The Apparitions

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



BECAUSE there is safety in derision
I talked about an apparition,
I took no trouble to convince,
Or seem plausible to a man of sense.
Distrustful of thar popular eye
Whether it be bold or sly.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.

I have found nothing half so good
As my long-planned half solitude,
Where I can sit up half the night
With some friend that has the wit
Not to allow his looks to tell
When I am unintelligible.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.

When a man grows old his joy
Grows more deep day after day,
His empty heart is full at length,
But he has need of all that strength
Because of the increasing Night
That opens her mystery and fright.
Fifteen apparitions have I seen;
The worst a coat upon a coat-hanger.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 12, 2023

45 sec read
103

Quick analysis:

Scheme aaxxbbCD xxexxxCD xxffeeCD
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 779
Words 151
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8

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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    Repeated use of words for effect and emphasis is called ________.
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