Old Age and Shadows

“There is strong shadow where there is much light.” said some geezer. This Old Age and Shadows page brings you images I have found that use shadows in much the same way as mirrors are used to show the old folk as they might wish to be, that is, young and fit again. It was W H Auden who said “Every man carries with him through life a mirror, as unique and impossible to get rid of as his shadow.” “Pulvis et umbra sumus" is what I say...what say you? (It means "We are but dust and shadow".)

I've no idea who produced these images or how but they're very evocative, are they not?

These say "I may be old and feeble but my shadow's as good as ever"

Or " The shadow in my mind is better than I ever was"

This one is different from the others but I love that you can tell that it's the shadow of a chap in a flat cap who's been round the block a few times. I used it as an illustration to some song lyrics I wrote many moons ago and published originally on a blog. Here are those song lyrics

Daniel Brown was a dear old man
Some would say just an 'also ran'
He wore a dirty mac and an old flat cap
And I never knew him take a bath
He was a special friend of mine
I was young - he was out of time
I was drifting off the rails
He put me back in line

Nearly blind, but he could see
That an orphan boy like me
Needs a hand, not life that's planned
By society
Mr Dan was just in time
To save me from a life of crime
Perhaps, it's fate but now I'm straight
Any credit's his not mine

Middle Eight

Life had scribbled on his face
Life had worn his body down
Not a pretty sight to see
But Daniel Brown meant all the world to me

I can see his wrinkled brow
When I left, I regret it now
All he needed desperately
Was some company
He wasn't much the world would say
He was all alone when he passed away
No one noticed, no one cried
Daniel Brown, why did you have to die?

These next ones are silhouettes and/or processions from young to old and are included here as being of similar ilk

Old Age and Shadows