The poem is rich in symbolism. The hazelwood fishing rod signifies magic, the supernatural and is the Irish symbol for the tree of knowledge and life. Fire symbolises spirituality, destruction and rebirth. The fish is a Christian symbol, associated with the apostles. This idyllic forest is a Garden of Eden. The alliteration of the words "wood", "wind" and "wing" emphasises that elements linked to the ground, are linked to the elements in the air. "moth-like stars" turn the insects into heavenly creatures and the parallel between the flickering stars and the silver trout point to the idea that all animals are from heaven. The alliteration, "through hollow lands and hilly lands" conveys the tiresome physical difficulties of the speaker's quest. This is reinforced by the repetition in "till time and times are done". His quest is endless and success is nowhere in sight. The last two lines of the poem, "the silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun", refer to the fact that Yeats believed that the moon was the source of all instinctual and intuitive thought; while the sun was responsible for individual thought and rationality. They both represent eternity, and symbolise perfect harmony, fulfilment and love. The speaker is on an elusive quest, but he has faith that he will find it and this faith gives meaning to his life