The Seafarer Old Age Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Line)

Quote #1

[…] The glory is fled,
the nobility of the world          ages and grows sere,
as now does every man          throughout the world.
(88-90)

These lines compare the decline of the world's nobility to the aging of a single person. The idea here is that the world's nobility doesn't just go out like a light. Instead, it slowly fades away, pathetically. The same is true of a person, who, in old age, withers toward death.

Quote #2

Age comes upon him          his face grows pale. (91)

Instead of saying a person ages, this line speaks of age coming upon a person, like an independent force that overtakes him. We have to say, it's a little terrifying.

Quote #3

The graybeard laments. […] (92)

This guy is so old, he's literally nothing but a gray beard. Now that's aging.