If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
How can I, that girl standing there, My attention fix On Roman or on Russian Or on Spanish politics? Yet here's a travelled man that knows What he talks about, And there's a politician That has read and thought, And maybe what they say is true Of war and war's alarms, But O that I were young again And held her in my arms!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker longs for youth and love despite the complexities of politics and the wisdom of experienced individuals.
In this quote, Yeats expresses a deep nostalgia for youthful love, suggesting that no matter how knowledgeable or experienced individuals may be in political matters, those worldly issues pale in comparison to the pure emotions associated with love. The contrast between the allure of youthful affection and the serious commitments of adult life highlights the speaker's yearning for simpler, more passionate times.
Themes
LoveYouthNostalgiaPoliticsYearning
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about the importance of love in our lives rather than getting caught up in societal issues.
More from William Butler Yeats
All quotes →It was my first meeting with a philosophy that confirmed my vague speculations and seemed at once logical and boundless.
William Butler YeatsRead
But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
William Butler YeatsRead
How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
William Butler YeatsRead
For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
William Butler YeatsRead
Love is created and preserved by intellectual analysis, for we love only that which is unique, and it belongs to contemplation, not to action, for we would not change that which we love.
William Butler YeatsRead
Similar quotes
The goal of our life should not be to find joy in marriage, but to bring more love and truth into the world.
Leo TolstoyRead
Yes I have loved, as no one on earth ever loved, with an insensate and furious love, so violent that I wonder it did not break my heart
Theophile GautierRead
And for just a fleeting moment, a tiny wisp of time that hung in the air like fireflies in summer skies, she wondered if she was in love with him again.
Nicholas SparksRead
People don't love each other at our age, Marthe—they please each other, that's all. Later on, when you're old and impotent, you can love someone. At our age, you just think you do. That's all it is.
Albert CamusRead
Falling out of love is very enlightening. For a short while you see the world with new eyes.
Iris MurdochRead
Compassion is the wish for another being to be free from suffering; love is wanting them to have happiness.
Dalai LamaRead