William Butler Yeats

The Man And The Echo

Man

IN a cleft that's christened Alt
Under broken stone I halt
At the bottom of a pit
That broad noon has never lit,
And shout a secret to the stone.
All that I have said and done,
Now that I am old and ill,
Turns into a question till
I lie awake night after night
And never get the answers right.
Did that play of mine send out
Certain men the English shot?
Did words of mine put too great strain
On that woman's reeling brain?
Could my spoken words have checked
That whereby a house lay wrecked?
And all seems evil until I
Sleepless would lie down and die.

Echo

Lie down and die.

Man

That were to shirk
The spiritual intellect's great work,
And shirk it in vain. There is no release
In a bodkin or disease,
Nor can there be work so great
As that which cleans man's dirty slate.
While man can still his body keep
Wine or love drug him to sleep,
Waking he thanks the Lord that he
Has body and its stupidity,
But body gone he sleeps no more,
And till his intellect grows sure
That all's arranged in one clear view,
pursues the thoughts that I pursue,
Then stands in judgment on his soul,
And, all work done, dismisses all
Out of intellect and sight
And sinks at last into the night.

Echo
Into the night.

Man

O Rocky Voice,
Shall we in that great night rejoice?
What do we know but that we face
One another in this place?
But hush, for I have lost the theme,
Its joy or night-seem but a dream;
Up there some hawk or owl has struck,
Dropping out of sky or rock,
A stricken rabbit is crying out,
And its cry distracts my thought.

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William Butler Yeats

Man And The Echo

Man. In a cleft that's christened Alt
Under broken stone I halt
At the bottom of a pit
That broad noon has never lit,
And shout a secret to the stone.
All that I have said and done,
Now that I am old and ill,
Turns into a question till
I lie awake night after night
And never get the answers right.
Did that play of mine send out
Certain men the English shot?
Did words of mine put too great strain
On that woman's reeling brain?
Could my spoken words have checked
That whereby a house lay wrecked?
And all seems evil until I
Sleepless would lie down and die.

Echo. Lie down and die.

Man. That were to shirk
The spiritual intellect's great work,
And shirk it in vain. There is no release
In a bodkin or disease,
Nor can there be work so great
As that which cleans man's dirty slate.
While man can still his body keep
Wine or love drug him to sleep,
Waking he thanks the Lord that he
Has body and its stupidity,
But body gone he sleeps no more,
And till his intellect grows sure
That all's arranged in one clear view,
pursues the thoughts that I pursue,
Then stands in judgment on his soul,
And, all work done, dismisses all
Out of intellect and sight
And sinks at last into the night.

Echo. Into the night.

Man. O Rocky Voice,
Shall we in that great night rejoice?
What do we know but that we face
One another in this place?
But hush, for I have lost the theme,
Its joy or night-seem but a dream;
Up there some hawk or owl has struck,
Dropping out of sky or rock,
A stricken rabbit is crying out,
And its cry distracts my thought.

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The Night Cometh

Work! for the night is coming;
Work! through the morning hours;
Work! while the dew is sparkling;
Work! 'mid the springing flowers;
Work! while the day grows brighter,
Under the glowing sun;
Work! for the night is coming,--
Night, when man's work is done.

Work! for the night is coming;
Work! through the sunny noon;
Fill the bright hours with labour,
Rest cometh sure and soon.
Give to each flying minute
Something to keep in store;
Work! for the night is coming,--
Night, when man works no more.


Work! for the night is coming;
Under the sunset skies,
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work! for the daylight flies;
Work! till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work! while the night is darkening,--
Night, when man's work is o'er.

poem by Annie Louisa WalkerReport problemRelated quotes
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Sonnet: The World Forgets the Truly Great

Who says, ‘night is to sleep, day is for work’?
To some, there is no night or day at all;
They labor unceasingly, they nev’r shirk;
And become heroes of the fame-hall.

How persons some have sacrificed their lives,
For mankind’s sake and nation’s cause and peace!
Their work-spot and house turn to be like hives;
They slogged to put other people at ease.

Yet, does the world care for these noble souls?
Not in a big way, most times it forgets!
Their demise leaves unpluggable voids/holes;
To these great men, the world remains in debts.

Who cares about the stars when dawned has day?
Who cares about the stars tho’ night, let’s say?

9-1-2002

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O Night O Trembling Night

O night O trembling night O night of sighs
O night when my body was a rod O night
When my mouth was a vague animal cry
Pasturing on her flesh O night
When the close darkness was a nest
Made of her hair and filled with my eyes

(O stars impenetrable above
The fragile tent poled with our thighs
Among the petals falling fields of time
O night revolving all our dark away)

O day O gradual day O sheeted light
Covering her body as with dews
Until I brushed her sealing sleep away
To read once more in the uncurtained day
Her naked love, my great good news.

