This poem chronicles the evolution of an adult from an ambiguous time after the year 1000. It is written in modern English, suggesting it is closer to the present day. The speaker describes his descent into a state disconnected from previously faithful self. It is apparent that he longs for his prior innocence and devotion to God. The poem can be divided into two distinct parts; the first stanza recalls the first of his two “mortal paths” which was the innocence of his youth. In the latter stanza, he reminisces about the grandeur of missed opportunities and wasted time while look towards the bright future instead. The tone and imagery of the first paragraph is flowery and heavenly which is also his view of himself and the
