The poem
I whispered, 'I am too young,' And then, 'I am old enough'; Wherefore I threw a penny To find out if I might love. 'Go and love, go and love, young man, If the lady be young and fair.' Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, I am looped in the loops of her hair.
O love is the crooked thing, There is nobody wise enough To find out all that is in it, For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon. Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, One cannot begin it too soon.
(A penny is a symbol or another way to say love) Any age is perfect for love but there is always that feeling of uncertainity that is may not be the right time. Then taking a chance for love,he gives a penny )or love)to see what he'll recieve! ANY INSIGHT!
He knows his own response, if you find one with this love, then be lost in it, lost in a dream--LOOPED--
Also knowing for his self, if you try to make too much sence of how it works, why,(or what age is best)then
you may lose sight of what kept you blissfully happy. He will be dreaming of love ('till the stars run away') he threw or gave out his penny(or love)to see what he may recieve in return
The poem reads real well. I looked it up after hearing in poem in the recent movie entitled "Must Love Dogs". The poem conveys to me that a person can still love and want love even though we are older.
I have a feeling that movie would cause many searches for the poem. I think it conveys that no one will ever understand love - young or old. But we will keep on trying our hand at it...
This poem is extremely honest. It articulates the feelings that one may have when one is webbed by love. Uncertainty, nostalgia, and inquiry. It was as if one was questioning himself whether love is worth taking a chance at all. But the beauty about this poem is it is up to the reader's interpretation depending on what experiences one is going through.
I also heard this poem in "Must Love Dogs". I was drawn to it by the way it expresses the questions about love and the trepidation one feels when finding someone. I can feel longing and sybolism in his verses.
I heard this poem the first time on "One life to live" and fell in love with it. It is in a book of poetry published based on the soapopera. I have been looking for it for years. So happy I found it!
Yup... me too! I just watched 'Must Love Dogs' thought it was wonderful poem that suits the movie! Simple yet expressive of the bitter sweet feeling of being in love... =)
I have been thinking of "Brown Penny" since I saw the lovely rendition in "Must Love Dogs." I see from the other comments that I am not alone--I am thrilled that a movie could inspire people to find a poem! The beautiful sounds and images of Yeats' work is mystically mesmerizing. He captures the experience of love perfectly, and I think he is the wise one and has found out "all that is in it" but leaves the mystery intact. If you liked "Brown Penny" look up "The Song of the Wandering Angus." It is wonderful too.
I also know this poem from the movie and I liked it a lot. One question Does penny also mean a person's name? A first love of Yeats' perhaps?
Must love Yates! :) this poem added nice flavor to the movie's theme..that of self-doubt & the psychological age barrier. the essence of love is different for everyone, so many shades to it, honesty, fun, sympathy, company. Has to be discovered individually. Its most important to have faith in love...although sometimes there's pain, its always there to the rescue (maybe in other forms).
Oh,see what a movie has done! I loved this poem when I saw the movie Must Love Dogs, and How wonderful the Internet is! I got it, and copied, and I'm thinking I should add it to my space to share with my friends.
Love is beautiful, but sometimes it's desperate.
I to once adored poetry like this and never missed a single romantic movie. That was before it became painfully apparent that love is a lie and that the notion that there's someone for everyone is not only completely untrue but absolutely absurd. Poems and movies like these do nothing but fool us into believing the unbelievable. Love and romance are dead, dead, DEAD!
the poem evokes an emotion that most of us wish we did not experience.it speaks of how we make excuses and we try to put love on hold till we are ready.but we all know love does not use our time.
I, too came Googling Yeats' Brown Penny after hearing it in Must Love Dogs. I love the loops line because I love getting looped in the loops of my love's hair.
I saw "Must Love Dogs" and had to look up the poem as well. It's really nice to meet all of you and read your perspectives on the poem. Now I will have to read it again. I'm not really good at that sort of thing.
I saw the movie 'Must Love Dogs' and had to look it up. I absolutely fell in love with it and I was lost in the words that he was saying. It's it funny that so many people feel the same way.
I heard this on "Must Love Dogs" and I had to look it up. I think it is a very nice poem.
I saw the movie "Must Love Dogs" and heard this beautiful poem...so of course I had to look it up on the internet!!! It is a very lovely poem and fit perfectly in the movie. Refiloe's comment on this poem is so true...and isn't it wonderful that love doesn't use our time and that often just sneaks up on us and hits us right out of the blue...or else many might never know the amazing feelings and the grand power of LOVE. I believe there is a love for everyone and it is a precious thing when we find it or it finds us.
The poem makes me feel this way - - -
i love~ but i cannot marry my love right now... or now... maybe later... maybe when i'm really sure...
flip a coin - is fate real? is it telling me something? YES! i should - only if... (there are many conditions to it)
looped... tied - happily
love is confusing... no one knows the real answers... but still i'm trying to figure out how love really works... spending too much time thinking... wasting time... till love just - fades away...
