DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LITERATURE

AND APPLIED LINGUISTICS

W. B. YEATS

• W. B. YEATS AS A MODERN POET

• THEMES IN POETRY OF W. B. YEATS

Submitted to:
Prof. Imran Hussain
On: 10-08-2021

Mujahid Jalil
MA English (Evening)
Roll.# 68
 (01)
W. B. YEATS AS MODERN POET
William Butler Yeats, one of the modern poets, influences his contemporaries as well as
successors, such as T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and W.B. Auden. Though three common themes in
Yeats’ poetry are love, Irish Nationalism and mysticism, but modernism is the overriding theme
in his writings. Yeats started his long literary career as a romantic poet and gradually evolved
into a modernist poet. As a typical modern poet he regrets for post-war modern world which is
now in a disorder and chaotic situation and laments for the past. Yeats as a modern poet is
anti-rationalist in his attitude which is expressed through his passion for occultisms or
mysticism. He is a prominent poet in modern times for his sense of moral wholeness of humanity
and history.
Now, a comparative study of Yeats with his contemporary poets is necessary. Yeats and
Eliot are two famous contemporary poets and it is believed that, Yeats is the seed of modernism
where, Eliot is the tree of that seed. Eliot has a great influence on Yeats. Both have certain
things in common. Both are intensely aware of man in history and of the soul in eternity. Both
at times see history as an image of the soul writ large. Another important similarity of Yeats with
other modern poets such as Eliot, Pound is that they lament for the past and tend to escape
from present miserable condition toward an illusionary Eden. In this regard Yeats differs from
Auden, who celebrates all disorder conditions of his time into his poetry.
Yeats as a modern poet: Yeats, like T. S. Eliot, is a representative modern poet and presents
the spirit of the age in his poetry. Like Eliot, Yeats also uses myth, symbolism, juxtaposition,
colloquial language and literary allusions as a device to express the anxiety of modernity. After
the World war-I people got totally shattered and they suffered from frustration, boredom, anxiety
and loneliness. Yeats has used different type of landscape to symbolize the spiritual and
psychological states of modern man.
Analysis of his poems: Now, let us analyze some of his poems individually to trace out modern
elements –
“The Second Coming” is a superb example of Yeats’ modernism as in this poem Yeats portrays
the modern chaotic and disorder condition after World War I and the poet tends to escape from
this situation.
The very begging lines of the poem represent the chaotic situation of the modern world—
“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 first image with which we are presented in the poem is an image of disaster; a falcon cannot
hear the call of safety, and begins to spiral wider and wider, more out of control. The falcon
which represents civilization is no longer in a position to listen to intellect. The centre is unable
to hold its own. As a result, things are falling apart and what results from this disintegration is a
kind of complete anarchy bringing alone with it a lot of bloodshed. Such disorder condition also
effects the religion that Yeats believes much chaos has entered in Christianity as it has lost its
effect and now it is about to end. The good people sadly lack conviction, while the bad pursue
their wicked ends with passionate intensity. The second coming is at hand. This coming prophet
will be the prophet of destruction. The falcon, symbolizing intellectual power, has got free of the
control of the falconer, representing the heart or soul.
Then, a powerful expression of Yeats’ agony facing old age appears at the beginning of “Sailing
to Byzantium”:
“That is no country for old men. The young/ In one another’s arms, birds in the tress/
Those dying generations – at their song.”
In yeats poem there is no place for old things. Yeats sees old age as a symbol of the tyranny of
time. Rage against the limitations of age and society upon an old man occurs frequently in his
poetry. In “Among School Children” he considers himself a comfortable scarecrow. The heart

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becomes ‘comprehending’, unfortunately attached to a ‘dying animal’. In “The Tower”, Yeats
calls the aged body an ‘absurdity’.
In the poem “A Prayer For My Daughter”, Yeats is ever so worried with the present disorder
situation and moreover the upcoming dangerous future that is near to the next generation. In
this poem Yeats wishes to his daughter some abstract qualities with those she will be able to
face the upcoming challenges of future. In the poem, Yeats’ prayer is not only for his daughter
but also for all people of future generation.
In “Easter 1916”, Yeats sense of humanism is seen which is another modern trait in literature.
The horrible effects of war cast a gloomy shadow on the poetic sensibility of the modern poets.
The sad realities of life paved the way of humanitarian aspect in modern literature. Yeats’ poetry
also abounds in humanism. In this poem, he feels even for his rival. He says:
“He had done most bitter wrong/ To some who are near my heart,”
Yeats’ use of symbols is another modern trait in his poetry which is complex and rich. He is
the chief representative of the Symbolist Movement. He draws his symbols from Irish folklore
and mythology, philosophy, metaphysics, occult, magic, paintings and drawings. Several
allusions are compressed into a single symbol. His symbols are all pervasive key symbols. His
key-symbols shed light on his previous poems and “illuminates their sense”. ‘The Rose’, ‘Swan’
and ‘Helen’ are his key-symbols. Symbols give ‘dumb things voices, and bodiless things bodies’
in Yeats’ poetry.
Thus, on the basis of our above discussion we can rightly say that Yeats is one of those
celebrated modern poets, who flourished in the beginning of the twentieth century and created
their own style of poetry in order to show their dissatisfaction with the world.

