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.
第一次读到这首诗是在2014年生日过后不久，喜欢上它其实不需要别的理由，我几乎是用对音乐相同的审美来对待诗，韵和律的和谐足以。
爱情相关的话题对于我这二十来岁的年纪，充满了致命的吸引力。 爱情，曾经是每一个少年人心中多么瑰丽而又带着一丝幽秘的梦境，年少时曾对它寄予过如此多的期许，却被现实一一回以重击。 于是在这首悲观的诗歌面前，能得到共情的体验，或许也能隔着时空与Housman举杯，自我解嘲似地一笑：“哈，老Housman，原来你也阴沟里翻过船啊！咱们一起落水，同乐，幸甚！~”
两个小节用类似的句型结构，却呈现了截然不同的主观情绪。上一节诗中的我还是一个任性的少年郎，听不进所谓的智者之言，下一节仅仅相隔一年时间，诗中的我却已然沧桑，似乎已饱受爱情的折磨，不胜其扰，意识到那些智者之言，也是字字都是血和泪。 还能怎么着呢？自嘲一笑，叹一声’tis true, ‘tis true……