Robert, it's interesting to see that some posters are approaching the poem as if it's "really" about Yeats and Maud Gonne (even if they do so almost unconsciously) and other posters are approaching it "cold," deliberately not allowing themselves any preconceptions about the relationship among the 3 characters. And these varying approaches often result in entirely different conclusions -- e.g. what the speaker thinks of the "beautiful mild woman," whether the speaker is self-serving at the end.

TR Hummer's intriguing post is one among several that don't presuppose much. I'm wondering whether you and other teachers who might read this "prime" your students by telling them of Yeats' love for Gonne before they read the poem.