Original artwork, not a still
My Lost Youth ‧ 1858
A boy’s will is the wind’s will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Youth, the speaker says, is governed by restless impulse, as changeable and unstoppable as the wind. Yet the thoughts of the young stretch far ahead, long and dreamy. The couplet holds wilfulness and longing together, remembering youth with a wistful tenderness.
Context reviewed
