当你老了，头白了，睡思昏沉，                                                                          
炉火旁打盹，请取下这部诗歌，                                                                        
慢慢读，回想你过去眼神的柔和,                                                               
回想它们过去的浓重的阴影；     

                                                                         
多少人爱你年轻欢畅的时辰，                                                                          
爱慕你的美丽、假意或真心，                                                                           
只有一个人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂，                                                                 
爱你衰老了的脸上的痛苦的皱纹；                                                                      

垂下头来，在红光闪耀的炉子旁，                                                                        
凄然地轻轻诉说那爱情的消逝，                                                                          
在头顶的山上它缓缓踱着步子，                                                                            
在一群星星中间隐藏着脸庞。

                     When you are old

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;


How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;


And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. 
                                                                     

随着《生死朗读》的行进，叶芝的这片诗不断在心头涌现

或许电影主题本身具有历史沉重感，论及二战前后的德国，尤其是柏林，即使是最开朗的人，恐怕也会三缄其口

索性爱的份量超越了主题，虽然结局一如片中主导的天气那么黯淡

沈从文说

我行过许多地方的桥，看过许多次数的云，喝过许多种类的酒，却只爱过一个正当最好年龄的人

而Hanna是不是Machale那个正当最好年龄的人，似乎已经不重要了

至少，他们还有小教堂的阳光，书籍的墨香，浴缸里的肥皂泡，来佐证

佐证他，年少时的疯狂

佐证她，刚毅犀利却要背负无法阅读的哀伤

于是，她眼角的皱纹，就算再细密，也在他心中，化成了白雪

末了，她学会了阅读

可他却忘记，把自己当年写的诗，寄还给那个对的人了

他只在一味地，为那个他爱了一辈子的老人，大声朗读。。。