We've said it before, but we'll say it again: any time you start a piece of literature with a reference to a wise man, chances are that the wise man will be ignored and some really stupid mistake is coming around the corner. "When I was One-and-Twenty" is no exception. Unless, of course, you happen to disagree with the "wise man" when he says that love is a game that only fools play. After all, falling in love may be foolish – but, as this poem demonstrates, falling away from love might be just as ridiculous.