Friday, 16 December 2022

Thinking Activity On W.B.Yeats's Poems

This Thinking Activity on W.B. Yeats poem task was assigned by Dr.Dilip Barad sir Department of English MKBU. In this task, we have to write down Two or Three poems by W.B. Yeats and then give our own interpretation of the poem.

Information about W.B. Yeats(1865-1939):-

William Butler Yeats is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1865, Yeats was a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival, a movement that sought to promote Irish culture and heritage. Throughout his career, Yeats wrote many poems, plays, and essays that explored themes of love, loss, and Irish nationalism.

One of Yeats' most famous poems is "The Second Coming," which was published in 1919. This poem is a powerful and haunting exploration of the chaos and upheaval that was occurring in the world at that time. In the poem, Yeats writes about how "the falcon cannot hear the falconer" and how "the ceremony of innocence is drowned." He also speaks of a "rough beast" that is "slouching" toward Bethlehem.


Another well-known poem by Yeats is "When You Are Old," which was published in 1893. This poem is a beautiful and poignant love letter to Yeats' lover, Maud Gonne. In the poem, Yeats writes about how Maud will be when she is old, and he encourages her to remember their love.

In addition to his poetry, Yeats was also a successful playwright. He wrote several plays, including "The Land of Heart's Desire" and "The Countess Cathleen," which explored themes of Irish folklore and mythology.

Yeats was a complex and enigmatic figure whose work continues to be widely studied and admired. In 1923, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, and in 1922, he was elected to the Irish Senate. Yeats died in 1939, but his legacy lives on through his enduring poetry and prose.

Overall, Yeats was a remarkable and multifaceted artist who left a lasting impact on the world of literature. His poetry, plays, and essays continue to be widely studied and admired, and his interest in mysticism and the occult added a unique and intriguing dimension to his work.

Works of Yeats:-
  • The Wild Swans at Coole (1919)
  • Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921)
  • The Tower (1928)
  • The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1933)
  • Last Poems and Plays (1940)
  • The Second Coming
  • Prayer for my Daughter
  • Sailing to Byzantium
  • The Shadowy Waters
  • The Green Helmet (1910)
  • Responsibilities (1914)
Here I'm Discussing the poem of Yeats which is 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree'.

'The Lake Isle of Innisfree'



The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a poem by the Irish poet W.B. Yeats that was published in 1888. The poem is a vivid and evocative description of the speaker's longing to leave the city and move to the peaceful island of Innisfree. The speaker imagines building a small cabin on the island and living a simple, solitary life surrounded by nature. They envision the peace and tranquility that they would find on the island, and how the natural world would provide them with a sense of harmony and calm.

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

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 pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.


The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a powerful expression of the desire for simplicity and solitude, and the way that nature can provide a refuge from the hustle and bustle of modern life. The poem is written in three quatrains, with each quatrain consisting of four lines of iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF, giving the poem a regular, rhythmic structure that reflects the speaker's longing for order and calm.

The first quatrain of the poem introduces the speaker's desire to leave the city and move to Innisfree. The speaker describes how they "will arise and go now" to the island, and how they will build a small cabin there using clay and wattles. This is a metaphor for the way that city life can drain us of energy and vitality.

The second quatrain describes the speaker's plans for their new life on the island. They will plant nine rows of beans, and keep a hive for the honey bees. The reference to the bees is significant because it suggests that the speaker will live in harmony with nature. By keeping bees, the speaker will be contributing to the natural ecosystem of the island.

The third quatrain of the poem describes the peace and tranquility that the speaker will find on the island. They will live "alone in the bee-loud glade," surrounded by the sounds of nature. They want to be free from the noise and distractions of city life, and to live in a place where they can be at one with the natural world.

Overall, The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a beautiful and evocative poem that captures the desire for simplicity and solitude. The poem is a meditation on the way that nature can provide us with a sense of peace and calm, and how it can help us to escape the stress and strain of modern life.

