April 10, 2026
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First Flight – Poem 10: For Anne Gregory
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The Poem
For Anne Gregoryby W.B. Yeats
"Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair."
"But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair."
"I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair."
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair."
"But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair."
"I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair."
About the Poet
W.B. Yeats(1865–1939)
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923. His poetry often explores themes of love, beauty, ageing, spirituality, and Irish mythology.
Summary of the Poem
SummaryKey Points
Summary: "For Anne Gregory" is a poem about the nature of love and beauty. The poem is a conversation between Anne Gregory and an older speaker (possibly the poet). The speaker tells Anne that no young man will ever love her for herself alone — they will always be attracted to her beautiful yellow hair. Anne responds that she can dye her hair any other colour so that men might love her for her inner self. The speaker concludes by saying that only God can love a person for themselves alone, without being influenced by external beauty. The poem explores the superficiality of human love compared to divine love.
Theme of the Poem
ThemeCentral Idea
Theme: The central theme of the poem is the difference between human love and divine love. Human love is often superficial, based on physical appearance and external beauty. The speaker argues that men will love Anne for her yellow hair, not for her true self. Divine love, on the other hand, is unconditional — only God can love a person for who they truly are, without being influenced by outer beauty. The poem also touches on the idea that physical beauty is temporary and can be changed.
Literary Devices
DeviceExamples from the Poem
1. Metaphor: "honey-coloured ramparts at your ear" — hair is compared to ramparts (fortifications) around the ear.
2. Symbolism: "yellow hair" symbolises external beauty and physical attraction.
3. Imagery: "honey-coloured," "brown, or black, or carrot" — visual images of hair colours.
4. Dialogue/Dramatic Monologue: The poem is structured as a conversation between two voices.
5. Irony: Anne believes that changing her hair colour will make men love her for herself, but the speaker suggests that men will still be attracted to whatever colour she chooses — still based on appearance.
6. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows a regular rhyme scheme (ABAB).
2. Symbolism: "yellow hair" symbolises external beauty and physical attraction.
3. Imagery: "honey-coloured," "brown, or black, or carrot" — visual images of hair colours.
4. Dialogue/Dramatic Monologue: The poem is structured as a conversation between two voices.
5. Irony: Anne believes that changing her hair colour will make men love her for herself, but the speaker suggests that men will still be attracted to whatever colour she chooses — still based on appearance.
6. Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows a regular rhyme scheme (ABAB).
Word Meanings (Vocabulary)
WordMeaning
Despair: the complete loss of hope
Honey-coloured: golden-yellow in colour
Ramparts: defensive walls around a fort
Carrot: here, a reddish-orange colour
Hair-dye: a substance used to change hair colour
Yesternight: last night (old English)
Text: a passage from scripture or a book
Religious man: a priest or holy person
Honey-coloured: golden-yellow in colour
Ramparts: defensive walls around a fort
Carrot: here, a reddish-orange colour
Hair-dye: a substance used to change hair colour
Yesternight: last night (old English)
Text: a passage from scripture or a book
Religious man: a priest or holy person
Thinking About the Poem (Page 146)
Q12 marks
What does the young man mean by "great honey-coloured ramparts at your ear"? Why does he say that young men are "thrown into despair" by them?
Answer: "Great honey-coloured ramparts at your ear" refers to Anne Gregory's beautiful golden-yellow hair. The hair is compared to ramparts (defensive walls) that surround her ear. Young men are "thrown into despair" because they are so attracted to her beautiful hair that they fall in love with her appearance rather than her true self. They cannot love her for herself alone.
Q23 marks
What colour is Anne Gregory's hair? What does she say she can do to make young men love her for herself alone?
Answer: Anne Gregory's hair is described as "honey-coloured" or yellow. She says she can get a hair-dye and change her hair colour to brown, black, or carrot (reddish-orange). She believes that if she changes her hair colour, young men might then love her for herself alone, since her beautiful yellow hair would no longer be there to distract them.
Q33 marks
What does the religious man say about the ability to love someone for themselves alone? What conclusion does the poet draw from this?
Answer: The religious man says that he has found a text proving that only God can love a person for themselves alone, without being influenced by external beauty. The poet concludes that human love is inevitably influenced by physical appearance; unconditional love is beyond human capacity. Only divine love is pure and unconditional.
Extra Questions for Practice
Q13 marks
What is the significance of the title "For Anne Gregory"? Who is Anne Gregory?
Answer: The title "For Anne Gregory" indicates that the poem is addressed to a young woman named Anne Gregory. The poem is a conversation with her about love and beauty. Anne Gregory was a real person — a young woman whom Yeats met and was attracted to. The poem is written as a direct address to her, exploring the nature of romantic attraction.
Q23 marks
How does the poem "For Anne Gregory" comment on the superficiality of human love?
Answer: The poem comments that human love is often superficial because it is based on physical appearance rather than inner qualities. The speaker says that young men will love Anne only for her yellow hair, not for her true self. Anne's suggestion to dye her hair shows that she believes changing her appearance would help men see her true self — but the speaker concludes that human love remains bound to outward beauty. Only God's love is unconditional.
Q34 marks
What message does W.B. Yeats convey through the poem "For Anne Gregory"?
Answer: The poem conveys that physical beauty is temporary and often the basis for human attraction, but true, unconditional love — love for a person's inner self — is rare and perhaps only possible in a divine context. The poem encourages readers to look beyond external beauty and appreciate inner qualities. It also suggests that young people should not be overly concerned with their appearance or with finding love based on looks, because such love is superficial.
NCERT Class 10 English | First Flight – Poem 10: For Anne Gregory | Complete solutions and study material.
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