The Ballad Of Father Gilligan by William Butler Yeats The old priest Peter Gilligan Was weary night and day; For half his flock were in their beds, Or under green sods lay. Once, while he nodded on a chair, At the moth-hour of eve, Another poor man sent for him, And he began to grieve. 'I have no rest, nor joy, nor peace, For people die and die'; And after cried he, 'God forgive! My body spake, not I!' He knelt, and leaning on the chair He prayed and fell asleep; And the moth-hour went from the fields, And stars began to peep. They slowly into millions grew, And leaves shook in the wind; And God covered the world with shade, And whispered to mankind. Upon the time of sparrow-chirp When the moths came once more. The old priest Peter Gilligan Stood upright on the floor. 'Mavrone, mavrone! the man has died While I slept on the chair'; He roused his horse out of its sleep, And rode with little care. He rode now as he never rode, By rocky lane and fen; The sick man...
SYMBOLISM Symbolism is a literary device that refers to the use of symbols in a literary work. A symbol is something that represents something beyond the literal meaning. A symbol can be a word, object, action, person, animal, bird, event, or concept that embodies and evokes a range of additional meaning and significance. A strong symbol usually gives a bunch of characteristics with whatever it is meant to symbolize or is related to it in some other way. Some additional key details about symbolism: Symbolism can be very subtle, so it isn't always easy to identify or understand. It can sometimes be difficult to say whether an author intended for something to be symbolic or not. Symbolism allows writers to convey things to their readers poetically or indirectly rather than having to say them outright, which can make texts seem more nuanced and complex....