The Arrow by W.B. Yeats (1918)

Name: The Arrow
Author: W.B. Yeats

The piece meditates on the sudden, overwhelming impact of beauty and desire. The narrator envisions an arrow fashioned from an impulsive, wild thought that becomes embedded within his very being—a symbol of passion that is as fleeting as it is potent. Central to the work is the portrayal of a woman whose allure is both delicate and inaccessible, rendered even more striking by the fact that it is concealed from the world, kept hidden in the private recesses of her being. Her transition from the innocence and freshness of youth to a matured state is depicted as a natural, inevitable process wherein the vibrancy of new life is tempered by the onset of inevitable decay. The arrow, as a metaphor, encapsulates the dual nature of inspiration and the passage of time. It represents not only the sudden onset of an intense feeling that strikes with precision and force, but also the irreversible trajectory of life's course. The imagery of the arrow crafted from a wild thought emphasizes how ephemeral moments of beauty and passion, once experienced, leave a lasting imprint on the soul. This internalized force is both a mark of creation—a spark of desire and genius—and a harbinger of transformation, suggesting that such moments, while transformative, carry with them the seeds of change and loss. The work balances the celebration of beauty with a subtle mourning for what is transient. The narrator’s reflections evoke the bittersweet awareness that the brilliance of youth and beauty is inherently temporary, destined to give way to the inevitable march of time. This nuanced portrayal of beauty, therefore, becomes a commentary on the nature of existence itself—where every moment of passionate intensity is destined to be overshadowed by the inexorable progression toward decline. In essence, the text is a study of the profound, often paradoxical relationship between beauty and the passage of time. The vivid images and symbolic language invoke the interplay between creative inspiration and the impermanence of life, underscoring the idea that intense, even painful beauty can transform and define the human experience.

By W.B. Yeats · First published 1918 · Genre: Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Symbolism · 94 words

First lines

I thought of your beauty and this arrow / Made out of a wild thought is in my marrow.

There's no man may look upon her, no man, / As when newly grown to be a woman, / Blossom pale, she pulled down the pale blossom / At the moth hour and hid it in her bosom.

This beauty's kinder yet for a reason / I could weep that the old is out of season.

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The Arrow is listed on Textopian as a poem by W.B. Yeats, dated 1918 CE.

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Work type: Poem
Author: W.B. Yeats
Date: 1918 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Symbolism, Romantic, Modernist
Length: 94 words
Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs

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Genres

Poetry — The work is composed in verse with a focus on aesthetic language and imagery.
Lyric Poetry — It expresses personal emotion and introspection, hallmarks of the lyric tradition.
Symbolism — The imagery, such as the arrow, serves as a metaphor conveying deeper, abstract ideas.
Romantic — Themes of beauty, passion, and the fleeting nature of life are characteristic of Romantic literature.