The Folly Of Being Comforted

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



ONE that is ever kind said yesterday:
'Your well-beloved's hair has threads of grey,
And little shadows come about her eyes;
Time can but make it easier to be wise
Though now it seems impossible, and so
All that you need is patience.'
Heart cries, 'No,
I have not a crumb of comfort, not a grain.
Time can but make her beauty over again:
Because of that great nobleness of hers
The fire that stirs about her, when she stirs,
Burns but more clearly.  O she had not these ways
When all the wild Summer was in her gaze.'
Heart! O heart! if she'd but turn her head,
You'd know the folly of being comforted.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 26, 2023

36 sec read
108

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCDCEFGGHHIJ
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 597
Words 119
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15

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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