Annotation of Brown Penny By William Butler Yeats
I whispered, 'I am too young,'
And then, 'I am old enough'; (Unsurity, nervous)
Wherefore I threw a penny
To find out if I might love. (wishing well, Wishing Fountain, chance)
'Go and love, go and love, young man,
If the lady be young and fair.' (Voice of wishing Fountain or Penny? or voice of adult resounded and personified in the wishing fountain)
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
I am looped in the loops of her hair. (obsession, infatuation)
O love is the crooked thing,( Shift in tone)
There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it, (Love as a vast and unconquerable entity)
For he would be thinking of love
Till the stars had run away (personification, reference to going super nova of the sun, maybe collapse of the universe)
And the shadows eaten the moon. ( Eclipse of the moon referenced by the shadows, Personification)
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
One cannot begin it too soon ( Voice of original speaker reflecting on all that has been said)
The Poem begining optimistically with most likely a young youth excited with the wonders of love. He is unsure about his worthiness of being in love at his age but decides to take the chance. It could be inferred that he has thrown a penny into a "Wishing Fountain" as all youth do with hopes that their wishes would be granted. Then through personification either the Wishing Fountain or the Penny through the magic of the wish speaks encouragement to love but undera condition that the woman "be young and fair", most likely of sound moral principles. This could be considered the advice of an adult resounding in the mind of the youth through imagination. The youth then answers back with a decleration for his infatuation for a girl he most likely is in adoration of.
In the Second stanza the tone of the passage changes from wistful youth to dreamless adult as the man no longer looks at love with such glee but a sense of responsiblity after years of growing accustomed to the fleeting and unsound nature of love. This unsureness of love is also seen in the following verses as the man declares that no one is wise enought o understand all the working of love. This poses love as being a vast and unconquerable entity as who ever sits to contmeplate love would be doing so "till the stars had run away/ and the shadows eaten the moon". This is also a reference to a super nove which can cause the destruction of the universe and an eclipse which was viewed as a cursed omen signaling the end of the world.
The last verse is the man stating that love cannot be rushed into but must be viewed from all angles and understood as best as possible. This verse is a signal to the idea that the speaker in the first stanza is no longer the speaker in the second because of their views of love. The first could hardly wait to rush into love while the second tells his brown penny companion how he must wait till he knows he is ready for their is always time for love.
This poem.. hit home when I heard it... off the movie must love dogs.. and I told myself I just had to read it and understand it.. It came to me during a time of hardship in my own relationship.. and I took it as a sign..
So last week I finally looked it up.. and today I annotated it so that I could completely understand it.. and I may have left out.. and missed some of the message.. I think i found most of it..
I can't rush into love.. and I shouldn't go looking for love.. it'll find me.. when im old enough.. Wishing for it.. is just youthful hope that does not belong in a serious relationship. As much as I want a certain person to love me.. I can't hope or expect that he will.. for we may both be too young to take on such a complex feeling.
Even now I dont know if maybe Im just infautated.. maybe I'm not really in love.. I may never know if I am. I believe I am.. but who's to say? The way I love isn't the way everyone else loves so no one could say.
So.. Im young.. and I shouldn't expect anything to be more then what it should be... love will find me.. when it wants to.. and maybe it'll be the person I want now.. or maybe it'll be someone completely different....
But I know... love will come for me.. when its my time.. and I'll be ready... =)
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Joseph hired me to work for 120 dollars a week.. not a bad offer so I took it.. and Im going to do that.. yeah =)
Love Lots
<3 Gizzy <3