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.
Why does the poet call youth 'fickle' friend?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → It is short-lived
Fickle means changing one's loyalties often; not staying faithful for long. The poet calls youth a "fickle friend" because it leaves him after a short stay: "thou wilt not stay". Youth does not last, so it is short-lived.
Example: Fame is fickle; a star of today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: It is stubborn — Incorrect. Opposite meaning: stubborn means refusing to change; youth here is blamed for not staying, not for holding on.
Option 3: It is sad — Incorrect. Wrong focus: the poet is sad ("my mournful eyelids"); youth stands for pleasure and ecstasy.
Option 4: It is an alien — Incorrect. Misread: "Alien" describes the dawns and skies the two shared, that is, strange and faraway places; youth itself is a close comrade, not a stranger.