The Mermaid
by W.B. Yeats
A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.
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Hydrangea macrophylla (mophead hydrangea)
For most of their blooming period, mophead hydrangeas come in uniform solid colors. But as they die off in the fall they feature dramatic color changes. "Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."
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Everything that's lovely is but a brief, dreamy kind of delight.
-- William Butler Yeats
(Cluj, Romania)
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A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed: and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.
W.B. Yeats - The Mermaid (1918)
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John Singer Sargent | William Butler Yeats
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"How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you." WB Yeats
Falling in love with Yeats again.
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'I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.'
(excerpt from The Wild Swans of Coole)
William Butler Yeats
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Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.
William Butler Yeats
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Cloths of Heaven
Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
By William Butler Yeats
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When You Are Old
by W.B. Yeats
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
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The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky.
–William Butler Yeats
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Ambiguous by Nature
I wanted to share a beautiful rendition of Leda and the Swan by the renowned Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865-1939). It comes from Wisconsin artist Mark Brueggeman, who taught in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point for 27 years. He is a versatile, talented artist known for his work in stain-glass, painting, drawing, and printmaking. This work has now extended his work to include the roles of both publisher and illustrator. According to a quote from hiddenstudiosarttour.com, Brueggeman states he has “always enjoyed the look of text incorporated into drawings and paintings.”
Brueggeman's artwork is a rare gem, a testament to his meticulous craftsmanship. Printed in an edition of 15 copies at Brueggeman's Atelier Vermeil Studio in 2015, the work is a blend of letterpress and intaglio prints on Root River Mill paper handmade by the artist and several of his colleagues, and published as a portfolio of broadsides.
The poem, rooted in a Greek myth about a sexual encounter between the immortal god Zeus and the beautiful Spartan queen Leda, presents a unique perspective. In Yeats’ version, he offers a provocative and ambiguous account of a sexual act. Brueggeman's visual interpretation of the poem adds another layer of intrigue, leaning into the vague nature of the poem itself.
The artwork and poetry blend seamlessly, taking on a sensual yet brutal quality. They intentionally leave much to the reader's imagination, allowing for various interpretations and assumptions. However, one thing is certain in the poem and the artist’s rendering: following the rash and impulsive act, Leda is left on her own, carrying the knowledge of the future consequences that their union has created.
-Melissa, Special Collections Classics Intern
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Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.
—William Butler Yeats, The Stolen Child
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::: "If what I say resonates with you, it's merely because we're branches of the same tree."
-William Butler Yeats
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