poem from House
We watched a House, M.D. rerun tonight, although it was the first time I had seen it. Thankfully, it was an older one before Chi McBride was involved…. Anyway, there was a poem recited towards the end. It turns out it was from a book of poetry by W. B. Yeats called The Wild Swans at Coole — which, if you can find a first edition, turns out to be a very valuable book.
The poem is called Her Praise.
SHE is foremost of those that I would hear praised.
I have gone about the house, gone up and down
As a man does who has published a new book,
Or a young girl dressed out in her new gown,
And though I have turned the talk by hook or crook
Until her praise should be the uppermost theme,
A woman spoke of some new tale she had read,
A man confusedly in a half dream
As though some other name ran in his head.
She is foremost of those that I would hear praised.
I will talk no more of books or the long war
But walk by the dry thorn until I have found
Some beggar sheltering from the wind, and there
Manage the talk until her name come round.
If there be rags enough he will know her name
And be well pleased remembering it, for in the old days,
Though she had young men’s praise and old men’s blame,
Among the poor both old and young gave her praise.
- W.B. Yeats
April 28th, 2005 at 10:18 pm
I love it! I added it to my file so I can post it someday. Thanks for sharing!