a Symbol of Danger and Violence At the beginning of the poem there is a great storm blowing outside The poet hears the wind howling This real storm becomes a symbol of the violent world around him Yeats had seen war political unrest and social changes So by the storm Yeats means the dangers confusion and suffering of the modern world Yeats writes Once more the storm is howling Outside the storm is raging again Yeats is walking for an hour and praying for his daughter while she sleeps in a cradle This moment shows a father s fear He worries that the world may not be kind to his daughter when she grows up The storm becomes a picture of all the future troubles that may hurt her life So he prays for his child s safety and happiness in such a world The Laurel Tree as a Symbol of Peace and Stability The laurel tree is a beautiful symbol in this poem Yeats prays that his daughter will grow strong like a green laurel tree O may she live like some green laurel Here the laurel tree stands for peace happiness and stability A laurel tree is evergreen It stays fresh and green throughout the year Yeats wants his daughter to have a life that is peaceful steady and full of natural goodness He wants her to stay rooted in the values of love kindness and tradition By wishing that she becomes a flourishing hidden tree Yeats hopes that she will be safe from the storms of the world The laurel also symbolizes victory and honour especially in ancient cultures So this symbol shows the poet s hope that his daughter will be victorious with a life full of happiness and love The Horn of Plenty as a Symbol of Blessings Yeats also uses the Horn of Plenty as a symbol It is an ancient symbol of blessings joy and abundance In the poem Yeats mentions that he knew the loveliest woman She was full of joy and blessings Have I not seen the loveliest woman born Out of the mouth of Plenty's horn But Yeats says she wasted her blessings because of her pride hatred and anger Because of her opinionated mind she wasted that horn Here Yeats is referring to Maud Gonne a beautiful Irish politician Yeats loved her but she rejected him many times Later she married another Irish nationalist but the marriage did not last long So Yeats uses the Horn of Plenty as a symbol to show that beautiful women sometimes waste their blessings and joy for their hatred and foolish choices By showing this example Yeats prays that his daughter will not lose her blessings In conclusion Yeats uses rich and meaningful symbols in A Prayer for My Daughter The storm shows danger the laurel tree shows peace and stability and the Horn of Plenty shows blessings Through these symbols the poet expresses a father s deep love and gentle prayers for his child s future