‘Let peewit call and curlew cry where they will,
I long for your merry and tender and pitiful words,
For the roads are unending, and there is no place to my mind.’
The honey-pale moon lay low on the sleepy hill,
And I fell asleep upon lonely Echtge of streams.
No boughs have withered because of the wintry wind;
The boughs have withered because I have told them my, dreams.
I know of the leafy paths that the witches take
Who come with their crowns of pearl and their spindles of wool,
And their secret smile, out of the depths of the lake;
I know where a dim moon drifts, where the Danaan kind
Wind and unwind their dances when the light grows cool
On the island lawns, their feet where the pale foam gleams.
No boughs have withered because of the wintry wind;
The boughs have withered because I have told them my dreams.
I know of the sleepy country, where swans fly round
Coupled with golden chains, and sing as they fly.
A king and a queen are wandering there, and the sound
Has made them so happy and hopeless, so deaf and so blind
With wisdom, they wander till all the years have gone by;
I know, and the curlew and peewit on Echtge of streams.
No boughs have withered because of the wintry wind;
The boughs have withered because I have told them my dreams.
Poem Analysis:
William Butler Yeats’s poem The Withering of the Boughs explores the relationship between dreams, imagination, nature, and human suffering. Through rich natural imagery and elements of Irish mythology, Yeats creates a mysterious atmosphere in which the beauty of the supernatural world contrasts with the sadness and loneliness of the speaker. The poem suggests that the withering of nature is not merely a consequence of winter but a reflection of the speaker’s inner emotional state.
One of the poem’s central themes is the destructive power of dreams and imagination. The repeated lines, “No boughs have withered because of the wintry wind; / The boughs have withered because I have told them my dreams,” form the poem’s refrain and emphasize its central idea. The speaker rejects the conventional explanation that winter causes the branches to wither, suggesting instead that the sharing of personal dreams has brought about their decline. Symbolically, the boughs may represent beauty, hope, or emotional vitality, while the dreams suggest private desires and burdens that become destructive when expressed. This paradox reveals the tension between the creative power of imagination and its capacity to produce sorrow.
Nature plays an important role in establishing the poem’s melancholic atmosphere. Images such as the “honey-pale moon,” the “sleepy hill,” and the lonely landscape of Echtge create a dreamlike setting. The references to the peewit and curlew, birds associated with the natural world, reinforce the sense of isolation and longing. The speaker’s opening declaration, “I cried when the moon was murmuring to the birds,” immediately introduces emotional vulnerability and a desire for “merry and tender and pitiful words.” These details suggest a longing for sympathy, companionship, and a place of emotional rest.
Yeats also draws upon Irish mythology to deepen the poem’s symbolic meaning. The witches, the mysterious Danaan beings, and the enchanted swans introduce a supernatural dimension in which ordinary time and reality seem suspended. In the third stanza, the king and queen wander through a magical country, becoming “so happy and hopeless, so deaf and so blind / With wisdom.” This striking contradiction suggests that profound knowledge and intense happiness may also bring helplessness and isolation. The enchanted world offers beauty and escape, yet it does not necessarily provide fulfilment or freedom from suffering.
The poem’s structure reinforces its themes. The repetition of the refrain at the end of each stanza creates a circular movement, as though the speaker is trapped in a recurring cycle of memory, confession, and regret. While each stanza presents a different aspect of the imagined world, the repeated lines return the reader to the same emotional conclusion. The musical language and lyrical rhythm further strengthen the atmosphere of a dream that is beautiful but ultimately painful.
The Withering of the Boughs presents a complex vision of the relationship between imagination and emotional suffering. Through natural symbolism, Irish mythology, and repetition, Yeats suggests that dreams can offer access to beauty and wonder while also exposing the dreamer to loneliness and loss. The withering boughs therefore become a powerful symbol of diminished vitality, reflecting the possibility that the very dreams that enrich human experience may also burden the human heart.