Poetry & Analysis
Selected Poems
Featured PoemsOne Word Is Too Often Profaned
One word is too often profaned
For me to profane it,
One feeling too falsely disdained
For thee to disdain it;
One hope is too like despair
For prudence to smother,
And pity from thee more dear
Than that from another.
I can give not what men call love;
But wilt thou accept not
The worship the heart lifts above
And the Heavens reject not:
The desire of the moth for the star,
Of the night for the morrow,
The devotion to something afar
From the sphere of our sorrow?
Summary
The speaker avoids the overused word “love” and instead offers devotion, reverence, and longing. The feeling is delicate, distant, and intense.
Meaning
This poem can make someone feel special because it says the ordinary word “love” is not enough. The person is held almost like a star: far, bright, and worthy of devotion.
Best For
A thoughtful love note, a quiet confession, or a romantic message with a literary mood.
Meeting at Night
The grey sea and the long black land;
And the yellow half-moon large and low;
And the startled little waves that leap
In fiery ringlets from their sleep,
As I gain the cove with pushing prow,
And quench its speed i’ the slushy sand.
Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach;
Three fields to cross till a farm appears;
A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch
And blue spurt of a lighted match,
And a voice less loud, through joys and fears,
Than the two hearts beating each to each!
Summary
The speaker travels across sea, beach, and fields to reach a beloved. The poem ends with two hearts close together, louder than any voice.
Meaning
This is a good poem for someone who makes effort feel worthwhile. It says love is not just spoken; it is crossed, reached, and quietly shared after the journey.
Best For
Long-distance love, secret affection, reunion, or a romantic message about wanting to be near someone.
When You Are Old
When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.
Summary
Yeats imagines the beloved in old age, remembering the difference between shallow admiration and a love that saw the “pilgrim soul.”
Meaning
This poem can make someone feel deeply seen. It says the beloved is not valued only for beauty or youth, but for the inner self, sorrow, journey, and soul.
Best For
A meaningful romantic message, a poem for someone who wants depth, or a reminder that real love sees beyond appearance.
Continue Reading
Related Poems & Articles
More selected reading from Featured Poems.
