The Collar-Bone Of A Hare

William Butler Yeats 1865 (Sandymount) – 1939 (Menton)



WOULD I could cast a sad on the water
Where many a king has gone
And many a king's daughter,
And alight at the comely trees and the lawn,
The playing upon pipes and the dancing,
And learn that the best thing is
To change my loves while dancing
And pay but a kiss for a kiss.
I would find by the edge of that water
The collar-bone of a hare
Worn thin by the lapping of water,
And pierce it through with a gimlet, and stare
At the old bitter world where they marry in churches,
And laugh over the untroubled water
At all who marry in churches,
Through the white thin bone of a hare.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 29, 2023

36 sec read
99

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCEAFAFGAGF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 573
Words 119
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. more…

All William Butler Yeats poems | William Butler Yeats Books

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    "The Collar-Bone Of A Hare" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/39458/the-collar-bone-of-a-hare>.

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