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Flowers Quote by William Butler Yeats

“ROSE of all Roses, Rose of all the World! The tall thought-woven sails, that flap unfurled Above the tide of hours, trouble the air, And God’s bell buoyed to be the water’s care; While hushed from fear, or loud with hope, a band With blown, spray-dabbled hair gather at hand. Turn if you may from…” quote by William Butler Yeats
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““ROSE of all Roses, Rose of all the World! The tall thought-woven sails, that flap unfurled Above the tide of hours, trouble the air, And God’s bell buoyed to be the water’s care; While hushed from fear, or loud with hope, a band With blown, spray-dabbled hair gather at hand. Turn if you may from battles never done, I call, as they go by me one by one, Danger no refuge holds, and war no peace, For him who hears love sing and never cease, Beside her clean-swept hearth, her quiet shade: But gather all for whom no love hath made A woven silence, or but came to cast A song into the air, and singing past To smile on the pale dawn; and gather you Who have sought more than is in rain or dew Or in the sun and moon, or on the earth, Or sighs amid the wandering starry mirth, Or comes in laughter from the sea’s sad lips; And wage God’s battles in the long grey ships. The sad, the lonely, the insatiable, To these Old Night shall all her mystery tell; God’s bell has claimed them by the little cry Of their sad hearts, that may not live nor die. Rose of all Roses, Rose of all the World! You, too, have come where the dim tides are hurled Upon the wharves of sorrow, and heard ring The bell that calls us on; the sweet far thing. Beauty grown sad with its eternity Made you of us, and of the dim grey sea. Our long ships loose thought-woven sails and wait, For God has bid them share an equal fate; And when at last defeated in His wars, They have gone down under the same white stars, We shall no longer hear the little cry Of our sad hearts, that may not live nor die. The Sweet Far Thing””

William Butler Yeats

About This Quote

Source Poem: The Sweet Far Thing, 1919

Yeats imagines a universal, transcendent love that rises above war and sorrow, using the rose as a symbol of pure beauty and the “sweet far thing” as an ideal that unites humanity beyond earthly struggles.

In simple terms: Love and beauty transcend war and sorrow.

Key Takeaway

Seek unity through love and art.

Themes

love war beauty spirituality unity

Mood

hopeful melancholic inspirational

Type

poetic spiritual

When to use this quote

  • worship services
  • artistic inspiration
  • personal meditation
  • community gatherings

Key Concepts

symbolism transcendence mythic archetype

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does the rose symbolize hope in times of conflict?
  • What does “sweet far thing” mean to you?
A Different Perspective

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