The Song of Wandering Aengus Summary & Analysis by William Butler Yeats
- Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis
- Poetic Devices
- Vocabulary & References
- Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme
- Line-by-Line Explanations
First printed in 1897 and collected in The Wind Among the Reeds (1899), W. B. Yeats's "The Song of Wandering Aengus" is a dramatic monologue about burning and thwarted passion. Written in the voice of Aengus (a god of love and youth in Irish mythology), it tells the tale of a magical fish that turns into a beautiful girl and runs away. The infatuated Aengus wanders the earth in pursuit of this girl, growing old but never giving up his search. As a kind of miniature fable, the poem suggests how unrequited love—or any other unattainable dream—can both exhaust a person's energies and nourish a person's imagination.
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The Full Text of “The Song of Wandering Aengus”
1 I went out to the hazel wood,
2 Because a fire was in my head,
3 And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
4 And hooked a berry to a thread;
5 And when white moths were on the wing,
6 And moth-like stars were flickering out,
7 I dropped the berry in a stream
8 And caught a little silver trout.
9 When I had laid it on the floor
10 I went to blow the fire a-flame,
11 But something rustled on the floor,
12 And someone called me by my name:
13 It had become a glimmering girl
14 With apple blossom in her hair
15 Who called me by my name and ran
16 And faded through the brightening air.
17 Though I am old with wandering
18 Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
19 I will find out where she has gone,
20 And kiss her lips and take her hands;
21 And walk among long dappled grass,
22 And pluck till time and times are done,
23 The silver apples of the moon,
24 The golden apples of the sun.
“The Song of Wandering Aengus” Summary
“the song of wandering aengus” themes.
Infatuation, Beauty, and Obsession
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “The Song of Wandering Aengus”
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 a-flame, But something rustled on the floor, And someone called me by my name:
Lines 13-16
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.
Lines 17-20
Though I am old with wandering Through hollow lands and hilly lands, I will find out where she has gone, And kiss her lips and take her hands;
Lines 21-24
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.
“The Song of Wandering Aengus” Symbols
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Silver Trout
“The Song of Wandering Aengus” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Parallelism
Alliteration, juxtaposition, “the song of wandering aengus” vocabulary.
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- On the wing
- Apple blossom
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “The Song of Wandering Aengus”
Rhyme scheme, “the song of wandering aengus” speaker, “the song of wandering aengus” setting, literary and historical context of “the song of wandering aengus”, more “the song of wandering aengus” resources, external resources.
The Poet's Life and Work — Read a short bio of Yeats, along with other Yeats poems, at Poets.org.
The Poem Read Aloud — Hear a reading of the poem by actor Michael Gambon.
"Aengus" in Song — Listen to a 1971 adaptation of the poem by folk singer Donovan.
Yeats, Nobel Laureate — Browse an exhibit on Yeats, winner of the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature, at Nobel.org.
The Many Sides of Yeats — Read the Poetry Foundation's introduction to the various phases of Yeats's career.
Yeats Reads His Work — Listen to a rare recording of W. B. Yeats reading his poetry aloud.
LitCharts on Other Poems by William Butler Yeats
Adam's Curse
Among School Children
An Irish Airman Foresees his Death
A Prayer for my Daughter
Easter, 1916
In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markievicz
Lapis Lazuli
Leda and the Swan
Sailing to Byzantium
September 1913
The Lake Isle of Innisfree
The Second Coming
The Wild Swans at Coole
When You Are Old
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The Song of Wandering Aengus
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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 a-flame, But something rustled on the floor, And someone 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 lands 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.
This poem is in the public domain.
More by this poet
Leda and the swan.
A sudden blow: the great wings beating still Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.
A Prayer for my Daughter
Once more the storm is howling, and half hid Under this cradle-hood and coverlid My child sleeps on. There is no obstacle But Gregory's wood and one bare hill Whereby the haystack- and roof-levelling wind, Bred on the Atlantic, can be stayed; And for an hour I have walked and prayed
The Stolen Child
Where dips the rocky highland Of Sleuth Wood in the lake, There lies a leafy island Where flapping herons wake The drowsy water rats; There we've hid our faery vats, Full of berrys And of reddest stolen cherries. Come away, O human child!
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Home > Poems > The Song of Wandering Aengus
The Song of Wandering Aengus
By W. B. Yeats
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 a-flame, But something rustled on the floor, And someone 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 lands 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.
W. B. Yeats
The song of wandering aengus.
