As mentioned this morning on The Writer's Almanac, today is the birthday of William Butler Yeats. They have three excellent short poems by Yeats at the site. In addition to those, I'd like to add this one:
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The Coming of Wisdom with Time
Though leaves are many, the root is one;
Through all the lying days of my youth
I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun;
Now I may wither into the truth.
William Butler Yeats
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In addition, here is an audio of Yeats reading "The Lake Isle of Innisfree."
best,
Don
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5 comments:
that's a nice, resonant poem. I don't think I've read anything by Yeats since school. I'll have to fix that.
Greg:
Yes, indeed - I also was particularly taken with this one from today's The Writer's Almanac, which I believe I might have posted last year on the old blog:
He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
W. B. Yeats
Don
*sighs deeply*
Merci beaucoup.
LAV
nice! I like the rhythm and flow of that one. the ending is great, too.
Yes, they are both great illustrations of how much may be packed into a short poem ... though normally I'm not much for ornate work, but these bring it home.
Don
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