Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

A Bronze Head Lyrics by William Butler Yeats

0

HERE at right of the entrance this bronze head,
Human, superhuman, a bird's round eye,
Everything else withered and mummy-dead.
What great tomb-haunter sweeps the distant sky
(Something may linger there though all else die;)
And finds there nothing to make its terror less
Hysterica passio of its own emptiness?

No dark tomb-haunter once; her form all full
As though with magnanimity of light,
Yet a most gentle woman; who can tell
Which of her forms has shown her substance right?
Or maybe substance can be composite,
profound McTaggart thought so, and in a breath
A mouthful held the extreme of life and death.

But even at the starting-post, all sleek and new,
I saw the wildness in her and I thought
A vision of terror that it must live through
Had shattered her soul. Propinquity had brought
Imagination to that pitch where it casts out
All that is not itself: I had grown wild
And wandered murmuring everywhere, 'My child, my
child! '

Or else I thought her supernatural;
As though a sterner eye looked through her eye
On this foul world in its decline and fall;
On gangling stocks grown great, great stocks run dry,
Ancestral pearls all pitched into a sty,
Heroic reverie mocked by clown and knave,
And wondered what was left for massacre to save.
Credits
William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats

About “A Bronze Head” by William Butler Yeats

Read the complete lyrics to "A Bronze Head" by William Butler Yeats. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"A Bronze Head" is performed by William Butler Yeats. This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "A Bronze Head", explore more songs by William Butler Yeats using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for William Butler Yeats · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"A Bronze Head" is credited to William Butler Yeats. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

Album information for "A Bronze Head" is not available in our database yet. You can still read the full lyrics on this page.

Visit the William Butler Yeats artist page at /artist/william-butler-yeats for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

A Drunken Man’s Praise of Sobriety
A Dialogue of Self and Soul
A Cradle Song
A Deep-Sworn Vow
A Dream of Death
A Coat
A Crazed Girl
A Drinking Song
Lyrks
Lyrks

Your gateway to the world of music lyrics.

Product

Features

Company

About

Artists

Trending

Legal

Privacy

Terms

Copyright

Support

Contact

Features

Charts

© 2026 Lyrks. All rights reserved.