(the poem really does speak differently to each person...)
Heard the poem on "Must Love Dogs"...oddly Brown was my maiden name, and Pennie my given name, so of course I had to find the poem. It is lovely. Luckily I have found a true love.
Im using this poem for a skool project, it is a wonderful poem. I saw the movie must love dogs with my parents, i loved it.
I am amazed at all who have sought out this poem as I had after hearing the impressive rendition by Christopher Plummer in the movie "Must Love Dogs". It is the age old question of whether it is the right time for or to love. When is the right time? I am too young and then old enough. So toss a brown penny .. yes or no ..and it answers "Go and love, go and love.." The time is now. And in doing so become "looped in…
Read the whole commentI am amazed at all who have sought out this poem as I had after hearing the impressive rendition by Christopher Plummer in the movie "Must Love Dogs". It is the age old question of whether it is the right time for or to love. When is the right time? I am too young and then old enough. So toss a brown penny .. yes or no ..and it answers "Go and love, go and love.." The time is now. And in doing so become "looped in the loops of her hair" .. entwined in the craziness .. the insanity that love brings ... only to realize that love isn't something that walks in a straight line but meanders and twists and turns and to question love as if there are answers to its maddness would take an eternity to understand ... so don't understand it ... just enjoy it, don't question it ... just hang on and never give up on it! For there is always hope! and what was questioned from the start is now concluded with "One cannot begin it too soon!" (just my passing thoughts)
Yes you guess it - 'Must Love Dogs'. I loved the movie and enjoyed the scene and the poem. Isn't it strange how this poem spoken from actor Christopher Plummer would be so memorable. Good to see such comments.
I also heard this poem in "Must Love Dogs" and I do love the words, but more than anything, I loved how the actor recited it, he did a beautiful job.
What’s interesting here is that I’ve found two versions of the poem – I can’t remember which one was recited in the movie. The poem is probably pretty straightforward in meaning – take a chance and love and get tangled up in it, or get tangled up in trying to figure out whether or not there will be any ‘tangling’ after all. Pitching a penny is random and happenstance – it requires little effort and there’s really no…
Read the whole commentWhat’s interesting here is that I’ve found two versions of the poem – I can’t remember which one was recited in the movie.
The poem is probably pretty straightforward in meaning – take a chance and love and get tangled up in it, or get tangled up in trying to figure out whether or not there will be any ‘tangling’ after all.
Pitching a penny is random and happenstance – it requires little effort and there’s really no predicting where or how the penny will land. So…when we throw ourselves into love, like the narrator throws the penny, we don’t know what we are getting into. To think too much about it before we do our throwing, is to become loop-y, one might say. There is no figuring it out (stars will probably never ‘run away’ and likewise shadows probably will never ‘eat the moon’) – and to figure it out would either milk love of its fun or make one crazy. And, there is a message to get on with it and not wait and not linger – there is no right time or place or age.
Yet, there could be another, darker message I think - - - and to get to it, I must look closer at the second version of the poem where love is called a ‘crooked thing’. Undoubtedly, both versions liken ‘love’, or being in love, to loops or being looped (and both words start with ‘L’). The version without the ‘crooked’ reference keeps things loose and light and essentially communicates ‘don’t think too much about it, just do it’. The version with moon-hungry shadows, where love is labeled a ‘crooked thing’, is darker. That which is crooked is harder and colder in comparison to looped things which are fat and full and lively. The crooked version could be a caution to future lovers about rushing in – what seems looped and lively may, after all, be ultimately crooked and cold. And, images of a moon, shadows, and hunger counter common love images such as sun, light, and contentment. Significantly, pennies have two sides. We usually, we only see the side that is face up. What’s underneath could be whimsical and wild and fun and wonderfully loopy – or it could be crooked, callous, calculating, and cold.
This is perhaps one of my favorite poems of all time. I fell in love with it back in my high school lit class. The beauty of this poem is that while written many, many moons ago it's theme is still quite relevant in an age where this sort of romantic ideation oft goes unsought. I was most pleased with Christopher Plummer's recital of it. (in Must Love Dogs) It never sounded more eloquent and poignant. Such beauty and resonance in such a simple poem. Therein lies the true beauty of it.
I have been fortunate to find my true companion, albeit late in my life. First time I heard it was in the movie, too.Love IS timeless.....it fills your heart with joy. The sight of a smile can make a poor man richer than Bill Gates will ever be. Make the leap, you may think you will regret it, but the reward will give you something that no one can ever take from you...........even if it lasts only an instant.
finally saw the full movie with my loved one after seeing snippets at a motel on my own.
I agree the way Christopher Plummer recited the poem really made the poem that extra bit special as he winked at his daughter.
