If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Time drops in decay Like a candle burnt out. And the mountains and woods Have their day, have their day; But, kindly old rout Of the fire-born moods, You pass not away.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the transience of time and the permanence of certain emotions and memories.
In this quote, Yeats contemplates the fleeting nature of time and natural beauty, likening time to a burnt-out candle. However, he juxtaposes this decay with the enduring essence of emotional experiences, suggesting that while physical forms may fade, the feelings they evoke remain alive within us.
Themes
TimeDecayEmotionsMemoryNature
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a philosophical discussion about the nature of time.
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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