# Old Man explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Edward Thomas.

## What happens

The speaker reflects on the herb known as 'Old Man' or 'Lad's-love,' its names both decorating and perplexing its essence. He dislikes the scent yet cherishes it for its elusive connection to memory, watching a child who clips the bush without words. The speaker tries in vain to recall what the bitter scent evokes, sensing a lost memory that remains just out of reach, leaving only a dark, nameless avenue.

## Themes in this chapter

### Memory and Time

The speaker's struggle to recall a lost memory tied to the scent of Old Man, emphasizing the gap between past and present.

### Language and Poetry

The names 'Old Man' and 'Lad's-love' are examined for how they decorate and perplex the herb's true nature, reflecting on the power and limitation of language.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker who contemplates the herb Old Man, its names, and the elusive memory it stirs.

### The Child

A child who plucks feathers from the bush, snips them, and sniffs her fingers, silent and absorbed.

## Key lines

> I have mislaid the key. I sniff the spray And think of nothing; I see and I hear nothing; Yet seem, too, to be listening, lying in wait For what I should, yet never can, remember

I have lost the clue to the memory. I inhale the scent and think of nothing, perceiving nothing, yet I feel as if I am poised, waiting for a recollection that I ought to have but can never retrieve.

_The speaker's futile attempt to recover a forgotten memory triggered by the herb's scent._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_5_se/chapters/old-man
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_5_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_5_se/chapters