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Night!

Oh night, oh night, oh night, oh night,
When oh when will you come.
I wait and wait, and wait and wait,
So tired that I'm numb.
My eyes so dry from staying up, just about to weep,
Oh night, oh night-
Why won't you just let me go to sleep?

The day is gone, the sun has set,
My work has all been done.
All I long for is some rest,
From this nightmarish verse I've spun.
And so now I must beg with you,
My lovely lady, Night-
Release me please, set me free,
From this horrible sleepless plight!

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Sleepless Night

Oh, there's a rude little lady
Livin' next to me.
Oh, she sure loves someone,
But it ain't me.
Ev'ry night at twelve o'clock,
They start to rock with all they got.
They keep it up all night.
It just ain't right.
They O.K. by me, I'm not.
He and she, they all right.
Once they start, they never stop
Through this sleepless night.
Once I was her lover.
It was so good to be.
Now she's got somebody else and I can't sleep.
Ooh, nothin' hurts people more than other people do.
But what can you do?
Meanwhile, upstairs, they O.K.
Ev'rythin' is all right.
I wish that I could find a way
Through this sleepless night.
Ooh, this sleepless night.
Ooh, this sleepless night.
Ooh, that wicked lady,
She's got a hold on me.
Ooh, she doesn't want me,
But she won't let me be.
They play that music ev'ry night.
It rocks my bed; it shakes my light.
They ball with all their might.
It just ain't right.
Ooh, this sleepless night.
Ooh, this sleepless night.

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Time Out

Running in the human race
round in circles
No sense of time and space
Or who we are
Let me pour some water in your wine
Lets talk about the future
We should have better things on our minds anyway
No time for words
No time for wars
Its high time we work it out
No time for fighting
No time for tears
Somebody tell me what its all about
We could be making the best of the night
But all we do is scream and shout
Time out ..... for love
Lovers on a battlefield
A house divided
Eyes that pierce like maked steel
Through the heart
Come lay your wounded body down
And talk about the future
Throw your weapons to the ground
Before its too late
No time for words
No time for wars
Its high time we work it out
No time for fighting
No time for tears
Somebody tell me what its all about
We could be making the best of the night
But all we do is scream and shout
Time out ..... for love
No time for words
No time for wars
Its high time we work it out
No time for fighting
No time for tears
Somebody tell me what its all about
We could be making the best of the night
But all we do is scream and shout
Time out ..... for love

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The Brain Is A Labryinth Of Lives

the brain is a labryinth of mysteries
large as space for us to criss cross
like a parasite we can make use of a
tiny wee bit corner of it for abundance
how we tap the sun at the edge of universe

the bonus i s we can throw in some figures
to get the confirmation that we are in control
and that it is our best friend when trust
with them is concerned

in the labryinth is a voluntary slave
who let himself be worked but sleeps
the night away at its own fancy

we work it, till it and thought
we own it until we are shakened
in the dead of night when an
an echo from some caves send us
a message with a voice not of our own

the brain is a labryinth of lives
past, present and future,
i am glad i sometimes could find
those i had lost dearly there
and always with tears,

the brain is a labryinth of God
I occupy only a tiny wit bit of it
the sun at the corner of the universe
i wait for Him to light up all the best chambers

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Maybe Baby

I heard stories about you
Id like to think that they were true
I did not know youd be like that
With those surprises under hat
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my maybe baby
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my maybe baby
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my maybe baby
When you dance between the stars
In the night late sweet and dark
Turn them over one by one
You dont need to jump the gun
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my maybe baby
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my maybe baby
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my maybe baby
When the night is feeling flush
And when the night is all a hush
Electric look eclectic blue
Keep one dream that wont come true
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my maybe baby
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my maybe baby
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my ma-aybe baby
Be my (echo), be my (echo), be my ma-aybe baby
Maybe baby
Maybe baby
Be my, be my, be my, be my maybe baby
Maybe baby
Maybe baby
Youre the one (? )
Maybe baby
Maybe baby
Maybe baby
Be my, be my, be my, be my maybe baby
(unintelligible) maybe baby
I heard stories about you
Id like to think that they were true
Be my maybe (? )
Be my, be my, be my, be my
(fade)

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So Much To Do

The face of the world is a homely face,
And the look of the world unkind,
When harsh on your arm a hand it lays
And bids you into the grind,
That 's little to your mind, my dear,
That 's little to your mind.

But it 's work that counts in the world, you see;
Not what we dream, but do:
For the dreamer of dreams, whatever he be,
If he 'd have his dreams come true,
Must be a workman, too, my dear,
Must be a workman, too.

So much to do; so much to know;
So much that life would shirk!
But each is one of a hive below,
The world's great Hive of Irk,
Where each must do his work, my dear,
Each one must do his work.

