FOR ANNE GREGORY By William Butler Yeats

FOR ANNE GREGORY By William Butler Yeats

INTRODUCTION—

The poem is in a form of dialogue between two people, Anne Gregory and another is identified as speaker. It could be anyone i.e. Anne’s lover or a friend or the poet himself. The poem is about perception of love by different people.

SUMMARY—

In this poem, a young man discusses why a person falls in love, i.e. what determines it. According to them, a person is not loved for his basic nature but because of his/her physical feature, i.e., outward physical appearance. It is not possible to love one for oneself. Only God can do so. The poem ‘For Anne Gregory’ by W.B. Yeats is a poem of 18 lines in all. In this poem, the poet addresses young Gregory and tells her that her hair is of the same colour as honey and when it falls, the poet begins to think of her beauty being spell bound. Her hair is so beautiful that every man falls in love with her. At this, Gregory gives response to the poet that man loves her only for her outward beauty while this outward appearance may change at any time. At this, the poet proclaims it a truth since time immemorial that man can not easily judge a woman other than her looks. He tells Anne that she can never be ugly inward or outward even if she wishes to be so.

STANZA-WISE EXPLANATION

1    1.  Never shall a young man thrown into despair

By those great honey coloured Ramparts at your ear

Love you for yourself alone

 And not your yellow hair

Explanation:

The speaker, addressing Anne Gregory, says that her beautiful honey-coloured hair can make any man fall in love with her. This love is not for Anne but for her beautiful external features. Her beautiful hair is compared to wall, symbolising outer beauty. This beauty can capture any man’s attention. But he may not be able to look beyond that into Anne’s character. So the speaker says that no one can love Anne, for what she is. One can love her only for her beautiful yellow hair and her physical beauty.

2    2. But I can get a hair-dye

And set such colour there, Brown or black, or carrot,

That young men in despair

May love me for myself alone

And not my yellow hair

Explanation: In this stanza Anne replies to the speaker that she can change the colour of her beautiful hair and dye them in black, brown or carrot. She wants to tell the speaker that anyone falling in love with her must see the actual person behind the beauty. She thinks that young men, who fall in love with her, must love her for what she is and not for her yellow hair.

  

3 3. ‘I heard an old religious man

 But yesternight declare

That only God, my dear,

Could love you for yourself alone

And not your yellow hair.’’

 Explanation:

In the last stanza, the speaker replies to Anne about the importance of love for internal beauty not the external one. The speaker talks about an old religious man, who announced that he had found a text in which it is written that only God is capable of looking beyond external beauty. He means that humans do not have the insight and understanding to look into the soul of a person. They are swayed away by the glitter of outer beauty. Therefore, only God can love Anne only for herself and not for her beauty.

Poetic Devices:

 Metaphor: Honey coloured ramparts.

Alliteration: Your yellow hair

Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb

Q. 1. What is the colour of the young woman’s hair? What do you think why she wants to change it?

 Ans. The young woman has yellow hair which she says can be dyed brown, black or carrot. She desires this change to improve her looks and appear beautiful in the eyes of young men.

Q. 2. What wisdom was imparted to the poet by an old religious man? Do you agree with the opinion?

Ans. The old religious man quoted a text, that–It is only God who can love a person for himself regardless of his appearance and other attributes. I agree that God’s love for his creation is unconditional; but people do get influenced by the appearance and other physical traits of a person.

Long Answer Type Question (100-150 words & 8 marks each)

Q. 1. ‘Is it right to judge someone on the basis of his/her physical appearance. Elaborate.

Ans. Physical appearance alone cannot give the true account of a person as he can change it through clothing, make-up etc. A person can be judged on the basis of his behaviour, which show the true characteristics of his personality. This is depicted by Anne in her reply to the first speaker that her beautiful hair colour is changeable, which attracts men. Men should not fall in love just looking at the physical appearance. The poet feels that this is an injustice and so he tells Anne to beware of men who love her for her outward appearance only. He tells her that she should value a man who loves her for her inner beauty, even if such a man is hard to come by. We should never judge a book by its cover. Appearances can be deceptive. A person should be judged by his inner beauty and not the outer beauty. Outer beauty keeps on changing from time to time. Because they say all that glitters is not gold. We should see the inner shine of a person rather than looking for outer beauty.

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