The Stolen Child By W.B. Yeats

The Stolen Child

Where dips the rocky highland

Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,

There lies a leafy island

Where flapping herons wake

The drowsy rats;

There we've hid our faery vats,

Full of berries

And of reddest stolen cherries.

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. 

Where the wave of moonlight glosses

The dim gray sands with light,

Far off by furthest Rosses

We foot it all the night,

Weaving olden dances

Mingling hands and mingling glances

Till the moon has taken flight;

To and fro we leap

And chase the frothy bubbles,

While the world is full of troubles

And anxious in its sleep.

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.

Where the wandering water gushes

From the hills above Glen-Car,

In pools among the rushes

That scare could bathe a star,

We seek for slumbering trout

And whispering in their ears

Give them unquiet dreams;

Leaning softly out

From ferns that drop their tears

Over the young streams.

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.

Away with us he's going,

The solemn-eyed:

He'll hear no more the lowing

Of the calves on the warm hillside

Or the kettle on the hob

Sing peace into his breast,

Or see the brown mice bob

Round and round the oatmeal chest.

For he comes, the human child,

To the waters and the wild

With a faery, hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than he can

understand.

W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939

"WHERE dips the rocky highland

Of Sleuth Wood in the lake"

"To and fro we leap

And chase the frothy bubbles,

While the world is full of troubles

And anxious in its sleep." 

"Where the wandering water gushes

From the hills above Glen-Car,

In pools among the rushes

That scare could bathe a star"

"From ferns that drop their tears

Over the young streams.

Come away, O human child!

To the waters and the wild"

From Under Ben Bulben by W.B. Yeats

From Under Ben Bulben

Under bare Ben Bulben’s head

In Drumcliff churchyard Yeats is laid.

An ancestor was rector there

Long years ago, a church stands near,

By the road an ancient cross.

No marble, no conventional phrase;

On limestone quarried near the spot

By his command these words are cut:

Cast a cold eye

On life, on death.

Horseman, pass by!

W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939

Photos taken by Matthew of Ben Bulben Mountain and Drumcliff Churchyard

Painting of Ben Bulben and the Garavogue River by Aoife

Photo taken by Aoife at the Back Avenue of Ben Bulben in the distance

Photo taken by Tara at the Back Avenue of Ben Bulben 

Shaded line drawing sketch of Ben Bulben by Anthony

The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;

Nine beans rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,

Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;

There midnight’s all a-glimmer, and noon a purple glow,

And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day,

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;

While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, 

I hear it in the deep heart’s core. 

W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939

Photos above of "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" on Lough Gill

Trainee Photo Project

To celebrate Yeats Day last month the computer group accompanied by Lisa and Janell travelled to some of the scenic spots around Sligo which inspired the poets work. This was a very enjoyable experience and gave us the opportunity to visit places some of us had never seen before, like Glencar, Hazelwood and the Lake Isle of Innisfree.  We were blessed with beautiful weather for our outings and we hope the photos we have shared so far on the blog and in our nature gallery will inspire others to visit these places too! Here’s a few photos of us in action!

Red Hanrahan’s Song about Ireland by W.B. Yeats

Red Hanrahan’s Song about Ireland

The old brown thorn-trees break in two high over Cummen Strand,

Under a bitter black wind that blows from the left hand;

Our courage breaks like an old tree in a black wind and dies,

But we have hidden in our hearts the flame out of the eyes

Of Cathleen, the daughter of Houlihan.

The wind has bundled up the clouds high over

Knock-narea,

And thrown the thunder on the stones for all that Maeve can say.

Angers that are like noisy clouds have set our hearts abeat;

But we have all bent low and low and kissed the quiet feet

Of Cathleen, the daughter of Houlihan.

The yellow pool has overflowed high up on

Clooth-na-Bare,

For the wet winds are blowing out the clinging air;

Like heavy flooded waters our bodies and our blood;

But purer than a tall candle before the Holy Rood

Is Cathleen, the daughter of Houlihan.HH

W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939

"The old brown thorn-trees break in two high over Cummen Strand"

"The wind has bundled up the clouds high over

Knock-narea"

"And thrown the thunder on the stones for all that Maeve can say"

Photos taken by Janell 

The Song Of Wandering Aengus by W.B. Yeats

The Song Of Wandering Aengus

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 someone had 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 the dappled grass,

And pluck till time and times are done,

The silver apples of the moon,

The golden apples of the sun.

W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939

"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;"

"I dropped the berry in a stream

And caught a little silver trout."

"And faded through the brightening air."

"And kiss her lips and take her hands;

And walk among the dappled grass,"

"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;"

"The silver apples of the moon,

The golden apples of the sun"

Yeats Murals around Sligo Town

Photos taken by trainees of Yeats statue, murals of W.B. Yeats and Maud Gonne and quotes from W.B. Yeats poems located in Sligo town.

Celebrating Yeats Day 2016 in Sligo CTC next week

Yeats Day Photography Project - Hazelwood

Yesterday Lisa and Janell brought the trainees on a photography outing to Hazelwood. Located only 5km outside Sligo Town, the Hazelwood Demesne is located at Half Moon Bay along the shores of Lough Gill. W.B Yeats poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus" was influenced by Hazelwood. The short walks here are among the most beautiful in the country, with views from the trail towards Church Island, Cottage Island and Goat Island and the full expanse of Lough Gill. It was a beautiful summer's day and we took some gorgeous pictures of the surrounding area. Hazelwood is truly a beautiful place and it is highly recommended for locals and tourists to visit it.  Check out the Nature Gallery for a selection of photos taken by trainees. 

Photo taken by Aoife at Half Moon Bay in Hazelwood

Photo taken by Tara at Hazelwood