This poem is from the standpoint of the formerly heart broken. She speaks on her experience of just a year prior. She was young and head over heels in love. Older, wiser people (“Wise Man” was used to describe a group of people – synecdoche) tried to open her eyes but “I was one and twenty, no use to talk to me“, or in other words, she was stubborn. They tried to show her that love is not to be given freely, give anything else freely but not your heart.
‘Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and Ā rubies
But keep your fancy free.’
All it took was one year for her to realize the truth in their words. It seems even while she was twenty one, deep down she knew the “wise man” Ā was right. His words would ring in her ears but she would ignore it, as we all do when we’re young and stubborn.
When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
‘The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
Now a year later, the love seemed to burn out and reveal its true colors. She now knows and accepts the reality of her mistakes.
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.
When I read this poem I thought the same thing. It seems like the speaker is saying to value and protect what is important to us and not just give it all away. He seems to use reptiiton to bring out his point. You made a great interpretation.
The narrator in this poem is speaking of his young, willy, adventurous nature wanting to explore the world. Being a young man, he wants to taste of the Love, to know love, to feel love, throwing caution to the wind. At this time in someoneās life, itās a waste of time to give advice of caution. Having taste of love and felt the burn of a broken heart, he now thinks of that golden advice given by the wise old man. It is part of nature and everyone has to go through this phase in life, some with a bit of caution and some with a bit of recklessness. Itās all in the spirit of youth. So definitely, it is the same theme you are speaking of and I do agree with your comments. One thing thou, the way I see it is that the narrator is a young man. But I am not saying it is wrong, it is just the way two persons can interpret something differently.