The Stolen Child

The Stolen Child 

Dramatic monologue from the fairies point of view. 

Folktale that fairies stole children.

Shows Yeat's desire for transcendence, going with the fairies = transcendence - is it a good or a bad thing? - ambiguous.

FAERY WORLD IS BAD:

"Leafy island" - sounds isolated, separated and not connected to the real world - feel of a fantasy world.

"Drowsy water-rats" - rats aren't very nice but sound cute when they're "drousy". 

"Berries" - could very well be poisonous.

"Reddest, stolen cherries" - sounds sinister - their thieves - and the cherries are "reddest" and red has connotations with danger. The idea of stealing comes early in the poem. "Reddest" = heightened, more vivid coloues - better faery world - more feeling - transcendence. Rhythm breaks up on this line which makes "reddest" stand out. 

"chase the frothy bubbles" - chase = a bit sinister, evil.

Refrain  = song like, eerie, creepy. Repetition of song makes it more creepy. 

"Come away, O human child!" - sounds like a command/ enchantment - stealing the child.

"We seek for slumbering trout, And whispering in their ears, Give them unquiet dreams" - "seek" - go out of their way to do this - no one really cares about "trout" though - childish, mischievous, menacing - if it had of been a nicer animal it would have been seen as evil. 

"Leaning softly out, From ferns…