Sunday, February 8, 2009

The Song of the Wandering Aengus

By William Butler Yeats

I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.

When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.

Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

9 comments:

  1. This poem is excellent, and this guy won the Noble Prize (I'm pretty sure) for a reason.

    I am particularly fond of the last quatrain of the middle stanza and the entire last stanza:

    It had become a glimmering girl
    With apple blossom in her hair
    Who called me by my name and ran
    And faded through the brightening air.

    Though I am old with wandering
    Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
    I will find out where she has gone,
    And kiss her lips and take her hands;
    And walk among long dappled grass,
    And pluck till time and times are done
    The silver apples of the moon,
    The golden apples of the sun.

    This is a big selection, but this to me is the epitome of lyric poetry. The glimmering girl, the man kissing her and walking in the grass, the golden apples; it's all just so perfect, so magical, so poetic.

    I hope you all like this poem. Personally, it's one of my favorites.

    P.S. "Aengus" is, I'm pretty sure, the Celtic god of love.

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  2. This is a beautiful poem. I agree with Alex about its magical feeling. This poem just brightens my mood. It also reminds me of a friend of mine who loves fishing and who treats the fish he catches the way he would treat a lovely girl.

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  3. I wonder who this friend is.

    I enjoyed reading this poem as well. I like the transition of the the objects described. First there is the wood, leading to the wand, and then the berry, the fish, and eventually the girl. The poem builds with this progression.

    I also feel like the poem branches outward, starting very specifically and then becoming more broad. It begins with the fire, then the stream, and eventually this entire field of grass.

    I liked reading this poem. One note: The second line of the last stanza bothered me for some reason.

    "Through hollow lands and hilly lands,"

    I didn't particularly like the repetition of the word lands. Maybe that was just me.

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  4. It is just you, Lev. I personally really enjoy all the repetitions in that stanza ("lands","time(s)","apples"). However, all poetry is personal, so you are entitled to that opinion.

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  5. ^^ woah..fish are much more than a woman to Zim

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  6. But I also agree with Sherm and tondiggity. This poem enlivened me like My Triumph had, even though they really have no connection. I think women can just give us that feeling from time to time...

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  7. Fish give Zim what no woman ever could. I can't even begin to imagine how a trout inflames his passion.

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  8. Hahaha...imagine the intensity of a love poem from Zim to all fish. It would be so passionate.

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  9. This is truly one of my favorite poems. I can recite it by heart. It actually has several levels of interpretation. One is exactly as Alex said: a lyric poem on the subject of ever elusive love. But it is also a poem about art. Yeats was all about the perfectability of his craft as a poet. This poem gives insight into his philosophy: what is desired is elusive, but that does not mean that one should give up. Rather one should "walk among long dappled grass" forever ("till time and times are done"). It does take forever to get some things just right.
    Another interpretation of the poem has to do with Ireland. Yeats was involved in his country's politics. He even served as a senator. Ireland is traditionally depicted as a young beautiful woman in poetry. This type of poem is called an "aisling." This poem may be a patriotic hymn inspired by his love for his country.
    Whatever...it is gorgeous and the fact that it has been put to music (several versions)attests to its lyrical and magical quality. If you like artsy poems, check out "Sailing to Byzantium" and "Lapis Lazuli" by Yeats.
    How about a St. Patrick's Day cookie party to read more of Yeats' poetry and eat some cookies--or maybe lots of cookies.

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