For Anne Gregory Poem Stanza Wise Explanation and Analysis

For Anne Gregory is a poem by William Butler Yeats. Here a comprehensive explanation and analysis of this poem together with its well explained vocabulary Notes to help properly understand the poem. Class 10 CBSE students can click here for more resources.

Explanation of ‘For Anne Gregory;

The poem here is explained stanza wise with every stanza being explained, analysed with vocabulary Notes. So, here we start-

Stanza 1:

“Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”

Vocabulary Notes:

1. Despair – A feeling of hopelessness or deep sadness. In the context of the poem, it means that young men become hopelessly infatuated with Anne because of her beauty.
2. Honey-coloured – A rich golden or yellow color, here referring to Anne Gregory’s beautiful yellow hair.
3. Ramparts – A defensive wall or barrier. The poet uses “ramparts” metaphorically to describe Anne’s hair as something that prevents men from seeing her true self.
4. Love you for yourself alone – This phrase means loving someone for who they are internally, for their personality and qualities, not their outward appearance.

Explanation & Analysis:

The speaker, a young man, tells Anne Gregory that no man will love her for who she truly is—her personality or character—but will instead fall in love with her appearance, especially her beautiful, golden-yellow hair. He believes that men are often attracted to physical beauty and not to a person’s inner qualities.

This stanza reflects how society tends to focus on outer beauty rather than inner virtues. The “honey-coloured ramparts” (her hair) symbolize a barrier that prevents people from seeing the real person inside. The use of “never” emphasizes the speaker’s belief that it’s almost impossible to find someone who loves a person solely for their inner qualities, without being influenced by appearance.

Poetic Devices:

1. Metaphor: “Honey-coloured ramparts at your ear”: The speaker compares Anne Gregory’s hair to “ramparts,” suggesting that her physical beauty (especially her hair) acts like a barrier, preventing men from seeing her true inner self.
2. Alliteration: “your yellow”: The repetition of the ‘y’ sound at the beginning of the words.
3. Imagery: “Honey-coloured ramparts”: This phrase creates a vivid picture of golden-colored hair, helping readers imagine her beauty as a barrier around her inner self.
4. Enjambment: The first three lines flow into one another without punctuation, as seen in:
   “Never shall a young man,
   Thrown into despair
   By those great honey-coloured”

Stanza 2:

“But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.”

Vocabulary Notes:

1. Hair-dye – A substance used to change the color of hair. Anne Gregory suggests she could use this to change her hair color.
2. Carrot – Refers to a bright orange color. Anne is suggesting that she could change her hair to an unusual color like red-orange.
3. Despair – Repeated from the first stanza, it again refers to hopelessness in romantic situations.
4. May love me for myself alone – Similar to the phrase in stanza 1, this means someone might love her for her inner qualities, not her looks.

Explanation & Analysis:

Anne Gregory responds by saying that she could easily dye her hair any color—brown, black, or even carrot (red)—which would mean that men might then love her for herself and not just because of her golden hair. She suggests that changing her hair color might change how people perceive her and possibly make someone love her for her inner self.

This stanza touches on the idea of changing one’s appearance in an attempt to be seen differently or more authentically. Anne believes that altering her outer appearance could lead to deeper, more genuine affection. The mention of different hair colors hints at the futility of judging or altering one’s worth based on physical features, suggesting that true love should go beyond surface-level attraction.

Poetic Devices:

1. Imagery: “Brown, or black, or carrot”: These colours create a visual representation of the options she considers to change her appearance at her will (wish and desire).
2. Repetition: The phrase “may love me for myself alone” is repeated from the first stanza, reinforcing the idea of being loved for one’s inner self rather than physical appearance.
3. Alliteration: Example – Brown, or black,
4. Irony: Anne suggests that by dyeing her hair, men may stop focusing on her looks and love her for who she is. This is ironic because changing her outward appearance still focuses on her external self, not on her inner character.
5. Colloquial Language: “carrot” – The use of a casual term for a hair colour introduces a playful tone, contrasting with the serious theme of love.
6. Rhetorical Question: Implicit in her statements is a question about whether changing her appearance could genuinely lead to true love.

Stanza 3:

“I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”

Vocabulary Notes:

1. Old religious man – Refers to a wise or spiritual person, often associated with deeper insights about life or love.
2. Yesternight – A poetic way of saying “last night.”
3. Declare – To state something in a firm or official way.
4. Text – Here, it refers to a religious scripture or sacred writing (Bible) that supports the old man’s claim about love.
5. Prove – To demonstrate or show that something is true.
6. Only God – Refers to the belief that only God can truly see and love a person for who they are, beyond physical appearance.

Explanation & Analysis:

The speaker mentions an old religious man who said that only God is capable of loving a person for their true self and not their outward appearance. This implies that while humans are often swayed by beauty, God sees and loves the soul, not the physical form.

This stanza brings a spiritual and philosophical dimension to the poem. It highlights the limitations of human nature—how we are often shallow in our judgment of others. The only true love, free from any influence of appearance, comes from God, who loves unconditionally. It emphasizes that while human love may be flawed or superficial, divine love is pure and sees the essence of a person.

Poetic Devices:

1. Allusion:
   • “An old religious man”: This may refer to religious or spiritual wisdom, possibly alluding to scriptures or teachings about divine love.
   • “text” – This refers to biblical or spiritual teachings, suggesting deeper insights about love.
2. Alliteration: Ex. “he had found”: The repetition of the ‘h’ sound.
3. Symbolism:
   • “God”: Symbolizes pure, unconditional love. This contrasts with human love, which is often based on appearance or superficial traits.
   • “Only God” symbolizes ultimate love and truth, representing the idea that only divine love can see beyond superficiality.

Summary of Analysis:

The poem explores themes of love, beauty, and the nature of human relationships. It contrasts human attraction, often based on physical appearance, with divine love, which values inner qualities. Through the conversation between Anne Gregory and the speaker, Yeats invites readers to reflect on the superficial nature of human affection and the deeper, more meaningful aspects of love that go beyond appearance.