If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
When I clamber to the heights of sleep, Or when I grow excited with wine, suddenly I meet your face.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The speaker finds solace and inspiration in the memory of a loved one during moments of rest or indulgence.
In this quote, William Butler Yeats expresses the profound impact that love has on his consciousness. He reveals that whether he is drifting into sleep or enjoying a drink, the thought of his beloved always resurfaces, indicating that their presence is deeply embedded in his mind and emotions. This highlights the intertwining of love with one's inherent experiences, suggesting that true love transcends circumstances and remains a constant source of joy and comfort.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a romantic speech at a wedding, one could share this quote to express the lasting impact of love.
More from William Butler Yeats
All quotes βIt 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.
How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
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.
Similar quotes
Bodies count, of course - they count more than we're willing to admit - but we don't fall in love with bodies, we fall in love with each other. We all know that, but the moment we go beyond a catalogue of surface qualities and appearances, words begin to fail us, to crumble apart in mystical confusions and cloudy, unsubstantial metaphors.
Her feelings were her own, and could not be altered from outside. It would not have occurred to her that an action which is ineffectual thereby becomes meaningless. If you loved someone, you loved him, and when you had nothing else to give, you still gave him love.
We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other.
If one day you have to choose between the world and love, remember this: If you choose the world youβll be left without love, but if you choose love, with it you will conquer the world
Sex without love is an empty experience, but as empty experiences go, it's one of the best.
Let yourself be loved, O Beloved, in the One. And from this One move out into the world, carrying within you the great potent energies of life to green your world, to create planets, suns, stars, stones, waves, oceans, to create new forms of life and expression - whether a friendship, a feeling or a new form of vocation.