In this poem, W.B. Yeats pays tribute to a squirrel he encountered at Kyle-Na-Gno, a place in Ireland. He marvels at the squirrel's agility and grace as it leaps from branch to branch, and he expresses his admiration for its beauty and its ability to survive in the wild. He also reflects on the idea of mortality, and how the squirrel will eventually die, just as all living things do. He ends the poem by wishing the squirrel a long and happy life, and expressing his hope that it will remain in the wild, free from the troubles of the world.
By W.B. Yeats · First published 1919 · Genre: Poetry, Nature Writing, Romanticism