Every week we come closer to finishing my top 100 Irish poems list. This week it is number 4. Of course, it is none other than W.B Yeats.
So who or what is this poem “The song of wandering Aengus” all about?
The poem is based around the mythical figure of Aengus who was a deity of the Tuatha Dé Danann associated with the great monument of Newgrange. It was first printed in 1897. I like to think of this poem as half song and half poem.
The poem transports you into a mythical world. There is a bit of irony to the poem. Aengus sets out as the fisherman and hooks his trout. But in the end, he is the one who is “caught” and drawn away towards the mystical world of his glimmering girl.
I hope you have enjoyed my short summary of the poem “The Song of Wandering Aengus”.
Enjoy the poem:
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:
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.
Suzette Blaauw
Monday 29th of November 2021
I enjoy all the Irish poems. Being thought of as half song half poem, I thought of sending you the following link of a really funny Irish sick note