A Man Young And Old: I. First Love

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



Though nurtured like the sailing moon
In beauty's murderous brood,
She walked awhile and blushed awhile
And on my pathway stood
Until I thought her body bore
A heart of flesh and blood.

But since I laid a hand thereon
And found a heart of stone
I have attempted many things
And not a thing is done,
For every hand is lunatic
That travels on the moon.

She smiled and that transfigured me
And left me but a lout,
Maundering here, and maundering there,
Emptier of thought
Than the heavenly circuit of its stars
When the moon sails out.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

30 sec read
70

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXXXXX XXXXXA XBXXXB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 523
Words 101
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6

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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