Tonight, I began to read a book, entitled, Stolen Child by Keith Donohue. It was not long into it, a page, maybe two, that I remembered my favorite poem of all times.
“WHERE dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water rats;
There we’ve hid our faery vats,
Full of berrys
And of reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.
Where the wave of moonlight glosses
The dim gray sands with light,
Far off by furthest Rosses
We foot it all the night,
Weaving olden dances
Mingling hands and mingling glances
Till the moon has taken flight;
To and fro we leap
And chase the frothy bubbles,
While the world is full of troubles
And anxious in its sleep.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.
Where the wandering water gushes
From the hills above Glen-Car,
In pools among the rushes
That scare could bathe a star,
We seek for slumbering trout
And whispering in their ears
Give them unquiet dreams;
Leaning softly out
From ferns that drop their tears
Over the young streams.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.
Away with us he’s going,
The solemn-eyed:
He’ll hear no more the lowing
Of the calves on the warm hillside
Or the kettle on the hob
Sing peace into his breast,
Or see the brown mice bob
Round and round the oatmeal chest.
For he comes, the human child,
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s more full of weeping than he can understand.”
William Butler Yeats
“For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.”
If you had put a hundred poems in front of me, I bet I could have picked this as one of your favorites. So beautiful. Appreciate your sharing it with us.
Namaste.
I love Yeats, too!
“Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world, for I would ride with you upon the wind and dance upon the mountains like a flame! “
It really is an exquisite poem but I guess I’m a dolt. How does running away resolve any of it? And the idea that I can’t understand, is pretty much a self limiting and self defeating image.
Like I said, I must be a dolt.
Ladies!!! Welcome, I appreciate you stoppping in, I love the other perspectives on this beautiful voyage of words.
I have to say, I have loved this poem, it feels as if before I knew I had air to breath I loved this poem, and Ronnie nailed it:
“For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.”
You continue to teach me kindness, SE. Namaste.
That is beautiful and dreamy writing. Isn’t it funny how we have favorite poetry or books or things and completely forget them until suddenly they strike us like that?
The book you’re reading – sounds scary. Let us know how it goes. Peace today. ~ RS ~
Dance upon the mountain like a flame…Such beautiful images! Yeats has always been a favorite! Thanks for the smile!
Sorrow: your new avatar gives hope for the journey and the hope. Peace.
Thank you, when I was searching for it, I found one similar on a site that claimed it was a devil worshiping symbol, That really distressed me. But this is the labyrinth I built in my woods, and it feels right, and all the positive feedback about it has helped tremendously, so Many thanks!
Hey, you! 🙂 I just tagged you, if you wanna play.
RUBY!
I hate scary stories! yes, that’s me saying: hate, hate, hate!
🙂
With that said, Stolen Child is a trip into who we are and who we aren’t.
Peace & light to you today dear Ruby.
Sorrow11: really love that, sorry the negative aspect of the world came at you with your labyrinth, to me, labyrinths mean possibilities within a journey, growth.
Grace: got it girl!
I will try to read that book. If they sells that here in our country. 😀
Sweethestia: Hello & welcome. The book is an excellent read!
[…] I saw previews for The Changeling. Am I confused? Because I posted some time ago about a book, The Stolen Child, and because of my love for Irish history, my love of the lore of the Faeries, I felt The Stolen […]