A young man, caught between feeling too young and old enough, tosses a penny as a kind of fortune-telling. The coin tells him to go and love, provided the lady is young and fair, and suddenly he is completely captivated—“looped in the loops of her hair.” The repeated address to the “brown penny” feels almost like a charm or folk refrain, giving the poem a light, singsong quality. But there is real uncertainty underneath: love is “the crooked thing,” too deep for anyone to understand, no matter how long they think. The final line, “One cannot begin it too soon,” is both advice and a wish—eager, nervous, and a little enchanted. The overall mood is playful yet serious, like a young man trying to laugh off how thoroughly he has already fallen.
The Young Man's Song — Summary
I whispered, 'I am too young,' And then, 'I am old enough;' Wherefore I threw a penny To find out if I might love. 'Go and love, go and love, young man, If the lady be young and fair.' Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, I am looped in the loops of her hair.
Oh, love is the crooked thing, There is nobody wise enough To find out all that is in it, For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away, And the shadows eaten the moon. Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, One cannot begin it too soon.