Eliot, T. S. (Thomas Stearns) : Lines for an Old Man

Literature Annotations

Genre	Poem
Keywords	Aging, Society, Time
Summary	An old man speaks his anger, bitterness, and rage: "The tiger in the tiger pit / Is not more irritable than I." His "hissing over the arched tongue" is an experience "inaccessible by the young."
Commentary	This is a short, marvelously crafted poem about some aspects of aging.
Source	Collected Poems 1909-1962
Publisher	Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Edition	1964
Place Published	New York
Alternate Source	The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart
Alternate Publisher	Harper Collins
Alternate Edition	1992
Alternate Editors	Robert Bly, James Hillman, & Michael Meade
Place Published	New York
Annotated by	Coulehan, Jack
Date of Entry	01/17/95