The Song of Wandering Aengus: 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 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 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

Yeats’ poetry is rich in the language of dream and metaphor, and its expression/evocation of feeling – which feels profoundly relevant to the practice of therapy, and therapeutic presence.

Palace Gate Counselling Service

This entry was posted in metaphor & dream, poetry, Yeats and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

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