Early and uncollected poems: watercolour book cover

A collection of poems

Early and uncollected poems

33 poems

Poems printed in periodicals (Dublin University Review, 1885-1886, etc.) or in The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems (1889) that Yeats dropped from later collections.

  1. 1Song of the FaeriesA man has a hope for heaven,Soulless faeries dance and play while their short time lasts.
  2. 2Love and DeathBehold the flashing waters,Love and Death pictured as twin waters and two waiting spirits.
  3. 3The SeekerHeavy with wool the sheep are gathered in,An old knight follows a lifelong call and finds only Infamy.
  4. 4In a Drawing-RoomAround the twitter of the lips of dustDrawing-room chatter set beside an ancient marble bust and deeper feeling.
  5. 5LifeThe child pursuing lizards in the grass,Restless souls, a wandering beloved, and the laughing voice of Fate.
  6. 6The Two TitansThe vision of a rock where lightnings whirl'dA storm-lashed vision of a youth chained to a fierce sibyl.
  7. 7On Mr. Nettleship's Picture at the Royal Hibernian AcademyYonder the sickle of the moon sails on,A painting of lions in a ring of fire, read as fate.
  8. 8RemembranceRemembering thee, I search out these faint flowersThinking of an absent beloved at nightfall, the poet feels their souls meet.
  9. 9Love SongMy love, we will go, we will go, I and you,A lover invites his beloved away to the woods, where death cannot come.
  10. 10In ChurchShe prays for father, mother dear,A girl prays in a sunlit church, and the scene seems to join her.
  11. 11A Summer EveningThe living woods forego their care,On a summer evening, nature forgets autumn and death, and a girl should too.
  12. 12In the FirelightCome and dream of kings and kingdoms,By the fire, roasting chestnuts, two people dream of kings and kingdoms.
  13. 13Where My Books GoAll the words that I gather,The poet sends all his words flying to comfort one sad heart.
  14. 14The Lamentation of the Old PensionerI had a chair at every hearth,An old man mourns the days when he was welcome at every hearth.
  15. 15The Danaan Quicken TreeBeloved, hear my bitter tale!A man who ate fairy berries on Innisfree tells his beloved he is enchanted.
  16. 16Wisdom and DreamsI pray that I ever be weavingA poet prays to weave wise songs from the moon's thread.
  17. 17Time and the Witch VivienWhere moves there any beautiful as I,A proud enchantress gambles with Time for his hour-glass, and loses her life.
  18. 18Kanva on HimselfNow wherefore hast thou tears innumerous?An Indian sage tells himself not to fear death, having lived many lives.
  19. 19The Phantom ShipFlames the shuttle of the lightning across the driving sleet,In a midnight storm, a fishing village sees a ship crewed by its drowned.
  20. 20A Lover's Quarrel Among the FairiesDo not fear us, earthly maid!Male fairies court a stolen human child; the jealous girl fairies sulk.
  21. 21How Ferencz Renyi Kept SilentWe, too, have seen our bravest and our bestA Hungarian schoolmaster refuses to betray rebels, even as his family is shot.
  22. 22The Fairy DoctorThe fairy doctor comes our wayVillagers describe the old fairy doctor and his uncanny powers.
  23. 23The Priest and the FairyUnto the heart of the woodland straying,A fairy asks a village priest where the souls of fairies go.
  24. 24The Fairy PedantAfar from our lawn and our levee,Fairies beg a young, brooding fairy to leave the ancient stones.
  25. 25She Who Dwelt Among the SycamoresA little boy outside the sycamore woodA boy follows a feather into a wood and meets Lady Quietness.
  26. 26A LegendThe Maker of the stars and worldsA town scorns God's visit, and he drowns it beneath a lake.
  27. 27Street DancersSinging in this London streetTwo ragged children dance in a London street, happy in their ignorance.
  28. 28Quatrains and AphorismsThe child who chases lizards in the grass,Seven short verse sayings on sorrow, joy, longing and fate.
  29. 29When You Are SadWhen you are sad,A lover imagines the whole world weeping when his beloved is sad.
  30. 30A Song of the Rosy CrossHe who measures gain and loss,One person is given the Rose, the speaker only the Cross.
  31. 31The Friends That Have It I Do WrongThe friends that have it I do wrongThe poet answers friends who dislike his habit of revising his poems.
  32. 32Accursed Who Brings to Light of DayAccursed who brings to light of dayA mock curse on anyone who publishes the poet's discarded writings.
  33. 33The Well and the Tree"The Man that I praise,"An empty well and a leafless tree praise the settled, comfortable life.