Read this excerpt and complete the sentences that follow. A Shropshire Lad by A. E. Housman (excerpt) When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, "Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away; Give pearls away and rubies But keep your fancy free." But I was one-and-twenty, No use to talk to me. When I was one-and-twenty I heard him say again, "The heart out of the bosom Was never given in vain; 'Tis paid with sighs a plenty And sold for endless rue." And I am two-and-twenty, And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true. The central theme of the poem is . In the end, the poet the wise man's views.

The correct answer is:

The central theme of the poem is The suffering that love produces by giving your heart away . In the end, the poet accepts the wise man's views.

Explanation:

This excerpt, like the entire poem, shows the suffering of unrequited love.

The wise man tells this 21-year-old boy that it is preferable to give material gifts rather than give his heart. "Give crowns and pounds and guineas But not your heart away".

The boy says there is no point in hearing those words, because he is 21 years old. But in the end, when he is 28 years old, he realizes that the words of this wise man were true, and that now he is really suffering.