Observations placeholder
Yeats, W B - Collected poems - A Mermaid found a swimming lad
Identifier
002653
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
Yeats is using the symbolism of the mermaid in a slightly different way here. More like a siren than a mermaid
A description of the experience
A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.
-- William Butler Yeats