Three Poems, Same Man

If the three poems by A. E. Housman were written about the same man, they would best be read in the following order: “When I was One and Twenty,” “Loveliest of Trees,” and “Is My Team Ploughing?”  The poems cover the life span of a man from the time he is twenty one until he is dead and buried. At the tender age of twenty one, the man is cautioned not to give his heart away easily. He is told that there are some things that can be given without much thought, but that giving love too easily will only cause heartache and anguish. At the age of twenty two, the poet is in complete agreement with the one who had cautioned him, indicating that he had fallen in love, given his heart to someone, and been burned!

In the second poem, “Loveliest of Trees,” he is looking back over his life with a fond remembrance of the past forty years. He is also realizing that even though he may live to be an old man, he will not have time to experience all life has to offer. He declares that even if he has fifty more years to live, he will not have enough time to enjoy his favorite tree, the blooms of spring, or other joys of life.

Finally, in the poem, “Is My Team Ploughing?” Housman writes from the perspective of a man dead and buried. He is wondering if it is spring planting time or the fall of the year. He also wonders if his love is happy or sad about his passing. The answer appears to be that she is happy and content with a new love, perhaps a close friend of his before his death. The poem ends with him claiming that he cheers a dead man’s sweetheart, but he will not tell who she once belonged to.

The three poems seem to indicate that life should be lived to the fullest, but some cautionary measures need to be taken to guard the heart from anguish. Take time to enjoy the spring time, but don’t give your heart too easily. If you live life with no regrets, it will be an easy death.