Yeats’s “The Mermaid”

(c) Royal Academy of Arts; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
(c) Royal Academy of Arts; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

This is just a neat little poem by William Butler Yeats that I have loved for years:

A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.

Thoughts?  Comments?

 

Edgar Allan Poe: Poet and Prophet | Interesting Literature

Edgar Allan Poe, 1848
Edgar Allan Poe, 1848

Here is a fascinating article about the founding father of modern horror:  Edgar Allan Poe: Poet and Prophet | Interesting Literature.  Interestingly, it states that the story about Edgar Allan Poe in his white belt and gloves at West Point, which I quoted in an earlier post from The Writer’s Home Companion, is urban legend.   It goes on to state several fascinating bits of trivia about Poe including his involvement in the development of the detective story and the short story, the backgrounds of some of his most famous works, his passion for cryptography, his foreshadowing of the Big Bang Theory, criticisms of his work by William Butler Yeats and T.S. Eliot, and some insights on his personal and financial life.