PoemHunter.com   
A Man Young And Old: XI. From Oedipus At Colonus by William Butler Yeats   
Participate in our survey Search:
Search Poems, Poets, Quotations and Lyrics   
Home Poets Poems Lyrics Quotations Music Forum Member Area Poetry E-Books
 
William Butler Yeats
#19
on top 500 Poets
William Butler Yeats
(1865-1939 / County Dublin / Ireland)
427 poems of William Butler Yeats
click to download
Poet's Page  Biography  Poems  Quotations  Comments   Stats  
 
<< prev. poem Poems by William Butler Yeats : 27 / 404 next poem >>
  
  A Man Young And Old: XI. From Oedipus At Colonus

User Rating:

5.6 /10
(37 votes)



  Endure what life God gives and ask no longer span;
Cease to remember the delights of youth, travel-wearied aged man;
Delight becomes death-longing if all longing else be vain.

Even from that delight memory treasures so,
Death, despair, division of families, all entanglements of mankind grow,
As that old wandering beggar and these God-hated children know.

In the long echoing street the laughing dancers throng,
The bride is carried to the bridegroom's chamber through torchlight and tumultuous song;
I celebrate the silent kiss that ends short life or long.

Never to have lived is best, ancient writers say;
Never to have drawn the breath of life, never to have looked into the eye of day;
The second best's a gay goodnight and quickly turn away.


William Butler Yeats

Submitted Date Monday, January 13, 2003
Submitted Date Wednesday, April 02, 2003



Read poems about / on: travel, despair, memory, kiss, remember, death, children, song, god, life, hate, family, child

<< prev. poem Poems by William Butler Yeats : 27 / 404 next poem >>
 
  Comments about this poem (A Man Young And Old: XI. From Oedipus At Colonus by William Butler Yeats )
James Graham (12/30/2011 2:44:00 AM)
0 person liked.
0 person did not like.
I am amazed by the lowness of the ratings that this masterpiece has received
 
People who read Yeats also read

 
 
  Top 500 Poems

  1. Phenomenal Woman
    Maya Angelou
  2. Still I Rise
    Maya Angelou
  3. If You Forget Me
    Pablo Neruda
  4. Dreams
    Langston Hughes
  5. The Road Not Taken
    Robert Frost
  6. Annabel Lee
    Edgar Allan Poe
  7. I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You
    Pablo Neruda
  8. If
    Rudyard Kipling
  9. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
    Maya Angelou
  10. A Dream Within A Dream
    Edgar Allan Poe
The complete list of Top 500 Poems >>
 
 

(c) Poems are the property of their respective owners. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge..  About Us | Copyright notice | Privacy statement | Help
2/12/2012 5:26:20 PM. #.# You Are Here: A Man Young And Old: XI. From Oedipus At Colonus by William Butler Yeats

Home | Poets | Poems | Free Poetry eBooks | Contests | Sites | Submit a Poem | Manage Your Poems | Game Gar | Oyun | Contact Us

Christmas Poems | Love Poems | Pablo Neruda | Death Poems | Sad Poems | Birthday Poems | Wedding Poems | Nature Poems | Sorry Poems 

[Hata Bildir]