“An aged man is but a paltry thing, a tattered coat upon a stick…an
ancient pair of shoes hanging from a rack.” – W. B. Yeats
How would you interpret this quote?
I’m having problems and I simply do not understand what it means.
what does “is but” mean?

I tried to google it; it doesn’t work. :(

Topics: English, help, confusion, quote, homework, connotations, is but