A Prayer for My Daughter

Poetry | William Butler Yeats
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How but in custom and in ceremony

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 Explain the following lines:

“How but in custom and in ceremony

Are innocence and beauty born?”

These lines are taken from W. B. Yeats’s (1865-1939) poem “A Prayer for My Daughter” (1919). Here, Yeats is praying for his newborn daughter during a violent storm. He is worried about the future of his daughter in a violent world. He hopes that his daughter will grow up with good values, peace, and a balanced life.

In the last stanza of the poem, Yeats prays that when his daughter marries, may her husband take her to a house wh

ere custom and ceremony are followed. The poet believes that innocence and beauty can only grow in a place where custom and ceremony are followed. By “custom,” Yeats means good habits, discipline, and kindness, etc. By “ceremony,” he means the respect for good manners.

Yeats wants her to go to a house after marriage, where people practice good habits like kindness and love. He believes that without custom and ceremony, a person may become wild, confused, or selfish. But it is easier to learns patience, kindness, and self-control where custom and ceremony are followed.

So, in simple words, Yeats is saying that a good environment, good manners, and cultural values help create a truly beautiful and innocent human being. This is what he wants for his daughter.

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William Butler Yeats
Literary Writer
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