feel does no deserve your interest or respect

       ⇨ I have nothing but disdain for such a person.

➤in- : something negative, not

ex:（1）interrogate v. : question

       ⇨Before they began to interrogate the criminal, they had to admonish him that his testimony might be used to incarcerate him.

     （2）ingratiate v. : win confidence, charm

       ⇨Under the aegis of a zealous campaign manager, the candidate was able to ingratiate herself into the hearts of the public.

➤anti- : against

ex:（1）antiquated adj. : out-of-date, obsolete

       ⇨Is it banal to say that good manners are antiquated in our milieu. 

     （2）antifreeze n. : a liquid that reduces the temperature at which water freezes

       ⇨Antifreeze has a sweat smell and is toxic if swallowed.

➤ten- : hold

ex:（1）tenacious adj. : tough, stubborn

       ⇨He hold on to his antiquated beliefs with a tenacious obsession. 

     （2）tension n. / v. : the state of being tight and stiff

       ⇨She felt the tension as soon as she entered the room.

➤enemy = rival = opponent = nemesis = foe:

a person, group, or organization competing with others for the same thing or in the same area

ex: （1）They are rivals for the same office. 

      （2）He easily defeated his opponent in the election.

      （3）The tax increases proved to be the president's political nemesis.