"The Old Woman" by Joseph Campbell

“The Old Woman”

As a white candle
In a holy place,
So is the beautyOf an aged face.

As the spent radiance
Of the winter sun,
So is a womanWith her travail done.

Her brood gone from her,
And her thoughts as still
As the watersUnder a ruined mill.

From the ages, we observe that everyone praises the beauty of young women in every possible way but only few are there who praises the beauty of old woman. Though it is a very short, significant lyrical poem is written by an American author , mythologist and lecturer Joseph Campbell. The poet in a very realistic way compared the old woman with naturalistic elements in order to bring out beauty in her agedness.

“The poem shows blessings and beauties of an old age lady by using figure of speech, metaphorically she was compared with white candle and with the spent radience of winter sun”.

In the very first stanza of poem, the poet compares the beauty of old lady with a white candle in holy place. How meaningful it is! Just like a white candle, old woman is moving towards to the end of life as well as it has holy connotation also.

Symbolically candle in holy places spreads a light of guidance, it gives a path to the person who comes there for solution. Similar way the woman was getting old, but her inner charm enables her to shine like candle’s light. Still she is able to guide the people around us by her experiences of life. White colour symbolizes peace and candle symbolizes light. Thus, the old woman seems as candle, a holy one.

Following by the pattern of first stanza, in the second stanza also she is compared with ‘the spent radiance of the winter sun”. In her old age, she looks like winter sun, a little bit faint and dull. But she had a wider experience of life. Though she was getting old like winter’s sun, she gained a more experience by living her life.

In the last stanza, the old lady was compared with water under the ruined mill.  Here the poet indicates that the old lady is living alone, her sons were living apart from her. She is a lonely bird living in a nest without having any wishes and hopes as well as her thoughts are as mute and calm as the still water under the ruined mill. In such way, the stanza depicts the tragic life of an old woman.

To conclude it, we can say that by comparing the old woman with natural elements the poet tries to express old woman’s beauty, hardship and wider knowledge of experiences.