For wisdom is the property of the dead,
A something incompatible with life; and power,
Like everything that has the stain of blood,
A property of the living; but no stain
Can come upon the visage of the moon
When it has looked in glory from a cloud.


The winding stair (1929): manuscript materials (ed. Cornell Univ Pr, 1929) - ISBN: 9780801431241

William Butler Yeats Quotes

For wisdom is the property of the dead, A something incompatible with life; and power, Like everything that has the stain of blood, A property of the ...

For wisdom is the property of the dead, A something incompatible with life; and power, Like everything that has the stain of blood, A property of the ...

For wisdom is the property of the dead, A something incompatible with life; and power, Like everything that has the stain of blood, A property of the ...

For wisdom is the property of the dead, A something incompatible with life; and power, Like everything that has the stain of blood, A property of the ...