A Prayer for my Daughter

W. B. Yeats, 1865 - 1939

Once more the storm is howling, and half hid
Under this cradle-hood and coverlid
My child sleeps on. There is no ostacle
!ut "regory#s wood and one are hill
$herey the haystac%- and roof-levelling wind,
!red on the Atlantic, can e stayed&
And for an hour ' have wal%ed and prayed
!ecause of the great gloom that is in my mind.
' have wal%ed and prayed for this young child an hour
And heard the sea-wind scream upon the tower,
And under the arches of the ridge, and scream
'n the elms aove the flooded stream&
'magining in e(cited reverie
That the future years had come,
Dancing to a fren)ied drum,
Out of the murderous innocence of the sea.
May she e granted eauty and yet not
!eauty to ma%e a stranger#s eye distraught,
Or hers efore a loo%ing-glass, for such,
!eing made eautiful overmuch,
*onsider eauty a sufficient end,
+ose natural %indness and maye
The heart-revealing intimacy
That chooses right, and never find a friend.
,elen eing chosen found life flat and dull
And later had much troule from a fool,
$hile that great -ueen, that rose out of the spray,
!eing fatherless could have her way
.et chose a andy-legg/d smith for man.
't#s certain that fine women eat
A cra)y salad with their meat
$herey the ,orn of Plenty is undone.
'n courtesy '#d have her chiefly learned&
,earts are not had as a gift ut hearts are earned
!y those that are not entirely eautiful&
.et many, that have played the fool
0or eauty#s very self, has charm made wise,
And many a poor man that has roved,
+oved and thought himself eloved,
0rom a glad %indness cannot ta%e his eyes.
May she ecome a flourishing hidden tree
That all her thoughts may li%e the linnet e,
And have no usiness ut dispensing round
Their magnanimities of sound,
1or ut in merriment egin a chase,
1or ut in merriment a 2uarrel.
O may she live li%e some green laurel
3ooted in one dear perpetual place.
My mind, ecause the minds that ' have loved,
The sort of eauty that ' have approved,
Prosper ut little, has dried up of late,
.et %nows that to e cho%ed with hate
May well e of all evil chances chief.
'f there#s no hatred in a mind
Assault and attery of the wind
*an never tear the linnet from the leaf.
An intellectual hatred is the worst,
4o let her thin% opinions are accursed.
,ave ' not seen the loveliest woman orn
Out of the mouth of Plenty#s horn,
!ecause of her opinionated mind
!arter that horn and every good
!y 2uiet natures understood
0or an old ellows full of angry wind5
*onsidering that, all hatred driven hence,
The soul recovers radical innocence
And learns at last that it is self-delighting,
4elf-appeasing, self-affrighting,
And that its own sweet will is ,eaven#s will&
4he can, though every face should scowl
And every windy 2uarter howl
Or every ellows urst, e happy still.
And may her ridegroom ring her to a house
$here all#s accustomed, ceremonious&
0or arrogance and hatred are the wares
Peddled in the thoroughfares.
,ow ut in custom and in ceremony
Are innocence and eauty orn5
*eremony#s a name for the rich horn,
And custom for the spreading laurel tree.
MAKAR SVI PREKORNO ZURILI
O6avio Admin u Citati4i6e7an6 88, 9:8;
4 o)irom da,
i)aciv<i i) see svu mr=n6u,
du<a ponovno sti7e prvoitnu nevinost,
' spo)na6e da 6e samo6 sei radost
4amo6 sei mir, samo6 sei strah,
i da 6e n6ena sloodna vol6a, vol6a 1ea,
Ona mo=e, ma%ar svi pre%orno )urili
' svi vetrovi tulili
' svi %ristali prsnuli,
ipa% iti sre>na?.
- $.!..eats, Molitva )a mo6u %>er