The Human Child

The human child of the poem’s repeating quatrain symbolizes innocence. That this human child is also the “Stolen Child” of the poem’s title demonstrates the loss of innocence that accompanies a child’s departure from “the warm hillside” (45) of his family home. The fairies tempt human innocence with ill-gotten fruits, sensual dances that involve “Mingling hands and mingling glances” (18), and the opportunity to play tricks on other creatures, all while avoiding the “weeping” (12) that characterizes the human world. Ironically, by offering the child a chance to preserve his innocence, the fairies themselves steal that innocence.

Fairies

The fairies (or “faeries”) of the poem have a dual symbolic purpose. They represent what might variously be considered the hermetic, the esoteric, the magical or simply the unknown. They have access to places and forms of knowledge that humans can only experience by going away...