If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Grant me an old man's frenzy, Myself must I remake Till I am Timon and Lear Or that William Blake Who beat upon the wall Till Truth obeyed his call.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote expresses a desire for transformation and the pursuit of truth through chaos and fervor.
In this quote, Yeats conveys a yearning for the intensity and passion of old age as a means to remake oneself. He references the figures of Timon and Lear, who embody the struggle against despair and the quest for truth, paralleling his admiration for William Blake, who relentlessly sought understanding until he attained it. This highlights the deep connection between fervor, personal evolution, and the relentless pursuit of truth.
Themes
TransformationTruthFervorWisdomIntensity
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about personal growth, one could use this quote to emphasize the importance of transformation.
More from William Butler Yeats
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For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
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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.
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