Presences

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



THIS night has been so strange that it seemed
As if the hair stood up on my head.
From going-down of the sun I have dreamed
That women laughing, or timid or wild,
In rustle of lace or silken stuff,
Climbed up my creaking stair.  They had read
All I had rhymed of that monstrous thing
Returned and yet unrequited love.
They stood in the door and stood between
My great wood lectern and the fire
Till I could hear their hearts beating:
One is a harlot, and one a child
That never looked upon man with desire.
And one, it may be, a queen.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

32 sec read
109

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABACDBEFGHECHG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 530
Words 107
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

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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