I that have not your faith, how shall I know That in the blinding light beyond the grave We'll find so good a thing as that we have lost? The hourly kindness, the day's common speech, The habitual content of each with each When neither soul nor body has been crossed.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Without faith in an afterlife, the speaker doubts we will find anything as good as the simple kindnesses we lose in death.
- In plain terms
- If there is no heaven, we might lose the simple kindnesses we value.
- What can you take from it?
- Value everyday kindnesses because they may not last.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What small kindnesses matter most?
- How do you face loss?
Another view
It presumes faith is necessary to find meaning after death.
More from William Butler Yeats
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