 That song was included in a volume of Greek poetry translated by Lucy Garnett, which Yeats had written a review of in 1896.It has been claimed that the poem's story is based on the Irish god Aengus, and specifically the story of the "Dream of Aengus", which had first appeared in the 8th century, in which Aengus falls in love with a woman whom he sees only in his dreams.The poem has also been compared to the aisling genre of Irish poetry, in which a magical woman appears who represents the country of Ireland.