A song, a look, a word of cheer,
Will help more than a sigh!
For this is the law of the hive, my dear,
That every bee must try, my dear,
And all the drones must die, my dear,
That all the drones must die.

Oft-times it seems that the end is far,
And the work we do, in vain;
That night will never reveal a star,
And day bring only rain,
To trouble our hearts again, my dear,
To trouble our hearts again.

But ever the stars are shining there
With ever the old regard;
And be it foul, or be it fair,
However long debarred,
All work has its reward, my dear,
All work has its reward.

Could summer come without the rose?
Or morn without the sun?
And thus shall toil bring soul's repose
To each and every one,
Whose work at last is done, my dear,
Whose work at last is done.

For the face of the world is a homely face,
But the look in its eyes is kind
To him who sets his heart's brisk pace
To the work he has in mind,
And turns not with the wind, my dear,
And turns not with the wind.

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Night After Night

by Bob Dylan
Night after night you wander the streets of my mind.
Night after night don't know what you think you will find.
No place to go, nowhere to turn,
Everything around you seems to burn, burn, burn.
And there's never any mercy night after night.
Night after night
Night after night
Night after night some new plan to blow up the world.
Night after night another old man kissing some young girl.
You look for salvation, you find none.
Just another broken heart, another barrel of a gun,
Just another stick of dynamite night after night.
Night after night
Night after night
Night after night you drop dead in your bed,
Night after night another bottle finds a head.
Night after night I think about cutting you loose
But I just can't do it, what would be the use?
So I just keep a holding you tight night after night.
Night after night
Night after night
Night after night
Night after night

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He Does Not Sleep That Well At Night

He does not sleep that well at night though his troubles are small
The possums walking on his roof the rats squeak in the wall,
The boobook owl is crying mopoke on the trees across the way
He used to sleep without once waking till after break of day.

He does not sleep that well at night his wife beside him snore
He lay beside her wide awake for three hours sometimes more
The moon shines through the window pane he hear the plover cry
And the hunting fox is barking in the old paddock nearby.


He does not sleep that well at night he lay in bed awake
And the voices of the nocturnal creatures he cannot mistake
The frogs are singing in the ponds to tell that rain is near
And occasionally the barking of the neighbourhood dogs he hear.

He goes to bed at ten o clock but he doesn't get to sleep till around two
Although he must get up to go to work at seven still his worries seem so few
Compared to some who do sleep well with him it used not to be this way
He often slept for ten hours straight till after break of day.

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Body To Body

Body, body, bo-bo-bo-body, body
Body to body
Body to body
Body to body
Nobody does it like you do
Body to body
I love the way you make me feel
When you do what youre doing to me, oh
Touching me the way you do, you know, know youve got to feel it too
When you bodys next to mine, youve got me hypnotized
Body to body
Body to body
You know I like the way you do what you do when you do it to me, oh
Body to body
Nobody does it like you do
Body to body
You know I like what you do when you do what you do to me, no
Oh, what you do
Flowing through this magic night
I love to feel you hold me tight
You are the one thats right for me
You got me feeling tingaly
Share the night with stars above
I think Ive found this thing called love
Fever running through your eyes
You are my heavenly device
Body to body
Body to body
Body to body nobody does it like you do
Body to body
You know I like what you do when you do what you do to me, no
Oh, what you do
You opened up the world to me
You changed my life so tenderly
I know you are the only one
Youre brighter than the burning sun
Dont know where youre going to
I dont care as long as Im with you
That certain sparkle in your eyes
Has got me feeling oh so high
Body to body
Body to body
Body to body
Body to body
I like what you do when you do all those things to me
Body to body....

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Night

You get up every morning at the sound of the bell
You get to work late and the boss mans giving you hell
Till youre out on a midnight run
Losing your heart to a beautiful one
And it feels right as you lock up the house
Turn out the lights and step out into the night
And the world is busting at its seams
And youre just a prisoner of your dreams
Holding on for your life 'cause you work all day
To blow 'em away in the night
The rat traps filled with soul crusaders
The circuits lined and jammed with chromed invaders
And shes so pretty that youre lost in the stars
As you jockey your way through the cars
And sit at the light, as it changes to green
With your faith in your machine off you scream into the night
And youre in love with all the wonder it brings
And every muscle in your body sings as the highway ignites
You work nine to five and somehow you survive till the night
Hell all day theyre busting you up on the outside
But tonight youre gonna break on through to the inside
And itll be right, itll be right, and itll be tonight
And you know she will be waiting there
And youll find her somehow you swear
Somewhere tonight you run sad and free
Until all you can see is the night

