W.B.Yeats - Poems

 This blog is a part of thinking activity.

- Assigned by Dilip Barad sir.

William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist and writer, and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with Lady Gregory founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature, and later served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State.

∆ Major Works :-

- The Land of Heart’s Desire (1894)

- Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902)

 - Deirdre (1907)

- The Wild Swans at Coole (1919)

- The Tower (1928) 

- Last Poems and Plays (1940).

🌺 On being asked for a War Poem :-

I think it better that in times like these

A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth

We have no gift to set a statesman right;

He has had enough of meddling who can please

A young girl in the indolence of her youth,

Or an old man upon a winter’s night.

Ans.

Historical Context:

- Written in 1915, during the early years of World War I.

-  Yeats, an Irish nationalist, was critical of the war, which he saw as a conflict between European empires with little relevance to Ireland.

- The poem is a response to a request for Yeats to contribute a war poem.

Structure and Form:

- Six lines, divided into two tercets (three-line stanzas).

- Iambic tetrameter (four metrical feet per line, each consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable).

- Rhyme scheme:  ABA'B'C (first and third lines of each stanza rhyme, as do the second and fourth lines).

Analysis:

Theme : The limitations of poetry in the face of complex historical events like war.

Tone: Melancholy, reflective, and slightly defiant.

Key Lines :

     "I think it better that in times like these / A poet's mouth be silent"

    "We have no gift to set a statesman right"

    "A young girl in the indolence of her youth, / Or an old man upon a winter's night"

Figurative Language :

    -  Metaphor: "A poet's mouth" represents the power and reach of poetry.

    -  Enjambment: Lines run over into the next, creating a sense of flow and continuity.

Interpretation:

Yeats argues that poets are not equipped to address the complexities of war and politics. Their true purpose, he suggests, is to offer solace and beauty in times of darkness, not to take sides or advocate for specific causes. The poem's final lines, with their focus on private moments of joy and contemplation, offer a stark contrast to the horrors of war.

🌺 The Second Coming :-

Turning and turning in the widening gyre   

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere   

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst   

Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.   

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out   

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert   

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,   

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,   

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it   

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.   

The darkness drops again; but now I know   

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,   

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,   

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Ans.

"The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats is a complex and powerful poem that has been captivating readers for over a century.

Historical Context:

- Written in 1919, shortly after the devastation of World War I and amidst the Irish War of Independence, the poem reflects the sense of chaos and uncertainty of the time.

- The poem uses Christian imagery of the Second Coming to allegorically depict the birth of a new era, not necessarily a religious one.

- Some interpretations link the poem to specific events like the Russian Revolution or the Spanish Flu pandemic, highlighting the anxieties of that period.

Themes:

Loss of Certainty: The poem portrays a world where traditional values and systems are breaking down, creating a sense of moral and cultural anarchy.

Violence and Chaos: The imagery is filled with darkness, bloodshed, and animalistic figures, suggesting a coming period of upheaval and brutality.

Birth and Transformation: Despite the bleakness, there's also a sense of anticipation and the potential for a new order to emerge from the ashes.

Faith and Spirituality: While not overtly religious, the poem grapples with questions of faith and the search for meaning in a fragmented world.

Formal Techniques:

Symbolism: The poem is rich in symbolic imagery, with birds, beasts, and the "rough beast" representing different aspects of the coming change.

Shifting Perspectives: The poem moves between different voices and perspectives, adding to the sense of confusion and uncertainty.

Vivid Language: Yeats uses vivid and evocative language, full of metaphors and similes, to create a powerful and unsettling atmosphere.

Interpretations:

Political: Some see the poem as a response to the rise of fascism and other totalitarian regimes that emerged in the wake of WWI.

Cultural: Others view it as a commentary on the decline of Western civilization and the emergence of a new, potentially barbaric era.

Personal: There's also a strong element of personal angst and anxiety in the poem, reflecting Yeats' own disillusionment with the world around him.

Some Photos :-