#1899 #Ballad #IrishWriters #RhymedStanza #TheWindAmongTheReeds
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WE have cried in our despair That men desert, For some trivial affair Or noisy, insolent sport, Beauty that we have won
The island dreams under the dawn And great boughs drop tranquillity… The peahens dance on a smooth lawn… A parrot sways upon a tree, Raging at his own image in the ena…
A SPECKLED cat and a tame hare Eat at my hearthstone And sleep there; And both look up to me alone For learning and defence
Now must I these three praise— Three women that have wrought What joy is in my days: One because no thought, Nor those unpassing cares,
A BLOODY and a sudden end, Gunshot or a noose, For Death who takes what man woul… Leaves what man would lose. He might have had my sister,
I whispered, “I am too young,” And then, “I am old enough”; Wherefore I threw a penny To find out if I might love. “Go and love, go and love, young m…
OTHERS because you did not keep That deep-sworn vow have been frie… Yet always when I look death in t… When I clamber to the heights of… Or when I grow excited with wine,
NOW all the truth is out, Be secret and take defeat From any brazen throat, For how can you compete, Being honour bred, with one
What lively lad most pleasured me Of all that with me lay? I answer that I gave my soul And loved in misery, But had great pleasure with a lad
WHEN all works that have From cradle run to grave From grave to cradle run instead; When thoughts that a fool Has wound upon a spool
The angels are stooping Above your bed; They weary of trooping With the whimpering dead. God’s laughing in Heaven
I dreamed as in my bed I lay, All night’s fathomless wisdom come… That I had shorn my locks away And laid them on Love’s lettered… But something bore them out of sig…
The light of evening, Lissadell, Great windows open to the south, Two girls in silk kimonos, both Beautiful, one a gazelle. But a raving autumn shears
O what to me the little room That was brimmed up with prayer an… He bade me out into the gloom, And my breast lies upon his breast… O what to me my mother’s care,
BECAUSE there is safety in deri… I talked about an apparition, I took no trouble to convince, Or seem plausible to a man of sens… Distrustful of thar popular eye
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The Song of Wandering Aengus, by William Butler Yeats
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Music by Philip Leitch Donovan on verses by W.B.Yeats. Illustrations by Cronogeo.( http://www.youtube.com/cronogeo )
My poetry collections 'Poems for Susan' (2020) and 'Scarlet Land' (2021) are available from my shop: https://ko-fi.com/arthurlwood/shopIf you wish to contrib...
Here's the text of that poem:The Song of Wandering A... In this episode I read, or rather chant to you, a classic Yeats poem and reflect on what it means to me. Here's the text of that poem:The ...
By William Butler Yeats. 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.
Summary 'The Song of Wandering Aengus' by William Butler Yeats describes Aengus' quest to find a girl he once saw in his youth. The speaker is looking back on a pivotal moment in his life that solidified its direction for years to come. He begins by describing an average day in which he decides to go fishing, makes a rod from a hazel tree, and catches a "little silver trout."
"The Song of Wandering Aengus" is a poem by Irish poet W. B. Yeats.It was first printed in 1897 in British magazine The Sketch under the title "A Mad Song." It was then published under its standard name in Yeats' 1899 anthology The Wind Among the Reeds. It is especially remembered for its two final lines: "The silver apples of the moon,/ The golden apples of the sun."
The Full Text of "The Song of Wandering Aengus". 1 I went out to the hazel wood, 2 Because a fire was in my head, 3 And cut and peeled a hazel wand, 4 And hooked a berry to a thread; 5 And when white moths were on the wing, 6 And moth-like stars were flickering out, 7 I dropped the berry in a stream. 8 And caught a little silver trout.
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 a-flame, But something rustled on the floor, And someone called me by my name: It had become a glimmering girl.
The Song of Wandering Aengus Lyrics. 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 ...
The Song of Wandering Aengus. An animation short film by Matthew Lawes, 2017. Based on W. B. Yeats poem 'The Song of Wandering Aengus', narrated by BAFTA Award Winner Liam Cunningham, with original music score from IVOR NOVELLO Award Winners David Holmes and Keefus Ciancia. Produced by Ex-Animo Foundation & The Roundhouse, Other Brother Studios ...
Who called me by my name and ran. And faded through the brightening air. Though I am old with wandering. Through hollow lands 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,
Less frequently called "The Song of Wandering Aengus", omitting "the" which seems to be wrong but I don't see that it matters much. This was one the the firs...
William Butler (W. B.) Yeats. William Butler Yeats's "The Song of Wandering Aengus" is a poem that draws on, and repurposes, the folklore of Yeats's native Ireland. In Celtic mythology, Aengus is the eternally youthful god of love who falls for Caer the goddess of sleep and dreams. In the myth, Aengus gets the girl and lives on in ...
"The Song of Wandering Aengus," published in 1899 in the volume The Wind in the Reeds, is exemplary of Yeats's early, mythically charged work. The Story of Maud Gonne: In 1889, 24-year-old Yeats met 23-year-old Maud Gonne, an heiress, actress, and political activist. Yeats was immediately enchanted by Gonne, who, at six feet tall, struck ...
The Song Of Wandering Aengus : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. Webamp. Volume 90%. 1 The Song of Wandering Aengus 04:00.
The Song of Wandering Aengus. And caught a little silver trout. And faded through the brightening air. The golden apples of the sun. The Wind Among the Reeds (1899) 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 w….
This video is from the award winning StudySync® english language arts program for grades 6-12. Learn more at: http://www.mheonline.com/studysync
The Song of Wandering Aengus music videos. The Song of Wandering Aengus has had an irresistible appeal to songwriters across the world. It has been set to music by several artists - most famously perhaps by the American folk singer, Judy Collins, who recorded her version under the title, Golden Apples of the Sun.
The Song Of Wandering Aengus Lyrics: 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 ...
I went out to the hazel wood Because a fire was in my head And I cut and peeled a hazel wand And hooked a berry on 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 someone called me by my ...
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupSong Of The Wandering Aengus · Dave Van RonkNo Dirty Names℗ 1966 The Verve Music Group, a Division of UMG Recordi...
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From the album: Brandies Band - Yeats to Music (now available on Spotify and all major digital stores)