what then?
his chosen comrades thought at school
he must grow a famous man;
he thought the same and lived by rule,
all his twenties crammed with toil;
'what then?' sang Plato's ghost. 'what then?'
everything he wrote was read,
after certain years he won
sufficient money for his need,
friends that have been friends indeed;
'what then?' sang Plato's ghost. 'what then?'
all his happier dreams came true -
a small old house, wife, daughter, son,
grounds where plum and cabbage grew,
poets and Wits about him drew;
'what then.?' sang Plato's ghost. 'what then?'
the work is done,' grown old he thought,
'according to my boyish plan;
let the fools rage, I swerved in naught,
something to perfection brought';
but louder sang that ghost, 'what then?'
he must grow a famous man;
he thought the same and lived by rule,
all his twenties crammed with toil;
'what then?' sang Plato's ghost. 'what then?'
everything he wrote was read,
after certain years he won
sufficient money for his need,
friends that have been friends indeed;
'what then?' sang Plato's ghost. 'what then?'
all his happier dreams came true -
a small old house, wife, daughter, son,
grounds where plum and cabbage grew,
poets and Wits about him drew;
'what then.?' sang Plato's ghost. 'what then?'
the work is done,' grown old he thought,
'according to my boyish plan;
let the fools rage, I swerved in naught,
something to perfection brought';
but louder sang that ghost, 'what then?'
- W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats (1864-1939) là một nhà thơ và nhà biên kịch người Ireland, từng đạt giải Nobel văn chương năm 1923. Ông được coi là một trong những nhà thơ lớn nhất của thế kỷ XX.
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