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Harlem Woman

Written by orbison/melson
The woman is out on her own.
Walking the streets, sad and alone.
Yes she sells herself for nickles and dimes.
These are hard times for a harlem woman.
Harlem woman.
Yes you work at night.i have held you tight.
But youre not aware of how much I care.
No you cant see your babys been hungry and cold.
So long nights through, go on and do what you must do,
I love you.i love you harlem woman.
Harlem woman.
Sometimes I cry, but Ill get by till your mine alone.
So carry on to other arms,tender but strong.
Till you belong to me
Harlem woman hang on.
Ill take you away.
Someday Ill set you free to be with only me.
Till then Ill know,...
Lord knows, Ill know
They can buy the body
But not the soul of my harlem woman
Harlem woman, harlem woman
Hang on

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Night Slumming

Written by John Mellencamp
(Night Slumming - burp 123)
Well good evening to, the dirty bordellos
And good evening to, the girls who work uptown
And say hello, well hello, to the gay young fellows
Who make their love, on the meat rack
In their sister's gowns
Well I ain't no king, but I ain't no princess
And I don't get drunk, no no
But I can still be blown away
The phantom lover of the future
And I don't go to work
'Cause I sleep all through the day
Talkin' 'bout
*Night, night, night, night slummin'
Night, night, night, night slummin'
Night, night, night, night slummin'
So when you see me tonight
I'd be reaching the heights
so were coming
I never counted on ...
All the good things have been taken away from me
Aww, heavy or hard, I know those younger punches
Cause tonight is another day for destiny
Well the damage is done, hey I can't really feel it
Well I don't fault your love and
The bathroom stains, oh yeah
And its a little too fast and dieing too young
That's what we're talking about
Well it's this slummin' that makes me
Stop to think
(*Repeat Chorus)
Night, night, night, night slummin'
Night, night, night, night slummin'(goodnight)
Night, night, night, night slummin'(yeah, yeah)

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Musclebound

Were building fires that will burn until morning
The smell of books and hot stone surround us
Tough is the leather that strapped to my skin
Strong are the bonds that we make
We feel the steam as it rises around us
Up from the soil that is cracking its back
Tough is the leather that strapped to my skin
Strong are the bonds that sing
Work till youre musclebound all night long
Work till youre musclebound all night long
Gotta work till youre musclebound all night long
Gotta work till youre musclebound all night long
Were building fires that will burn until morning
The smell of books and hot stone surround us
Tough is the leather that strapped to my skin
Strong are the bonds that we make
To hear a pulsing from chanter to mountain
Down through the vein and into the grain
Strong is the shoulder that moves to the time
Here is the land it can break
Work till youre musclebound all night long
Work till youre musclebound all night long
Gotta work till youre musclebound all night long
Gotta work till youre musclebound all night long

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Not Alone

And the night may seem fearful
In the darkened rooms which surround
The noises which play to the mind
Play to much upon each thought
That there is no fear to be found
That a noise is but the wind
Let these words touch your heart
In the way you have touched mine
Whenever the night may call
Whatever thought stirs you awake
There is one in spirit with you
There are few but a call away
So sleepless you are to the night
Where thoughts may appear fearful
But trust in a single promise
An oath I shall make to you
You are loved, you are not alone

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Just Another Night

(ian hunter/mick ronson)
Oh no, the fuzz, all in a line
My oh my, I think Im gonna die
And its just another night
Its just another night
Got a long black face; who goes there?
All the reefer madnessput a poor kid in jail
And its just another night
Yeah, its just another night
Oh take it easy boy or its doa
Chrome on my body and a lot of folks say
That its just another night
Hey, its just another night
Oh, its just another night on the other side of life
Head ones a saw-bones and he wrecked my chair
Said howd you like to do it in a room downstairs
And its just another night
Oh, just another night
Hey now, papa joe, dont you pull my hair
All this intrigue, it gets me out of my league
And its just another night
Its just another night
His old man spent a fortune just to get him in
But baby boy growed up just as stupid as him
And its just another night
Its just another night
Its just another night on the other side of life
Just another night, hung down slow
I dont like the hotel let me go
Hells bells! give me a chance!
This rock n roller dont wanna dance
Just another night
Just another night
Well, its just another night on the other side of life
I never felt so bad; wheres my shades?
Its gonna be a long one getting crazed
A head spoutin noodles said, what do you plead?
I said you aint got to touch a man to make a man bleed
n its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night (on the other side)
Its just another night!

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William Shakespeare

Sonnet 27

Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed,
The dear repose for limbs with travel tired;
But then begins a journey in my head
To work my mind, when body's work's expired:
For then my thoughts--from far where I abide--
Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee,
And keep my drooping eyelids open wide,
Looking on darkness which the blind do see:
Save that my soul's imaginary sight
Presents thy shadow to my sightless view,
Which, like a jewel hung in ghastly night,
Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new.
Lo! thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind,
For thee, and for myself, no quiet find.

poem by William Shakespeare from Sonnets (1609)Report problemRelated quotes
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