Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Demon and Beast (Author: William Butler Yeats)

p.188

  1. For certain minutes at the least
    That crafty demon and that loud beast
    That plague me day and night
    Ran out of my sight;
    Though I had long perned in the gyre,
    Between my hatred and desire.
    I saw my freedom won
    And all laugh in the sun.
  2. The glittering eyes in a death's head
    Of old Luke Wadding's portrait said
    Welcome, and the Ormondes all
    Nodded upon the wall,
    And even Strafford smiled as though
    It made him happier to know
    I understood his plan.
    Now that the loud beast ran
    There was no portrait in the Gallery
    But beckoned to sweet company,
    For all men's thoughts grew clear
    Being dear as mine are dear.
  3. But soon a tear-drop started up,
    For aimless joy had made me stop
    Beside the little lake
    To watch a white gull take
    A bit of bread thrown up into the air;
    Now gyring down and perning there
    He splashed where an absurd
    Portly green-pated bird
    Shook off the water from his back;
    Being no more demoniac
    A stupid happy creature
    Could rouse my whole nature.

    4. p.189

  4. Yet I am certain as can be
    That every natural victory
    Belongs to beast or demon,
    That never yet had freeman
    Right mastery of natural things,
    And that mere growing old, that brings
    Chilled blood, this sweetness brought;
    Yet have no dearer thought
    Than that I may find out a way
    To make it linger half a day.
  5. O what a sweetness strayed
    Through barren Thebaid,
    Or by the Mareotic sea
    When that exultant Anthony
    And twice a thousand more
    Starved upon the shore
    And withered to a bag of bones!
    What had the Caesars but their thrones?