At A Certain Age Comments
We wanted to confess our sins but there were no takers.
White clouds refused to accept them, and the wind
Was too busy visiting sea after sea.
We did not succeed in interesting the animals.
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This defines life, especially as a young teen. No one will listen, and then... Viola! you have turned into a lazy toad.
Czeslaw Milosz truly understands looking back and realizing that you have been seeing yourself as “Handsome and Noble” and realizing a lazy toad has been their all along. This reminds me of a quote from one of his earlier poems: “Do not gaze into the pools of the past. Their corroded surface will mirror A face different from the one you expected.” I am surprised to find that he wrote lines like these with a past like his.
He fought in WWII and experiened many horrible things, but he was a successful writer and poet. Did he not look back at his past with admiration and pride? At a Certain Age is definetely a poem I and many others can connect to personlly, and I am not even that old!
And the ugly toad turns into the prince. Humor is the best weapon against growing old. It was wonderful that he had it and could look at himself with recognition .. and surprise!
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7/18/2025 6:04:19 AM # 1.0.0
This specific poem was written with either a tragic or ironic writing style. please leave a comment of what you think it is.
I see what you are saying, but it was deffinetly tragic.