The Song of Wandering Aengus — Yeats

Patrick Fitzpatrick
English 150
Wednesday 16 October 2013, 6 p.m. section

• 3 minutes: Poem recital with acoustic guitar so it will not be too loud.
  • I will do a slight instrumental break between the 2^nd and 3^rd stanzas, I will be humming, but this adds to the presentation and effect of the powerful poem.
  • I also will repeat the last two lines of the poem, the silver apples of the moon/ the golden apples of the sun, this adds closure to the song and emphasizes the beauty behind these words.
• 1 Minute: I believed my part was the most interesting part of this poem because I believed the beginning builds up the story in order to depict who this glimmering girl truly is. After he sets it up, he beautifully explains how much he loves this woman, for he will wait till death just to kiss her lips and hold her hands, this section I recited was about true love, possibly was Yeats way to explain how in love Yeats was with either his first love or her daughter.
• 1 minute: Why I chose this poem: I chose to sing this poem for the iambic tetrameter supported a musical background perfectly, during my research. I actually found a version of this poem performed by Caroline Henning, which shows how Yeats poems are known for being set to music.
• 3 minutes? After I will discuss: The use of Yeats and Irish Mythology… Why was Yeats so heavily influenced by Irish Mythology? Then tell of the Kuwait story from class, then the one from online about Aengus (Swans and Caer).
  • The man in the poem wished he could be young forever like Aengus, but he can't, so instead he waits for death so he can meet her again in heaven and be with her for eternity, and be young forever, just like Aengus.
  • We can see little hints in the poem to make the poem have that mystical feel. Like the hazel wood which was believed to be magical. He also mentions moths twice which have the characteristics of fairy which again add to the mythological idea of the poem. (also he says both these words twice, as the poem is about a couple, 2)
• 4 minutes: open discussion: Anyone have any thoughts on the poem?
  • The poem can also show Yeats trying to explain his ideal about the life he lives. The man and Yeats have something in common, they both are trying to obtain something that is unachievable. In the poem the man tries to find a woman who disappeared into thin air, after she was a fish. While Yeats at this point in his life was trying to get the daughter of Maud Gonne. Who at this point was decades younger than him and an impossible woman to find. At the same time, both men continue to have faith which drives them in life, and thus the 'chase' or faith they have defines their purpose in life and thus gives it meaning.
  • The last few lines shows a tie to the idea of Adam and eve and the apple. We see that he is too pluck the apples from his love, and demonstrating his eternal love for this glimmering girl will be worth his whole life. We can also see he uses the idea of the moon and the sun. These both mystic objects that represent eternity for they can last longer than the lives of immortal men (Helium.com). Plucking these apples represents spending eternity with his love.