What Then?

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



HIS chosen comrades thought at school
He must grow a famous man;
He thought the same and lived by rule,
All his twenties crammed with toil;
'What then?' sang Plato's ghost.  'What then?'

Everything he wrote was read,
After certain years he won
Sufficient money for his need,
Friends that have been friends indeed;
'What then?' sang Plato's ghost.  ' What then?'

All his happier dreams came true --
A small old house, wife, daughter, son,
Grounds where plum and cabbage grew,
poets and Wits about him drew;
'What then.?' sang Plato's ghost.  'What then?'

The work is done,' grown old he thought,
'According to my boyish plan;
Let the fools rage, I swerved in naught,
Something to perfection brought';
But louder sang that ghost, 'What then?'

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 26, 2023

39 sec read
366

Quick analysis:

Scheme abaxC xdeec fdffC gbggc
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 729
Words 137
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5

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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