A. just ignored one really

C. he didn't do it on purpose
he just was out of this world half the time
humming away

A. yes
he hummed a lot

C. it sounded actually more like moaning, doesn't it

A. it did, yes
well it was the mmmmmmmm
mm that sort of noise
cht! (ha)
I don't know
then it was a, one of the times he'd been humming
I can't think what sort of meter he was humming in
but this was -- I was sent up to the room he was sitting in
we used to have a sitting room upstairs
and told Mr Yeats wanted to see me
and I thought dear heavens what's happening now
and I went in and he said sit down
and then he suddenly began reading you know your poem about yellow hair [To Anne Gregory]

Yeats. “never shall a young man
thrown into despair
by those great honey-colored
ramparts at your ear
love you for yourself alone
and not your yellow hair”
“but I can get a hair dye
and set such color there
brown or black or carrot
that young men in despair
may love me for myself alone
and not my yellow hair”
“I heard an old religious man
but yesterday declare
that he had found a text to prove
that only God, my dear,
could love you for yourself alone
and not your yellow hair”

A. I was very embarrassed, I thought it was awful
you know doggerel
anyway, you know, I sort of said Oh marvelous Mr Yeats
read it again
um which of course he that was splendid
and then I rushed out saying something stupid like
I must go and wash my hair or something
but not very long after that
um Mr Yeats was um broadcasting from Belfast I think it was
and um this was on and Mr Yeats comes on and he says
and this is a poem to the daughter of my old friend Lady Gregory
and she has hair like a cornfield in the sun, or words to this effect
and then he did this 'never shall a young man' thing
well next morning we come down
and there's a envelope by my plate
um from this Austrian, Goulding, who was my boyfriend at the time
and I thought well this is absolutely marvelous
and opened it -- a poem
and I thought wonderful, made it at last
and the poem read
"if I was alone on an island
and only Anne with me there
I'd make myself cushions and bolsters
by stuffing her skin with her hair"
end of a lovely romance!

C. yes, you and your admirers, um
ha ha