The speaker, an intense restless youth, goes out to a hazel wood at dawn "...a fire was in his head". Hazel trees are regarded as having magical, mystical and protective properties. He cuts and "peels a hazel wand" in order to attract a magical entity "white moths and moth-like stars" which would help him to achieve fulfilment in all areas of his life. He attaches a thread and a berry to his "wand" and begins to fish in a nearby stream. He catches "a little silver trout"

He returns to his lodgings with only the fish, not enough to make a meal, but enough to satisfy his soul. At this stage a metamorphosis occurs. The fish becomes a "glimmering girl" with apple blossoms in her hair. She calls his name and then she has the power to "fade through the brightening air" of the morning. The words "glimmering" and "fade" indicates the fairy-like, mystical qualities of the girl and they enhance the magical atmosphere. This girl can be associated with Maud Gonne, Yeats's life-long love. When he first saw her, she was standing beside a bouquet of apple blossoms

The speaker acknowledges that he is entraced by the girl and has now grown old and "travelled far" in his search for her. Unlike Aengus of the legend, he has not been united with his beloved. However, he remains optamistic - "i will find out where she has gone and kiss her lips and take her hands". He is determined not to give up his search, as he is convinced that all will be well, if he can find his "glimmering girl", who is no longer a myth but has become mortal. Together they will enjoy all life has to offer them - "the silver apples of the moon, the golden apples of the sun"

The poet's intention is to express his beliefs which centre on the mystical, spiritual and unknown elements of nature. He maintained close ties with his Irish roots. In the poem he portrays his fascination with the occult by creating an alternative reality which incorporates the Celtic myths of Ireland. He infuses the poem with a sense of the spiritual world and provides the reader with an opportunity to imagine and ream of a different reality

The poem is written in three octaves. Every second line rhymes and there is a consistent rhythm throughout the poem which creates the effect of a chant or spell

The mood of the poem changes in each stanza. Stanza 1 the speaker is restless and searching. A mystical atmosphere is created by the use of imagery such as "hazel wand", "white moths" and the "moth-like stars".Stanza 2 suggests wonderment, a mystical aura and a sense of loss. Here Yeats deals with the gap created by our ability to imagine perfection, to imagine a life better than we will ever know and the mediocrity of everyday life. Yeats said: "we suffer when that imagined perfection makes the ordinary seem desolate and also when the ordinary replaces our dreams." The mood in stanza 3 is weary, expectant and poignant. The speaker will never find peace as he is doomed to spend his whole life searching for an elusive apparition. However, he is unaware of this and his quest is obsessive and endless.

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