Themes

The Power of True Love: The poem contrasts superficial love for beauty with deep spiritual love. Yeats shows that true love values the soul, not appearance, and remains constant even when youth and beauty fade with time.

The Passage of Time and Regret: Yeats reflects on aging and lost opportunities in love. The poem suggests that physical beauty and human life are temporary. One may regret not valuing true love when youth and time are gone.