A Drunken Man's Praise Of Sobriety

eiwritten by William Butler Yeats

COME swish around, my pretty punk,
And keep me dancing still
That I may stay a sober man
Although I drink my fill.

Sobriety is a jewel
That I do much adore;
And therefore keep me dancing
Though drunkards lie and snore.
O mind your feet, O mind your feet,
Keep dancing like a wave,
And under every dancer
A dead man in his grave.
No ups and downs, my pretty,
A mermaid, not a punk;
A drunkard is a dead man,
And all dead men are drunk.



William Butler Yeats

Other poems by William Butler Yeats

All Things Can Tempt Me

eiwritten by William Butler Yeats, published on Thu 08.13.2009 at 06:36

ALL things can tempt me from this craft of verse:
One time it was a woman's face, or worse --

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Aedh Tells of a Valley Full of Lovers

eiwritten by William Butler Yeats, published on Mon 08.03.2009 at 02:17

I dreamed that I stood in a valley, and amid sighs,
For happy lovers passed two by two where I stood;

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For Anne Gregory

eiwritten by William Butler Yeats, published on Thu 07.02.2009 at 05:17

'NEVER shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone

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A Man Young And Old: II. Human Dignity

eiwritten by William Butler Yeats, published on Mon 06.29.2009 at 23:08

Like the moon her kindness is,
If kindness I may call
What has no comprehension in't,
But is the same for all

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A Deep-Sworn Vow

eiwritten by William Butler Yeats, published on Thu 06.25.2009 at 09:54

OTHERS because you did not keep
That deep-sworn vow have been friends of mine;
Yet always when I look death in the face,

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A Song From "The Player Queen"

eiwritten by William Butler Yeats, published on Sat 06.13.2009 at 18:53

MY mother dandled me and sang,
"How young it is, how young!'
And made a golden cradle
That on a willow swung.

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