Friday, February 24, 2017

Yeats and Me.


 
William Butler Yeats:
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
 
1. This is my favorite poem. Which might not be saying much since my relationship to poetry is about the same relationship “Gone With the Wind” is to great literature. A little dramatic and a little exaggerated but not to be confused with real deep.  
 
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
 
2. But, this one really does resonate with me for some reason. 
 
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
 
3. I remember seeing people in later years that I had known in my youth. I remember family members as they aged and I even see it now in my own face. I think love is a word we pass around a lot. Honestly? If you really love somebody then you don’t stop because they vote for a different political party or find a different religion than you.
 
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. ...W.B. Yeats
 
I see a lot of religious post on my friend’s pages. I don’t always agree but, I don’t challenge their beliefs because I don’t know all the answers. Now, if we were talking over a  glass of wine or a cup of coffee or a beer then I would gladly discuss what I think and listen to what they think. But, a short facebook “gotcha” post just seems pointless to me.
Anyway, back to the poem. I once read someone say it was a sad poem at the end. But, I  don’t believe that. I think Yeats was optimistic at the end of the poem. Love (could be romantic and in this case is. But love none the less) is not dead or hopeless. But, waiting amid the infinity of the stars and the cosmos until it’s time to come back around. 
 
I think this poem captures me because of certain events in my own life. Because of certain memories that I had as a child that allows me to look forward to the coming around again.
 
A dream as the thunder wakes her
And her highwayman disappears
On a life already lived before
In eyes welled with tears…Stevie Nicks
 

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