"But people loved it for very good reason." I'll say! Well read and explicated, Malcolm. You brought it to life again for me.

I was introduced to this poem nearly 10 years ago, in a literature or creative writing class. I affected me deeply at the time, mainly because my mind was often in the countryside and the mountains during the day while I was at school. I, in turn, shared this with a writing program that I began to run last year at a local library. Thank you for reading this.

Speaking of the little nuanced and nearly unnoticed things that can make a profound impression on the soul, for me was the reading of 4 lines in particular of Robert Frost's poem Directive, which was, for me, my introduction to poetry through a book called "An Incomplete Education" by Judy Jones and William Wilson: First there's the children's house of make-believe, Some shattered dishes underneath a pine, The playthings in the playhouse of the children. Weep for what little things could make them glad. It was the "weep for the little things that could make them glad" that completely overtook me nearly to the point of tears, having had such a heartfelt notion myself of the innocence of youth and their openness to imagination, but could never have mined up those simple words to describe it.....I went to every book store on Long Island and upstate New York, and bought every book by and about Frost I could find. Those lines actually launched me into a career as an English teacher, having been introduced to "The Force of Few Words," as Jacob Korg's wonderfully succinct description of the experience of poetry.

I live for your videos and always learn something new. Thank you for sharing them with us.

You really are a joy to watch. I often find myself lighting my pipe during your videos.

Yes -- I've enjoyed exploring poetry with C. S. Lewis in his letters, etc. Sometime perhaps you'd like to talk about Ruth Pitter, a very accomplished poet whom Lewis knew personally and liked a lot as well as holding her work in high regard. Ruth Pitter's poems are usually fairly short. Till then, curious persons might look up these poems: "Stormcock in Elder," "Sudden Heaven," "If You Came," "The Bush-Baby," "The Bird in the Tree," "They Have Murdered My Village," and "The Bat." Don King has edited RP's collected poems as Sudden Heaven, has written a biography of RP, and edited her letters. Those with access to Lewis's Collected Letters might look up his detailed comments on the poems in various of her books.

Rock on Mr Yeats! Thank you for these beautiful readings Malcolm. Both Lewis and Yeats knew something of the deeper magic of Ériu, and brought us a glimmer of it in their writing.

Great videos ! Thank you for sharing all this ! 🙏

Hi Malcom. Always a pleasure to watch, especially when the subject is my favourite poet- Yeats. I really do love this poem. Thank you!

Hi from Siberia, Russia !! Случайно попал на ваш канал и был очень приятно удивлен. Буду смотреть и слушать !!! Спасибо 💪💪🔥🔥

Nice reference to the voyage of Brendan Sir ;-)

I'm so pleased to have stumbled upon your channel, brother, like discovering a clearing in the woods. I wish you blessing and peace!

Thanks Dr Guite - extolling the sweet Sehnsucht pangs!

I really enjoyed, that poem, I’m a 16 year old who recently started, properly trying to understand poetry, your videos are great thank you.

Lovely to see you too. Thank you 🙏🏻

This is my favourite poem by a great poet. When I read it I hear its rhythm in my soul. The words are wonderful and longing. You read it well and I have heard other great renditions. Its all the more strange then that when you hear WB Yeats' own reading that it is so poor and unbefitting.

"Wardrobe mind" - I love it! It seems, to me, better to have a wardrobe mind than warehouse eyes. 🙂

Very interesting sir. Innisfree, where The Quiet Man was supposed to take place.

Thank you appreciate Ed

Ooooo

I see that bent pipe has a fish tail stem instead of your usual p-lip ... I was just wondering how you like the p-lip as opposed to reg stem? Enjoyed the reading and a pipe ! Cheers

Great Malcolm.Thankyou.Glad you know the great Ross Wilson.Do you think WB was a pagan poet?

When he wrote the poem, London had the largest population in the world, five million, the result of the collapse of the he industrial revolution.