The Song Of Wandering Aengus Analysis

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;

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.

When I had laid it on the floor

I went to blow the fire aflame,

But something rustled on the floor,

And some one called me by my name:

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.

Though I am old with wandering

Through hollow lads and hilly lands.

I will find out where she has gone,

And kiss her lips and take her hands;

And walk among long dappled grass,

And pluck till time and times are done

The silver apples of the moon,

The golden apples of the sun.

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Well I am fifteen and I'm in mythology so to the person that is trying to say that all the goddesses got in a cat fight over the golden apple that is wrong. What really happened is that yes irus got jealous and threw the apple that said to the prettiest one but when the goddesses asked zues who would get it he let Paris decide. When the different goddesses bribed Paris he accepted Aphrodites which was the most beautiful women in the world who happened to be married and well you know the rest.

| Posted on 2008-08-25 | by a guest

.: Thanks :.

I left school at 15 with no qualifications and have gained none since. I thought poetry was a pile of tosh made solely for educated people to enjoy. i never understood poetry when I was at school and so it made me feel stupid.

A friend of mine recently gave me an anthology of poems from Marlowe, Byron, Shelley and a host of other great writers. I couldnt put it down, quite literaly didnt even stop to eat. I was hooked instantly.

I was looking for some form of words to write the other day to an ex partner and I came across The song of wandering aengus.

This poem blew me away when I readf it, but I couldnt figure out why.

I am massivly grateful for the above explanations. I needed to know why this poem moved me so much, and now I do. Thank you

| Posted on 2007-02-23 | by a guest

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This poem also receives mention in the book Illuminatus, by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. They reverse the order, talking about the Golden Apples of the Sun and Silver Apples of the Moon. The Golden Apple symbolizes the Golden Apple of Discord which Eris (Goddess of Chaos) threw. The other Gods and Goddesses did not invite her to a party because of Her reputation, so she threw the Golden Apple which said Kallisti (To the Prettiest One) which cracked the holy punchbowl which caused the goddesses to start throwing punch around and pulling each other's hair which caused Zeus to calm things down and appoint Paris the Arbiter who named Afrodite the Prettiest One who maneuvered events so Paris could have Helen of Sparta which started the Trojan War, the first war among men. Do you believe that?
In this poem Yeats brilliantly describes an encounter with this archetypal Goddess figure, often seen as a glimmering girl. The narrator first does a magical ritual to evoke Her. The ritual works, and Goddess appears in the form of a glimmering girl with apple blossoms in her hair. However, as She tends to do, she then runs into the brightening air, calling the narrator to follow, conjuring images of walking through long green appled grass for eternity with the Living Goddess. Note that he has not found Her at the end of the poem. Do you believe that?

| Posted on 2005-08-18 | by Approved Guest

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This poem was mentioned in "The Bridges of Madison County." In the book i believe that the author is showing the comparison between the characters in the book, and the people in the poem. The poem is about a boy who finds a girl who is perfect for him, when he least expects it. When they are together, they are perfect and things are great. The last two lines show that although these two people love each other, they are from different worlds, and cannot be together.

| Posted on 2005-06-06 | by Approved Guest