Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, BROWN PENNY, by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

BROWN PENNY, by         Recitation         Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: I whispered, 'I am too young'
Last Line: One cannot begin it too soon.
Alternate Author Name(s): Yeats, W. B.
Variant Title(s): The Young Man's Song
Subject(s): Love - Beginnings; Youth


I whispered, "I am too young."
And then, "I am old enough;"
Wherefore I threw a penny
To find out if I might love.
"Go and love, go and love, young man,
If the lady be young and fair."
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
I am looped in the loops of her hair.

O love is the crooked thing,
There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it,
For he would be thinking of love
Till the stars had run away
And the shadows eaten the moon.
Ah, brown penny, brown penny, brown penny,
One cannot begin it too soon.





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