1. The poet and the poem
Read the poem itself in your textbook, First Flight (NCERT), aloud, twice. This lesson is SOYL's explanation; it does not reproduce the poem.
W. B. Yeats (1865–1939) was an Irish poet and dramatist, a leader of the Irish literary revival and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature (1923). With Lady Augusta Gregory he helped found Dublin's Abbey Theatre. For Anne Gregory is addressed to Lady Gregory's granddaughter.
| About the poet | |
|---|---|
| Poet | W. B. Yeats (1865–1939), Irish poet and dramatist |
| Honours | Nobel Prize in Literature, 1923 |
| Links | a leader of the Irish literary revival; co-founded the Abbey Theatre with Lady Gregory |
| Anne Gregory | Lady Gregory's granddaughter, to whom the poem is addressed |
2. What happens (SOYL summary)
Stanza 1 (older speaker): suitors who fall hopelessly for Anne will never love her purely for herself; they are captivated by her golden hair, pictured as honey-coloured fortress walls around her ears.
Stanza 2 (Anne): she can dye her hair brown, black or orange-red, so that suitors would have to value her true self.
Stanza 3 (older speaker): just the night before, an elderly, devout man announced that he had found scripture proving that God alone could love a person purely for herself, not for her golden hair.
3. Themes and message
- Outer beauty versus inner worth: people are drawn by appearance more than by character.
- The limits of human love: it always notices looks; changing them only creates a new surface.
- Divine love: God alone loves unconditionally.
- Youth and age: Anne's hopeful plan meets the speaker's experienced, gently ironic wisdom.
| The older speaker | Anne | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | old, experienced | young, hopeful |
| View of beauty | it hides the true self from suitors | it can be changed, like a coat |
| Solution | none on earth; God alone loves unconditionally | dye her hair another colour |
| Tone | teasing, then philosophical | confident, playful |
4. Form, devices and imagery
Form: a dialogue in three six-line stanzas; the older speaker has stanzas 1 and 3, Anne stanza 2. Rhyme falls on lines 2, 4 and 6 of each stanza.
Devices: metaphor (hair as honey-coloured fortress walls); refrain (nearly the same idea ends each stanza); imagery (the honey colour); dialogue.
| Device | Where in the poem (described) | A SOYL example of the device |
|---|---|---|
| Metaphor | Anne's hair as honey-coloured fortress walls | Her smile was a lighthouse in the crowded hall. |
| Refrain | nearly the same idea closes each stanza | And still the river runs, and still the river runs. |
| Dialogue | two speakers taking turns | Will it rain? asked Tara. Only if you forget your umbrella, said Dev. |
| Imagery | the honey colour of the hair | Saffron light poured over the evening fields. |
| Rhyme | on the second, fourth and sixth lines | A grey sky, / a lonely cry, / a bird flies by. |
Key terms
- Metaphor
A comparison made without like or as.
- Refrain
A line or idea repeated at the end of stanzas.
- Dialogue
A conversation between two or more speakers.
5. Tone
Affectionate and lightly teasing; Anne's reply is confident and playful; the final stanza is reflective and philosophical.
6. Word meanings
Single words from the poem with their meanings.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ramparts | defensive walls around a fort or castle |
| despair | complete loss of hope |
| carrot | here, a bright orange-red hair colour |
| yesternight | an old word for last night |
| declare | announce firmly |
| text | here, a passage of scripture |
7. Answering exam questions
Extract-based (5 marks): the board prints the poem's lines; SOYL practice uses commentary passages instead. Expect questions on the speakers, the warning, the metaphor, Anne's plan, the final stanza and the refrain.
Short answers (3 marks, 40–50 words): point + speaker's view in your own words + link to beauty and true love.
Practise with the poem itself in First Flight; never reproduce its lines in an answer.
Exam tips
Board weight: reference-to-context extract (5) and short answers (3 marks, 40–50 words) on First Flight poems (CBSE 2026-27, Section C).
How marks are awarded: a correct point, support from the poem in your own words, and accurate expression within the word limit.
Common mistakes
- Writing out the refrain instead of explaining it.
- Mixing up which speaker says what.
- Saying Anne plans to cut her hair.
- Missing the point of the last stanza.
- Calling the older speaker unkind.
Remember: read the poem in your textbook, First Flight.