The Pity of Love

"The Pity of Love" is a poem by William Butler Yeats that reflects on the pain and suffering that can be caused by love. In the poem, the speaker describes the pity of love as being "beyond all telling," suggesting that it is an emotion that is difficult to fully express or understand.

 A pity beyond all telling
Is hid in the heart of love:
The folk who are buying and selling,
The clouds on their journey above,
The cold wet winds ever blowing,
And the shadowy hazel grove
Where mouse-grey waters are flowing,
Threaten the head that I love.

"A pity beyond all telling" refers to an overwhelming feeling of sadness that the speaker cannot fully express.
"Is hid in the heart of love" suggests that this sadness is related to love, and is hidden or repressed.
"The folk who are buying and selling" could suggest that the speaker is observing people engaging in commerce, and how this is a distraction from the sadness they feel.
"The clouds on their journey above" could suggest the fleeting nature of life and how things are constantly changing.
"The cold wet winds ever blowing" and "mouse-grey waters flowing" evoke a sense of bleakness and a sense of nature that is not comforting.
"Threaten the head that I love" implies that this sadness and sense of bleakness is threatening the person the speaker loves.

The first stanza of the poem describes various elements of the natural world - the people who are buying and selling, the clouds in the sky, the cold winds, and the shadowy hazel grove - as threatening the head (or person) that they love. The speaker suggests that these elements of the natural world are symbols of the challenges and hardships that can arise in a relationship and that they threaten the stability and happiness of the person that they love.

The second stanza of the poem reflects on the way that suffering and loss can affect our perception of the world around us. The speaker suggests that the "secret knowledge" passed from one person to another (presumably knowledge of suffering and loss) makes the beauties of the earth seem fleeting and insubstantial, like a dream. The speaker also suggests that the heavens and stars are like a woman's boudoir and eyes, respectively, implying that even the beauty of the natural world is marred by the presence of suffering and loss.

In summary, the poem describes a sadness that comes from love, which the speaker cannot fully express, and it is being threatened by the world around them, which is observed as cold, wet and ever-changing.