The Song Of Wandering Aengus - William Butler Yeats

The Song Of Wandering Aengus - William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)

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.

------------

In the poem Yeats seems to be playing with two themes: Undying affection for a lost love, and nostalgia for the romance of youth. The character in the book sets out in expectation, casting out and hoping for a catch. This can symbolize both a quest for romance and a general quest for achievement. The fish that turns into the woman resembles unexpected fortune that is like all good fortune, destined to fade eventually. Yeats seems to console us believing that the loves and good times in our life are never lost if we can remember enough to walk through them, and treasure how the beautiful moments in our life resemble them, thus plucking the silver apples of the moon, The golden apples of the sun.