The Song of Wandering Aengus Summary

The poem begins with the speaker, Aengus—an Irish Celtic god—wandering in the woods in a passionate, intense mood. He uses a branch and a berry to create a fishing pole, which he drops into a stream. He then catches a silver trout. Laying the fish on the ground, the speaker starts to make a fire. He is interrupted by the sound of someone calling his name, and, looking around, Aengus sees that the fish has transformed into a girl, who wears apple blossoms in her hair. Calling Aengus's name, she runs and disappears into the air. Now, the speaker is old and tired from wandering through the landscape's hills and valleys, searching for this girl. When he finds her, he says, he will kiss her, hold her hands, and walk with her on the sun-dappled grass. The two of them will spend eternity plucking the moon and sun as if these are apples on a tree.