A lovely poem and to think it is nearly 100 years old!!!
"Brown Penny" by William Butler Yeats, recited by Christopher Plummer in "Must Love Dogs" is moving and inspiring. CONGRATULATIONS & THANKS to W B Yeats, the Script writer, Film Director, Actor, and "whoever" else brought this emotional and endearing moment to untold numbers of people through the movie 'Must Love Dogs". Wheather this moment is "accidental" or "instrumental", it is touching a chord in a multifarious…
Read the whole comment"Brown Penny" by William Butler Yeats, recited by Christopher Plummer in "Must Love Dogs" is moving and inspiring. CONGRATULATIONS & THANKS to W B Yeats, the Script writer, Film Director, Actor, and "whoever" else brought this emotional and endearing moment to untold numbers of people through the movie 'Must Love Dogs". Wheather this moment is "accidental" or "instrumental", it is touching a chord in a multifarious snippit of humankind.
Let's have POETRY - not war!
I am GLAD that I was one of these people. I saw the film last night and will continue to emmerse myself in these words and sentiments embellished and 'sold" by Christopher Plummer in his father role in the movie.
THANK YOU.
LC Martin
I too fell in love with the poem from the movie.. or rather with Plummer's recitation of it. And yes with Plummer himself.
I have 7 years of college and various degrees and don't recall ever having come across this one in class!
Pity. I could have been in love longer.
I must admit that I'm not 'IN TO' poetry, but after hearing this poem being recited by Mr.Chris.Plummer on the movie "Must Love Dogs",my heart wanted to know more.Is love being equated with the value of a penny? Is love so easily obtainable, that a penny is used to draw a marginal line of comparison? Love is priceless when remembered through out the soul,both the good love and the not so good. Yeats gave an emotion-love- a
definition, on a visual level that has surpassed time itself.
I've always been inspired by poetry, its calm and soothing and help the mind to transcend time and space. Brown penny bring thought to idea of love and imootalises the idea of beauty. I wish i possessed the talent of one such as William Butler Yeats. i became enamoured with his words through the movie "Must love Dogs". His vision, his incite and the clarity of his words goes way beyond its depth
I loved Christopher Plummers recitation in "Must Love Dogs" but I think the first time I heard this poem was on an episode of "One Life to Live" There was a gorgeous Irishman named Patrick who recited the poem during a love scene. That had stayed with me for years and I did not know it was a real poem until MLDs.
I first read this poem at school back in South Africa and was reminded of it again in "Must Love Dogs" and I was completely drawn to it by the way it challenges us to go out and embrace love. Too often we end up philosophising in circles about lost loves, more often than not losing faith, afraid of yet another heart ache, afraid of what that next love may bring, or what exactly defines the perfect love, but as Yates says; we would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon. Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny, One cannot begin it too soon.
Emma D, was I too young to love?
I first heard this poem back in the 80's on a soap opera(One life to live). It's HOT.I heard it again on the movie everyone's writing about.I've never been into poem's, I guess you can never be too old to start.
Just finished watching the film, "Must Love Dogs". It was great and the recital of this poem int eh film made me intrigued to come and read about william b yeats. The poem has touched me.
I have yet to find love but in hearing that poem it brings me hope that i one day will find the ONE.
Thanks to the film for bring such a great poem and indeed poet to my attention.
After watching MLD several times I went to the bookstore to find the "original" Brown Penny. Yes it slightly different than the movie's recital, but it is excellent. Does the brown represent the value of love - what is that guy thinking? One tosses a coin for, amoung other things, luck, and makes a wish. Brown penny is its color, but it is symbolic, as love can be.
I saw the movie, "Must Love Dogs," quite some time ago and have not forgotten the recitation of the poem. I had never known this poem, and I have thought about it many times since the movie. The poem, being about what it is to find love, just has a comforting feel to it for myself, and even tho I know from experience, that love evolves, and it isn't always pretty, but this poem still enables me to tap into those…
Read the whole commentI saw the movie, "Must Love Dogs," quite some time ago and have not forgotten the recitation of the poem. I had never known this poem, and I have thought about it many times since the movie. The poem, being about what it is to find love, just has a comforting feel to it for myself, and even tho I know from experience, that love evolves, and it isn't always pretty, but this poem still enables me to tap into those feelings of finding love in the beginning of a relationship. The feelings of, "finding love," is nothing short of intoxicating, and so I laugh now because I suppose it is only proper that the end of love feels much like a hangover. The poem is comforting, and even makes me feel a bit giddy and not many writings can actually make you remember feelings that are short-lived, but wonderful.
