The Song of Wandering Aengus

Posted by on Thursday, April 5th, 2018

The Song of Wandering Aengus
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.

Michael Gambon reciting the poem
Need I explain?  This is gateway Yeats.  I’ve loved it since I was a child. 

Filed in bardic,Books,Celtic,Commonplace Project,Eating Poetry | No responses yet

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Leave a Reply