"Down by The Salley Gardens" by William Butler Yeats

Down by The Salley Gardens

Down by the salley gardens

my love and I did meet;

She passed the salley gardens

with little snow-white feet.

She bid me take love easy,

as the leaves grow on the tree;

But I, being young and foolish,

with her would not agree.

 

In a field by the river

my love and I did stand,

And on my leaning shoulder

she laid her snow-white hand.

She bid me take life easy,

as the grass grows on the weirs;

But I was young and foolish,

and now am full of tears.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video 👇

https://youtu.be/xmuEm-EuSr0

Who wrote the poem "Down by The Salley Gardens"?

William Butler Yeats (June 13, 1865 – January 28, 1939)

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, playwright, prose writer, and is widely considered as one of the greatest poets of the 20^th century. He was born to the Protestant, Anglo-Irish community that considered themselves English people born in Ireland and had largely controlled the economic, political, and social life of Ireland. However, Yeats strongly affirmed his Irish nationality and found inspiration in Irish legends and the occult in his early career. Later his poetry became more physical and realistic. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. 

"Down by The Salley Gardens" explanation

The speaker recalls a time when he and his love were together by the salley gardens, but now she is gone and he is left with only the memories. Yeats adapted an old Irish folk song and created this melancholic and nostalgic poem. The original title of the poem was “An Old Song Re-Sung” when it was first published in 1889 and later was changed into the present title when it was reprinted in 1895. The poem has been set to music by several composers, including Benjamin Britten, and is often performed as a song. The poem is a good example of Yeats' early use of traditional Irish imagery and themes.