I first heard of this poem from OLTL. I found a copy of the poem being recited on Thorsten Kaye's website, and love listening to it. It is so beautiful and deep. I have not seen Must Love Dogs, but now I will. I am curious to hear how it was said in that movie. I love this poem!
well..I was just looking at some nice poetry till I ve found this one and I have to say after I saw the comments and about the Must love dongs moovie I was profoundly touched of the way thatn that man recited this poem..it is alhmost imposible not to be left in your mind his low voice and the way it was sayd but expecially the words and the way they are put together..I believe I have found one of my favorite poems...
I have always know then first line of the second stanza to read, "And the penny sang up in my face". Were there different version of this poem?
Dan -- Yeats wrote two versions of the poem. The one above is the one he wrote as a young man. The stanza you remember was written later, when he was a more bitter man.
And the penny sang up in my face,
10 „There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it,
For he would be thinking of love
That is looped in the loops of her hair,
Till the loops of time had run.“
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny.
One cannot begin it too soon.
I don't have my Yeats book at hand, but I believe the publication dates on the two poems are about 15-20 years apart.
What does Yeats mean when he says "One cannot begin it too soon"?
Does he mean that you have to wait to love or that no matter how old you are you are at an age to love? Any insight would be helpful...there is a pretty substantial bet on this!
"One cannot begin it too soon" means that love is so wonderful, you need to start early. Don't waste time. Don't put it off. The poet tossed the penny to see if he was too young to love and decides at the end that a person cannot begin soon enough! Go out and love!
"One cannot begin it too soon"
Love is so rich and deep that no one person can understand the depth of it's richess, therefore as soon as one finds love, he or she should get busy loving. And it doesn't matter if one is young or old because as soon as you find love, it transforms your life and makes it so much more rich and fulfilling.
Must Loves Dogs is a cute movie. Between the movie and the poem, they remind me of another saying - "Get busy living, or get busy dying" You can easily replace living with loving in my opinion because love is what life is all about.
Thank you and God Bless You.
Reminds me of Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins to Make Much of Time": the admonition is to get on out there and love for "[one] cannot begin too soon." Am I "too young" or am I "old enough"? the answer is arrived at through the toss of a coin: 'heads she loves me'; 'tails she loves me not.' Or perhaps the speaker tosses a penny into a wishing well asking for the answer to the question. Regardless, he must already be…
Read the whole commentReminds me of Robert Herrick's "To the Virgins to Make Much of Time": the admonition is to get on out there and love for "[one] cannot begin too soon." Am I "too young" or am I "old enough"? the answer is arrived at through the toss of a coin: 'heads she loves me'; 'tails she loves me not.' Or perhaps the speaker tosses a penny into a wishing well asking for the answer to the question. Regardless, he must already be in love, though afraid to take the ultimate plunge,as he is "looped in the loops of her hair."
The second stanza may be about some realization he comes to much later in the relationship --or another one down the road, because he has learned a lesson about love: it is immense, and noone is "wise enough/To find out all that is in it"; we can only try as best as we are capable of, anf that will never be enough to fully commprehend the breadth, width, or depth of love. The personification and hyperbole of the stars running away and "the shadows [eating] the moon" only testify to the magnanimty of love's power and its inexplicable magnetism, even metaphysical phenomenon: yet, it is something we are only cheating ourselves out of if we do not "begin it...soon."
I love the poem from Must love dogs, can someone send me the poem or tell me where I can read it online.
To Adrian from New Zealand. You must excert some positive thinking to obtain even a touch of love and romance. Keep your options open. Remember what Gibran said: "Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love." To further add to our inability to control loves direction, he stated: "And think not you can control the course of love, for love, it it finds you worthy, directs your course." Love is only dead if you make it so. There is someone for you - the hard part is the waiting. AntiguaBill
Yeats: Brown Penny
The Irish have a mastery of words and music that beguiles. This poem beguiles me. Does 'throwing' the brown penny mean spending wealth, or gambling as in 'pitch and toss' or is it simply 'heads she does, tails she does not'? I do not know. Does 'crooked' mean meandering or tortuous; as with 'The course of true love never did run smooth' or does it rather mean deceitful or two-faced just like a penny with two faces?…
Read the whole commentThe Irish have a mastery of words and music that beguiles. This poem beguiles me.
Does 'throwing' the brown penny mean spending wealth, or gambling as in 'pitch and toss' or is it simply 'heads she does, tails she does not'? I do not know.
Does 'crooked' mean meandering or tortuous; as with 'The course of true love never did run smooth' or does it rather mean deceitful or two-faced just like a penny with two faces?
Does 'brown penny' mean a small amount of money or is it a girl with brown hair?
Christopher Plummer breathes life and warmth into this beguiling song of love and the message 'do not delay' is clear enough just as Shakespeare's Feste in Twelth Night says
'What's to come is still unsure:
In delay there lies no plenty;
Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty,
Youth's a stuff will not endure.'
Loved the film MLD's as well. Enjoy love and life.
Chris from England