The Leaders Of The Crowd

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



THEY must to keep their certainty accuse
All that are different of a base intent;
Pull down established honour; hawk for news
Whatever their loose fantasy invent
And murmur it with bated breath, as though
The abounding gutter had been Helicon
Or calumny a song.  How can they know
Truth flourishes where the student's lamp has shone,
And there alone, that have no Solitude?
So the crowd come they care not what may come.
They have loud music, hope every day renewed
And heartier loves; that lamp is from the tomb.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

28 sec read
87

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCEFGFH
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 510
Words 93
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 12

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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