(02)
THEMES IN YEATS POETRY
During his lifetime, Yeats saw many ups and downs in his own life as well as in Ireland and the
world. So he tried to record most of these ups and downs and tried to interpret them in his own
unique poetic way. The result is that his themes cover such wide-ranging areas as love, old
age, politics art and aristocracy, violence and prophecy, history, myth, unity of being and
country, intellectual hatred, innocence, anarchy and nostalgia.
A romantic longing to escape is one of the major themes of Yeats's poetry. The best example
of that is the beautiful poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”. The poem gives a perfect expression
of the feeling of nostalgia. In the poem, Yeats reveals his desire to escape away from the din
and bustle of town life to the remote island of Innisfree. He intends to build his own cottage and
produce his dailies with his own hands. He also wants to be entertained by the sweet music of
the birds and insects.
He thinks that the rhythm of nature will lull him into a peaceful sleep. This desire to go in contact
with nature is so forceful in him that he can see the place in his imagination. In his mind's eye,
he visualises the gentle movement of the lake water:
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore:
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavement grey,
I hear it in the deep heart's core.

Yeast’s poetry reveals his wares to Irish nationalism. Thus the poem ‘Easter’ 1916 depicts the
poet's respect to the Irish nationalist who laid down their lives for the sake of their country. It
may be that those persons had led a comic and ordinary their country and ordinary life earlier.
But their sacrifice has given a meaning to their lives and as a result, a terrible beauty is born.
These people embody the eternal human-like quality. Their permanent stone-like quality can
trouble the lives of other people. This is why the poet says:

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Hearts with one purpose alone Through summer and winter seem Eachanted to a stone
To trouble the living stream

Irish mythology, legends and personalities form another of Yeats major themes. Easter 1916
is based on Irish mythology and Irish politics. In this poem, we see Yeats's myth-making
imagination at work. He transforms and modifies old myths to suit his purpose, he even creates
new myths. The opening lines convey an impression that some legendary figures are coming
out of the dead past to take part in the activity of the present.

Yeats's sense of history is another of his major themes and the best expression of this theme
comes in the great poems “The Second Coming” and “Sailing to Byzantium”. In “The Second
Coming”, the whole of history is seen as gyres or alternating cycles.

According to history the present cycle of history which began roughly with the birth of Christ, is
about to end and it is likely to be replaced by another cycle, the ruling authority which may be
very terrifying and cruel:
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to he born?

Easter 1916 deals with contemporary Irish history. Sailing to Byzantium is an emphatic
reminder of Yeats's keen interest in the historic city of the Eastern Empire and the significance
he attached to its art and culture. Byzantium to Yeats stood for that moment in history where
religious, aesthetic and practical life were one something never achieved before or since in
recorded history.

Old age is the theme of many of Yeats's poems, the most notable hong “Sailing to Byzantium".
In the poem, we find that as Yeats is a grown man. It is a country in which all are given to
sensual pleasures. Reproductive activity goes on everywhere, men and women, birds, hearts
and fish all alike indulge in sensual pleasures.

Many of Yeats's poems have his love for Maud Gonne. Very poignant passing references to
his loss of Maud Gonne and her beauty are made in “A Prayer for My Daughter”. In the poem,
we also find the theme of intellectual hatred.

According to the poet Maud Gonne had intellectual hatred because of which she acted foolishly
and ruined her happiness by marrying John Mac Bride, a worthless “vainglorious lout” So the
poet wishes that his daughter should avoid the fault of Maud Gonne-intellectual hatred.

To sum up, Yeats chose various themes for his poems. He patiently probed into different ¦elds
of learning to find the appropriate theme and the means of presenting it to his readers. Even if
he took up personal themes, he made it universal by relating it to the Irish folklore and
mythology.

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