If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
Interpretation
The quote reflects on the feelings of nostalgia and the deep emotional impact of love.
In this quote, William Butler Yeats evokes a sense of longing and introspection. He compares the distant stars to the remoteness of a cherished first kiss, emphasizing the passage of time and the memories associated with love. His longing suggests that while experiences may seem far away, their emotional weight remains present in the heart, illustrating the enduring nature of romantic feelings and the complexity of love as one ages.
In practice
In a wedding speech reflecting on how love grows over time.
If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
It was my first meeting with a philosophy that confirmed my vague speculations and seemed at once logical and boundless.
But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
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.
I believe when I am in the mood that all nature is full of people whom we cannot see, and that some of these are ugly or grotesque, and some wicked or foolish, but very many beautiful beyond any one we have ever seen, and that these are not far away... and the simple of all times and the wise men of ancient times have seen them and even spoken to them.
If music be the food of love, play on, Give me excess of it; that surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die.
I looked at this tiny, perfect creature and it was as though a light switch had been turned on. A great rush of love flooded out of me.
My mind has been the most discontented and restless one that ever was put into a body too small for it.... I never felt my mind repose upon anything with complete and undistracted enjoyment- upon no person but you. When you are in the room my thoughts never fly out of window: you always concentrate my whole senses
Maybe love was superstition, a prayer we said to keep the truth of loneliness at bay. I tilted my head back. The stars looked like they were close together, when really they were millions of miles apart. In the end, maybe love just meant longing for something impossibly bright and forever out of reach.
When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.
I am convinced that love is the most durable power in the world. It is not an expression of impractical idealism, but of practical realism. Far from being the pious injunction of a Utopian dreamer, love is an absolute necessity for the survival of our civilization. To return hate for hate does nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Someone must have sense enough and religion enough to cut off the chain of hate and evil, and this can only be done through love.
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