Question

When I had laid it on the floor

I went to blow the fire a-flame,

But something rustled on the floor,

And someone called me by my name:

It had become a glimmering girl

With apple blossom in her hair

Who called me by my name and ran

And faded through the brightening air.

—“The Song of Wandering Aengus,”
William Butler Yeats

To “rustle” means to make a series of quick, light sounds (such as when papers rub against each other). This word helps you imagine that

a loud noise is heard from a distance.
a girl is speaking to the poem’s writer.
something has just fallen to the ground.
something small is moving in the room.

Answer 1

In the context of the poem, the word "rustle" suggests that **something small is moving in the room.** The sound implies a light and subtle movement, which aligns with the imagery of the glimmering girl appearing and moving through the air.