The Prayer For My Daughter



Once more the storm is howling, and half hid
Under this cradle-hood and coverlid
My child sleeps on. There is no obstacle
But Gregory's wood and one bare hill
Whereby the haystack- and roof-levelling wind,
Bred on the Atlantic, can be stayed;
And for an hour I have walked and prayed
Because of the great gloom that is in my mind.
I have walked and prayed for this young child an hour
And heard the sea-wind scream upon the tower,
And under the arches of the bridge, and scream
In the elms above the flooded stream;
Imagining in excited reverie
That the future years had come,
Dancing to a frenzied drum,
Out of the murderous innocence of the sea.

Here I choose only the first stanza because this poem is very long.


"The Prayer for My Daughter" is a poem by W.B. Yeats it was published in 1919. In the poem, the speaker reflects on his hopes and fears for his young daughter, Anne. The poem is written in free verse, with no regular rhyme scheme or meter, which gives it a sense of fluidity and spontaneity.

In This first stanza of the poem describes the speaker's anxiety about the future. He is worried about the storms of life that his daughter will face, and he prays that she will be protected from harm. The imagery of the storm, the cradle, and the child sleeping peacefully suggests the vulnerability and innocence of youth. The speaker also reflects on his own anxiety and fear, and how he has walked and prayed for an hour in an effort to calm his mind.

Overall, "The Prayer for My Daughter" is a beautiful and moving poem that captures the love and concern of a father for his daughter. The poem is a reflection on the hopes and fears that parents have for their children and the ways in which we can help them to grow and flourish in a world that is full of challenges and dangers. The poem is a powerful reminder of the importance of education, wisdom, and kindness, and how these qualities can help us to lead fulfilling and meaningful lives.

Sailing to Byzantium



"Sailing to Byzantium" is a poem by W.B. Yeats that was published in 1928. The poem is a meditation on the idea of art and beauty, and how they can provide us with a sense of transcendence and eternal life. The speaker of the poem is an old man who is tired of the world, and who longs to escape to the city of Byzantium, where he can be surrounded by beauty and art. Here is the full poem...

That is no country for old men. The young
In one another’s arms, birds in the trees
—Those dying generations—at their song,
The salmon-falls, the mackerel-crowded seas,
Fish, flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long
Whatever is begotten, born, and dies.
Caught in that sensual music all neglect
Monuments of unageing intellect.

An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick, unless
Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing
For every tatter in its mortal dress,
Nor is there singing school but studying
Monuments of its own magnificence;
And therefore I have sailed the seas and come
To the holy city of Byzantium.

O sages standing in God's holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.

Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing,
But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make
Of hammered gold and gold enamelling
To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;
Or set upon a golden bough to sing
To lords and ladies of Byzantium
Of what is past, or passing, or to come.

In the first stanza, The lines establish the speaker's sense of disillusionment and despair with the world. He sees the world as a place that is only suitable for the young, and he feels that he has been left behind by the passing of time. The imagery of the young people embracing and the birds singing in the trees suggests the joy and vitality of youth, which the speaker no longer possesses.

In the second stanza of the poem, the speaker reflects on the ephemeral nature of life. He describes the cycles of birth, life, and death that are found in the natural world, and how these cycles are driven by the rhythms of the seasons. These things are eternal and unchanging, and they provide a way for us to transcend the limitations of our mortal bodies.

The third stanza of the poem describes the speaker's own sense of weariness and decline. He longs for a way to escape from his old age and to be reborn as something more beautiful and enduring. He sees the city of Byzantium as a place where this transformation can take place, and he sets out on a journey to reach it.

The final stanza of the poem describes the city of Byzantium as a place of beauty and art. The speaker imagines the city as a kind of paradise, where he can be surrounded by the creations of human genius. He imagines the city as a kind of eternal flame.

[Word Count- 1884]

No comments:

Post a Comment

Assignment on 110A

Assignment on From Page to Screen: Adaptation Studies on Chetan Bhagat's 'Five Point Someone' And '2 States' Name: Nira...