Demon and Beast
For certain minutes at the leastThat crafty demon and that loud beastThat plague me day and nightRan out of my sight;Though I had long pernned in the gyre,Between my hatred and desire,I saw my freedom wonAnd all laugh in the sun.
The glittering eyes in a death’s headOf old Luke Wadding’s portrait saidWelcome, and the Ormonds allNodded upon the wall,And even Stafford smiled as thoughIt made him happier to knowI understood his plan;Now that the loud beast ranThere was no portrait in the GalleryBut beckoned to sweet company,For all men’s thoughts grew clearBeing dear as mine are dear.
But soon a tear-drop started upFor aimless joy had made me stopBeside the little lakeTo watch a white gull takeA bit of bread thrown up into the air;Now gyring down and pernning thereHe splashed where an absurdPortly green-pated birdShook off the water from his back;Being no more demoniacA stupid happy creatureCould rouse my whole nature.
Yet I am certain as can beThat every natural victoryBelongs to beast or demon,That never yet had freemanRight mastery of natural things,And that mere growing old, that bringsChilled blood, this sweetness brought;Yet have no dearer thoughtThan that I may find out a wayTo make it linger half a day.
O what a sweetness strayedThrough barren Thebaid,Or by the Mareotic seaWhen that exultant AnthonyAnd twice a thousand moreStarved upon the shoreAnd withered to a bag of bones:What had the Caesars but their thrones?
Words in this poem
- gyre v. t.
- To turn round; to gyrate. Bp. Hall. Drayton. [Cf. OF. gyrer, girer. See Gyrate.]
- aimless a.
- Without aim or purpose; as, an aimless life.
- portly a.
- Having a dignified port or mien; of a noble appearance; imposing. [From Port demeanor.]
- shook v. t.
- To pack, as staves, in a shook.
- chilled a.
- Hardened on the surface or edge by chilling; as, chilled iron; a chilled wheel.
- thebaid n.
- A Latin epic poem by Statius about Thebes in Boeotia. [L. Thebais, -idis.]
- exultant a.
- Inclined to exult; characterized by, or expressing, exultation; rejoicing triumphantly. [L. exsultans, exsultantis, p. pr. of exsultare. See Exult.]
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Demon and Beast is in the public domain. This text is taken from Michael Robartes and the dancer, Project Gutenberg ebook #72987; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: W. B. Yeats, Demon and Beast, in Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #72987, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/yeats-michael-robartes/demon-and-beast.html, id L19951.
Form and metre
Demon and Beast is 50 lines in 5 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 76% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 86%).
See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 1 AABB--CC leastA · beastA · nightB · sightB · gyre · desire · wonC · sunC
- 2 AABBCCDD--EE headA · saidA · allB · wallB · thoughC · knowC · planD · ranD · gallery · company · clearE · dearE
- 3 --AABBCCDD-- up · stop · lakeA · takeA · airB · thereB · absurdC · birdC · backD · demoniacD · creature · nature
- 4 --AABBCCDD be · victory · demonA · freemanA · thingsB · bringsB · broughtC · thoughtC · wayD · dayD
- 5 AA--BBCC strayedA · thebaidA · sea · anthony · moreB · shoreB · bonesC · thronesC
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| For certain minutes at the least | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| That crafty demon and that loud beast | 9 | ·/˘/˘···· |
| That plague me day and night | 6 | ······ |
| Ran out of my sight; | 5 | ····· |
| Though I had long pernned in the gyre, | 8 | ········ |
| Between my hatred and desire, | 9 | ···/˘·˘/˘ |
| I saw my freedom won | 6 | ···/˘· |
| And all laugh in the sun. | 6 | ······ |
| The glittering eyes in a death’s head | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Of old Luke Wadding’s portrait said | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| Welcome, and the Ormonds all | 7 | /˘··/˘· |
| Nodded upon the wall, | 6 | /˘···· |
| And even Stafford smiled as though | 8 | ·/˘/˘··· |
| It made him happier to know | 8 | ···/˘˘·· |
| I understood his plan; | 6 | ··˘/·· |
| Now that the loud beast ran | 6 | ······ |
| There was no portrait in the Gallery | 9 | ···/˘··/˘ |
| But beckoned to sweet company, | 8 | ·/˘··/˘˘ |
| For all men’s thoughts grew clear | 6 | ······ |
| Being dear as mine are dear. | 7 | /˘····· |
| But soon a tear-drop started up | 8 | ·····/˘· |
| For aimless joy had made me stop | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| Beside the little lake | 6 | ˘/·/˘· |
| To watch a white gull take | 6 | ······ |
| A bit of bread thrown up into the air; | 10 | ·········· |
| Now gyring down and pernning there | 8 | ········ |
| He splashed where an absurd | 6 | ····˘/ |
| Portly green-pated bird | 6 | /˘·/˘· |
| Shook off the water from his back; | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Being no more demoniac | 8 | /˘··˘/˘˘ |
| A stupid happy creature | 7 | ·/˘/˘/˘ |
| Could rouse my whole nature. | 6 | ····/˘ |
| Yet I am certain as can be | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| That every natural victory | 9 | ·/˘/˘˘/˘˘ |
| Belongs to beast or demon, | 7 | ˘/···/˘ |
| That never yet had freeman | 7 | ·/˘··/˘ |
| Right mastery of natural things, | 8 | ·/˘·/˘˘· |
| And that mere growing old, that brings | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| Chilled blood, this sweetness brought; | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Yet have no dearer thought | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Than that I may find out a way | 8 | ········ |
| To make it linger half a day. | 8 | ···/˘··· |
| O what a sweetness strayed | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Through barren Thebaid, | 6 | ·/˘/˘˘ |
| Or by the Mareotic sea | 7 | ······· |
| When that exultant Anthony | 8 | ··˘/˘/˘˘ |
| And twice a thousand more | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Starved upon the shore | 5 | ····· |
| And withered to a bag of bones: | 8 | ·/˘····· |
| What had the Caesars but their thrones? | 8 | ···/˘··· |
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