Who wrote For Anne Gregory?

The poem was written by the Irish poet W.B. Yeats.

What does the yellow hair symbolise?

It symbolises outward, physical beauty that attracts people on the surface.

What is the theme of For Anne Gregory?

The contrast between physical beauty and inner worth, and whether love can be purely selfless.

Who can love a person for themselves alone, according to the poem?

According to the speaker, only God can love a person for themselves alone, beyond their appearance.

CBSE Class 10 First Flight · Chapter 19

For Anne Gregory

W.B. Yeats

A gentle argument that real love must be for the soul, not the looks

Summary

The poem is a conversation about beauty and love. The speaker tells a young woman, Anne Gregory, that young men are drawn to her lovely golden hair and fall in love with her outward appearance rather than with who she truly is.

Anne responds that she could change her hair colour so that men might love her for herself alone and not for her yellow hair. The speaker counters that this is not so simple, suggesting that people are naturally attracted to physical beauty.

He adds that only God could love a person for themselves alone, beyond their outward looks. The poem's central idea is the difference between superficial attraction to appearance and genuine love for a person's inner self, gently questioning whether purely selfless human love is possible.

Key points to remember

Theme: the contrast between physical beauty and true inner worth.
Central idea: people are drawn to outward looks, but real love should be for the inner self.
Tone: gentle, thoughtful and lightly philosophical.
Form: a dialogue between the speaker and Anne Gregory.
Device — symbolism: golden/yellow hair symbolises external, physical beauty.
Device — allusion: the reference to God suggests only divine love is truly selfless.
Device — imagery: the picture of yellow hair anchors the debate about appearance.

Important questions (board pattern)

3 marksWhat does the 'yellow hair' symbolise in the poem?
How to answer: Explain that the golden hair stands for outward, physical beauty that attracts people superficially.
3 marksWhy does the speaker say only God could love Anne for herself alone?
How to answer: Show that human love is drawn to appearance, so truly selfless, inner-directed love belongs to the divine.
6 marksHow does the poem contrast physical beauty with inner worth?
How to answer: Develop the speaker's view that men love her looks, Anne's wish to be loved for herself, and the conclusion about selfless love; link to the theme.
3 marksWhat does Anne Gregory propose, and how does the speaker respond?
How to answer: State that Anne offers to change her hair colour; the speaker replies that attraction to beauty cannot be avoided so easily.
2 marksWhat is the central message of 'For Anne Gregory'?
How to answer: Note that genuine love should value the inner self over outward appearance.

Common exam traps

Don't read the poem as praising beauty; it questions love based only on looks.
Don't ignore the dialogue form — identify who says what between speaker and Anne.
Explain the 'God' reference as a point about selfless love, not as a religious lesson.
Name the yellow hair as a symbol, not just a description, when discussing devices.

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote For Anne Gregory?: The poem was written by the Irish poet W.B. Yeats.
What does the yellow hair symbolise?: It symbolises outward, physical beauty that attracts people on the surface.
What is the theme of For Anne Gregory?: The contrast between physical beauty and inner worth, and whether love can be purely selfless.
Who can love a person for themselves alone, according to the poem?: According to the speaker, only God can love a person for themselves alone, beyond their appearance.