IMOGENE’S NOTEBOOK

At Rest (For Yeats)

A song lyric

This poem, and the ensuing melody (though the melody came first) is inspired by, and is a tribute to, W.B. Yeats: brought alive by his poem, “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.”

For months after I came across this poem I read anything Yeats I could lay my hands on, because in my book, this Yeats’ poem is one of the finest ever written.

Hence the tribute.

Fair and fertile fallow and all that be furled then hurled then unfurled this moment

Sought and caught though never caught the fading heart replies to seed and heed the seed and think to let the thought embrace the seeding

Touch the tongue that trembles the hurt to hide to see the seen and unseen and certain

Found and bound though never bound take heart my heart take flight take wing and bring the wing to touch the lives and sacred lives surrounding

Frail and free though rarely free the fraught the fought the taught rebel

And so I dare to plant my share of heart to see the heartless hearted

Seed and Heed and Heed indeed your heart

Borders bend before us and fade to rest wrought and taught now untaught forever

Born unborn yet ever born my always heart take flight take wing and bring the wing to touch the wing and touch of wing surrounding

© Wolfstuff

For my rendition of this song, click here.