On Yeats's poems

This blog is part of Thinking activity task of W.B.Yeats poems from Twenteith Centurry literature. In this blog two poems will analyses. 

William Butler Yeats  : 

William Butler Yeats is widely considered to be one of the greatest poets of the 20th century.
 He belonged to the Protestant, Anglo-Irish minority that had controlled the economic, political, social, and cultural life of Ireland since at least the end of the 17th century. 

Birth and Early Life:
Born: June 13, 1865, in Dublin, Ireland.
William Butler Yeats was the son of John Butler Yeats, a well-known painter, and Susan Mary Pollexfen, from a prosperous merchant family.

Education: 

Educated in Dublin and London.
Studied at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin.

Literary Beginnings:

Early interest in literature and poetry.
Co-founded the Rhymers' Club in London in 1890, a group dedicated to the promotion of poetic experimentation.

Mysticism and Symbolism: 

Deep interest in mysticism, folklore, and the occult.
Influenced by the Symbolist movement in literature.

Key Works:"

The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems" (1889)

"The Tower" (1928)


The Abbey Theatre: 

Played a crucial role in the Irish Literary Revival.
Helped establish the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in 1904 with Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn.


Political Involvement:

Active involvement in Irish politics and the struggle for independence.
Served as a senator in the newly formed Irish Free State in 1922.

Personal Life:

Married Georgie Hyde-Lees in 1917.
Had two children, Anne and Michael Yeats.

Nobel Prize:

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 for his "always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation."

Later Years and Death:

Continued writing and publishing until his death.
Passed away on January 28, 1939, in Menton, France.

Legacy: 

Regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century.
His works continue to be studied and admired for their rich symbolism, lyricism, and exploration of Irish identity.

The Second Coming

POEM :   

1. The Second Coming

STANZA 1 : 

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.

EXPLANATION : 

• The first stanza introduces the image of a falcon flying in a widening gyre, a spiral or circular motion. This is a metaphor for the world becoming chaotic and disconnected.
• The falconer has lost control, symbolizing the breakdown of order.
• "Things fall apart" is a famous line, suggesting a disintegration of stability.
• The idea of "mere anarchy" emphasizes the chaos that is spreading throughout the world.
• 
  
• 
  
• STANZA 2 : 

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.

EXPLANATION : 

The second stanza describes a "blood-dimmed tide," symbolizing violence and bloodshed that is unleashed everywhere.

The "ceremony of innocence" being drowned signifies the loss of purity and goodness in the world.
The contrast between the best lacking conviction and the worst being full of passionate intensity suggests a moral imbalance and a lack of ethical grounding.

• STANZA 3 : 

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 the sands of the desert

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

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all around 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?

EXPLANATION : 

The third stanza introduces the idea of a revelation or Second Coming, a biblical reference to the return of Christ.
The speaker then has a vision of a sphinxlike creature in the desert, with a lion's body and a man's head. This could symbolize a destructive force or a new order arising.
The description of the creature's "gaze blank and pitiless as the sun" suggests a sense of indifference and harsh judgment.
The final lines pose a disturbing question about the nature of this approaching entity and its ominous journey towards Bethlehem, a symbolic place of birth and historical significance.

Overall, "The Second Coming" is a deeply symbolic and apocalyptic poem that reflects Yeats' concerns about the turbulent political and social climate of his time. The imagery and language used create a sense of foreboding and uncertainty about the future.

                         

                      On Being Asked for a War Poem

2. 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.   

        EXPLANATION  : 

The poet begins by stating his opinion that during times of war or crisis, it is preferable for poets to remain silent.

The poet suggests that poets should refrain from speaking or writing during such times because, in reality (truth), their words may not have the power to guide or advise political leaders effectively.

The poet asserts that poets lack the ability ("gift") to advise or guide statesmen (political leaders) in the right direction. It implies that poets are not equipped to offer practical solutions to political problems.

The idea here is that those who are skilled in pleasing others, such as entertaining or satisfying a young girl or an old man, have already been involved ("had enough of meddling") and may not be suitable for political matters.

The poet contrasts the serious nature of political affairs with the more carefree and leisurely concerns of a young girl enjoying the laziness or idleness ("indolence") of her youth.

Similarly, the poet contrasts political issues with the comforting and perhaps simpler act of pleasing an old man during a quiet winter evening. The emphasis is on the mundane and personal rather than the complexities of war and statecraft.

In summary, W.B. Yeats suggests that poets should remain silent during times of crisis because their skills are better suited for personal and pleasurable matters, and they lack the capacity to guide statesmen in the complexities of political decision-making.

References : 

http://movehimintothesun.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/on-being-asked-for-a-war-poem-w-b-yeats/

https://blog.dilipbarad.com/2021/05/whauden-poems.html

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-butler-yeats