O YOUTH sweet comrade youth, wouldst thou be gone?
Long have we dwelt together, thou and I;
Together drunk of many an alien dawn,
And plucked the fruit of many an alien sky.
Ah, fickle friend, must I,
who yesterday Dreamed forwards to long, undimmed ecstasy,
Henceforward dream, because thou wilt not stay,
Backward to transient pleasure and to thee?
I give thee back thy false, ephemeral vow;
But, O beloved comrade, ere we part,
Upon my mournful eyelids and my brow
Kiss me who hold thine image in my heart.
Whom does the poet address in the poem?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Youth
The poem opens with "O YOUTH sweet comrade youth, wouldst thou be gone?" The poet speaks directly to his own youth, personified as a companion who is now leaving him. Every "thou" and "thee" in the poem refers to youth.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Beloved — Incorrect. Misread: "Beloved" occurs only in the phrase "O beloved comrade", which is another name for youth; there is no beloved person in the poem.
Option 2: Friend — Incorrect. Misread: the poet calls youth a "fickle friend"; the word describes youth and does not point to a separate friend.
Option 4: Partner — Incorrect. Not mentioned: the word does not occur in the poem, and no human partner is spoken to.