If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
One often hears of a horse that shivers with terror, or of a dog that howls at something a mans eyes cannot see, and men who live primitive lives where instinct does the work of reason are fully conscious,of many things we cannot perceive at all. As life becomes more orderly, more deliberate, the supernatural world sinks farther away.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the contrast between instinctual awareness in primitive lives and the diminishing perception of the supernatural in modern life.
William Butler Yeats emphasizes how those who lead more primitive lives are often more attuned to instinctive perceptions of the world around them, including senses and experiences that are beyond ordinary human comprehension. As civilization progresses and life becomes more structured and rational, the connection to these deeper, often supernatural elements of existence tends to fade, suggesting that a more orderly life may come at the cost of deeper spiritual awareness and instinctual understanding.
Themes
PerceptionInstinctSupernaturalCivilizationLife
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a philosophy class to discuss human perception.
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.
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But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
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How far away the stars seem, and how far is our first kiss, and ah, how old my heart.
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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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