Old Tom Again

Old Tom Again - meaning Summary

Resilience of Imperfect Things

Yeats presents a compact meditation on endurance and the value of imperfect creation. Things that are not ‘‘perfect’’ still set sail and bear their canvas; what is "self-begotten" will endure despite critics. Juxtaposed images—building-yard and stormy shore, winding-sheet and swaddling-clothes—link birth, labor, decay and journey, suggesting that life’s making and unmaking are ongoing processes that persist beyond ideal standards.