Poetry Slam!: "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by W.B. Yeats

Included in the anthology The Wind Among the Reeds, this poem, influenced by Celtic mythology, is told in the voice of a man who catches a fish that magically transforms into a beautiful woman. Read the full text here.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. thread
    a fine cord of twisted fibers used in sewing and weaving
    I went out to the hazel wood,
    Because a fire was in my head,
    And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
    And hooked a berry to a thread
  2. flicker
    shine unsteadily
    And when white moths were on the wing,
    And moth-like stars were flickering out,
    I dropped the berry in a stream
    And caught a little silver trout.
    The images of flying white moths and flickering stars could be emphasizing the speaker's old age and the unsteady, dying light of his life. In contrast, in Celtic mythology, the god Aengus is often surrounded by four birds that symbolize kisses and inspire love in all who hear them sing.
  3. rustle
    make a dry crackling sound
    But something rustled on the floor
  4. glimmer
    shine brightly, like a star or a light
    It had become a glimmering girl
    With apple blossom in her hair
  5. blossom
    a flower or cluster of flowers on a plant
    It had become a glimmering girl
    With apple blossom in her hair
  6. fade
    become less clearly visible or distinguishable
    It had become a glimmering girl
    With apple blossom in her hair
    Who called me by my name and ran
    And faded through the brightening air.
  7. wander
    move about aimlessly or without any destination
    Though I am old with wandering
    Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
    I will find out where she has gone
    The speaker of the poem is an old, wandering Aengus. In Celtic mythology, Aengus is a young, handsome god who dreams of a young maiden. Lovesick, he tells his mother, who searches for the maiden for a year, before calling upon Aengus's father and another king to help. Once he identifies the maiden, Aengus turns into a swan and flies off with her. So the divine Aengus does not wander as much as the human speaker of the poem.
  8. hollow
    not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
    Though I am old with wandering
    Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
    I will find out where she has gone
  9. dappled
    having spots or patches of color
    I will find out where she has gone,
    And kiss her lips and take her hands;
    And walk among long dappled grass
  10. pluck
    look for and gather
    And pluck till time and times are done,
    The silver apples of the moon,
    The golden apples of the sun.
    As a noun, "pluck" means "the trait of showing courage and determination"—this could fit a description of an old man who, until the day he dies and despite never being able to reach them, continues to pluck at "the silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun."
Created on Wed Jun 05 18:44:20 EDT 2013 (updated Thu Aug 10 11:20:04 EDT 2023)

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