Among the School Children : Quotations
Among the School Children is a notable literary work by William Butler Yeats. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Among the School Children.
Quotations
Quotes
“O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?”
Explanation: This is the most famous and philosophical line of the poem. Here Yeats expresses the unity between art and life — between the dancer and the dance, the creator and the creation. He suggests that in the highest form of beauty, there is no separation between body and spirit, action and inspiration, or art and artist. Everything becomes one harmonious movement.
“Labour is blossoming or dancing where
The body is not bruised to pleasure soul,
Nor beauty born out of its own despair.”
Explanation: In these lines, Yeats rejects the idea that beauty or wisdom must come through suffering. He envisions a higher state of existence where work (labour), joy (dancing), and spirit (soul) are united in harmony. True creation, according to Yeats, comes not from pain, but from balance, energy, and joy.