When You Are Old is a lyrical and evocative setting of Yeats’ meditation on the transience of life and the nature of love. In this poem, the narrator encourages his partner to reminisce on the cherished memories they’ve made throughout their life, and on how deeply and truly they were loved. This piece serves as a poignant reminder of the beauty of enduring love in the face of life’s hardships. Choirs should embrace liberal use of rubato to enhance the emotional impact of the text, while also savoring the reflective quality of the silence created by the rests marked with fermatas.