A Song from 'the Player Queen'
A Song from 'the Player Queen' - meaning Summary
Birth, Dreaming, and Destiny
The poem presents a child's recollection of a mother's lullaby and handiwork that weave gold and prophecy into the child’s identity. The mother’s sewing and dreams—of crowns, a golden cradle and foamy sea—shape an image of preordained status and burden. Yeats evokes Irish folklore’s sense of destiny and enchantment, showing how maternal ritual and mythic imagination confer both beauty and a looming care or responsibility on the child.
Read Complete AnalysesMy mother dandled me and sang, 'How young it is, how young!' And made a golden cradle That on a willow swung. 'He went away,' my mother sang, 'When I was brought to bed,' And all the while her needle pulled The gold and silver thread. She pulled the thread and bit the thread And made a golden gown, And wept because she had dreamt that I Was born to wear a crown. 'When she was got,' my mother sang, I heard a sea-mew cry, And saw a flake of the yellow foam That dropped upon my thigh.' How therefore could she help but braid The gold into my hair, And dream that I should carry The golden top of care?
Feel free to be first to leave comment.