Adam's Curse - W.B. Yeats
A Reflection on Artistry, Beauty, and the Demands of True Devotion
We sat together at one summer’s end,
That beautiful mild woman, your close friend,
And you and I, and talked of poetry.
I said, “A line will take us hours maybe;
Yet if it does not seem a moment’s thought,
Our stitching and unstitching has been naught.
Better go down upon your marrow-bones
And scrub a kitchen pavement, or break stones
Like an old pauper, in all kinds of weather;
For to articulate sweet sounds together
Is to work harder than all these, and yet
Be thought an idler by the noisy set
Of bankers, schoolmasters, and clergymen
The martyrs call the world.”
And thereupon
That beautiful mild woman for whose sake
There’s many a one shall find out all heartache
On finding that her voice is sweet and low
Replied, “To be born woman is to know—
Although they do not talk of it at school—
That we must labour to be beautiful.”
I said, “It’s certain there is no fine thing
Since Adam’s fall but needs much labouring.
There have been lovers who thought love should be
So much compounded of high courtesy
That they would sigh and quote with learned looks
Precedents out of beautiful old books;
Yet now it seems an idle trade enough.”
We sat grown quiet at the name of love;
We saw the last embers of daylight die
And in the trembling blue-green of the sky
A moon, worn as if it had been a shell
Washed by time’s waters as they rose and fell
About the stars and broke in days and years.
I had a thought for no one’s but your ears:
That you were beautiful, and that I strove
To love you in the old high way of love;
That it had all seemed happy, and yet we’d grown
As weary-hearted as that hollow moon.
“Adam’s Curse” is an early 20th-century poem by W.B. Yeats that delves into the core idea that all things of worth—whether art, beauty, or love—necessitate considerable effort. The speaker sits with a loved one and her friend, discussing the painstaking work behind any poetic line and acknowledging the wider society’s tendency to dismiss creative or refined pursuits as idle. This conversation then broadens into the realm of feminine beauty, with the woman remarking that to be born a woman involves constant labor to achieve even the simplest expressions of grace.
From there, Yeats ties the theme of effort into the concept of love, noting how, historically, lovers have elevated their courtship with a sense of “high courtesy” gleaned from tradition and learning. Yet the poem muses that modern times view such refined love as a somewhat pointless occupation. In the final lines, Yeats evokes an image of a fading moon—emblematic of the lovers’ own weary hearts—as they realize that even a shared tenderness can succumb to fatigue and disappointment.
In essence, “Adam’s Curse” draws on the biblical notion of labor as humanity’s inevitable burden, stressing that sincerity and depth in any human endeavor do not come without toil. While beauty and love can be profoundly rewarding, the poem highlights how they, too, require resilience—an acknowledgment that deep matters of the heart cannot exist in a constant state of ease. By weaving these strands together, Yeats offers a subtle critique of a world reluctant to value inner dedication, urging readers to appreciate the unheralded efforts behind the most meaningful experiences of life.
Key points
1. Yeats asserts that true art demands painstaking, sometimes invisible labor.
2. The poem contemplates how even simple gestures of beauty require effort, especially for women.
3. Love, though idealized in old texts, remains a challenge in modern reality.
4. The moon’s waning image underscores a weary acknowledgment that grand visions can fade with time.