The woods
Day 3 of celebrating nature in the poetry of W. B. Yeats
Trees and woods were used symbolically in Yeats’ poetry, prose and plays, tapping into Irish folklore, mythology and mystical interpretation. When I think of Yeats and woods, phrases are conjured — The Seven Woods, The Enchanted Woods, The Hazel Wood. There are so many more.
I am working at the occult symbols in celtic mythology & have made out a sacred hazel tree, which will help in vision — a tree with symbolic fruit.
The Collected Letters of W. B. Yeats. Clarendon Press. Volume, II, p.99
The hazel wood was the first symbolic reference to woods that drew me to Yeats - The Song of Wandering Aengus. I was around 17 or 18 years of age. I had started reading Irish mythology, which led me to Yeats at the local library. Yeats was 32 when this was published. This poem seemed to change everything for me, in ways I can barely muster words to explain.
The Song of Wandering Aengus by W. B. Yeats
I went out to the hazel wood,
Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
-
When I had laid it on the floor
I went to blow the fire a-flame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.
-
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
From The Wind Among the Reeds (1899)
There is so much in this poem to explore. I know this poem by heart. If I’m alone (rare) with my dog on a walk, I sometimes tell this to the wind. I’m not going to write about this poem. I think this is a journey for you to discover if it resonates.
However, if you need a place to begin, the lore of Hazelnut trees is something you can read more about at The Hazel Tree and Hazelnut. There is also The Hazelwood Yeats Trail. One day I hope to wander there. There is also Yeats’ collection of essays, particularly The Enchanted Woods, in The Celtic Twilight, written in 1893.
There are also readings and musical versions of The Song of Wandering Aengus. One that I have always thought captures Yeats’ chanting rhythm (which a lot of his poetry had) is by harpist, Claire Roche. You can find a few handheld videos of Claire performing this poem, like this one at the Yeats’ Festival, 2009 Whilst not the best audio recording, if you go to Claire Roche’s website you can learn more about her albums, including Dancing in the Wind which is an album of Yeats poems. I have always loved her interpretation of The Song of Wandering Aengus.
And that, was my invitation to you, to wander in the woods.