The poem With rue my heart is laden by A.E. Houseman is conveying the past and future. Though the poem might be short, it is split into crucial and profound events in the author’s life as he refers to his memories, as claimed, “For golden friends I had”. This quote reveals that the poet is remembering all his friends as he uses past tense language, “had”. By the use of “had”, we can assume that the poet’s friends are pasted away or not his friends any more. The poet not only states his memories, but how he feels about them, as he claims, “With rue my heart is laden”. This quote illustrates that the poet feels sorrowful and sad, by the use of the word “rue”; which means a plant with a bitter fragrance that also traditionally symbolizes loss
