Analysis of The Shadowy Waters: The Harp of Aengus

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




Edain came out of Midhir's hill, and lay
Beside young Aengus in his tower of glass,
Where time is drowned in odour-laden winds
And Druid moons, and murmuring of boughs,
And sleepy boughs, and boughs where apples made
Of opal and ruhy and pale chrysolite
Awake unsleeping fires; and wove seven strings,
Sweet with all music, out of his long hair,
Because her hands had been made wild by love.
When Midhir's wife had changed her to a fly,
He made a harp with Druid apple-wood
That she among her winds might know he wept;
And from that hour he has watched over none
But faithful lovers.


Scheme ABCDEEFGHIJKLM
Poetic Form
Metre 11111101 0111011011 111101101 0101010011 0101011101 11001011 0111001101 1111011111 0101111111 111110101 1101110101 1101011111 01110111101 11010
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 578
Words 109
Sentences 3
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14
Lines Amount 14
Letters per line (avg) 33
Words per line (avg) 8
Letters per stanza (avg) 460
Words per stanza (avg) 107
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
117

William Butler Yeats

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

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