Alternative Song For The Severd head In "The King Of The Great Clock Tower"

William Butler Yeats 1865 (Sandymount) – 1939 (Menton)



SADDLE and ride, I heard a man say,
Out of Ben Bulben and Knocknarea,
i{What says the Clock in the Great Clock Tower?}
All those tragic characters ride
But turn from Rosses' crawling tide,
The meet's upon the mountain-side.
i{A slow low note and an iron bell.}
What brought them there so far from their home.
Cuchulain that fought night long with the foam,
i{What says the Clock in the Great Clock Tower?}
Niamh that rode on it; lad and lass
That sat so still and played at the chess?
What but heroic wantonness?
i{A slow low note and an iron bell.}
Aleel, his Countess; Hanrahan
That seemed but a wild wenching man;
i{What says the Clock in the Great Clock Tower?}
And all alone comes riding there
The King that could make his people stare,
Because he had feathers instead of hair.
i{A slow low note and an iron bell.}

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
109

Quick analysis:

Scheme abBcccDeeBfgaDhhBbbbD
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 807
Words 159
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 21

William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. more…

All William Butler Yeats poems | William Butler Yeats Books

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