13
votes
What rough beast slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
There is a surprisingly literal interpretation to this poem. Yeats describes a sphinx-like beast arising in the desert. It is entirely possible that this is the "rough beast" to which he refers, and ...
- 20.8k
10
votes
Accepted
How does the golden bough in "Sailing to Byzantium" relate to the story in the Aeneid, if at all?
I think it does refer to the episode from The Aeneid. I say this with confidence because there are many classical references. First, there is the name Byzantium, the Latin name for the city (Greek: ...
- 649
9
votes
Accepted
What rough beast slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
The poem is alluding to the Book of Revelation. The "rough beast" is the Anti-Christ. The scene is set for the final showdown and the Second Coming. Thus, with its unremitting pessimistic tone ...
- 124
9
votes
Accepted
How much of The Song of Wandering Aengus by Yeats is based on Irish folklore?
This is not meant to be definitive nor exhaustive, but merely an exploration of certain themes and symbols in the poem:
Yeats is widely regarded as one of the great poets of the ages--Eliot ...
- 4,178
8
votes
Accepted
What does "pull down the blinds" mean in Yeats's poem "The Mountain Tomb"?
Yeats was Irish, and in literal terms this is a reference to the Irish Catholic funeral custom of a Wake.
"Blinds" here refers to a window-covering. In Yeats' era, wooden shutters, sometimes known as ...
- 20.8k
7
votes
Who is the falcon, and who the falconer?
The symbolism of the Falcon seems relatively easy to unpick. Slightly further down, Yeats explains the result of the disconnect between Falcon and Falconer is:
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world
...
- 20.8k
6
votes
Accepted
What does "kettle at the heel" mean in this Yeats poem, "The Tower"?
The kettle is (metaphorically) the thing that's been tied to the dog's tail, probably by a mischievous child, and is now dragging behind its rear heels.
Why is it battered? If it's been tied to the ...
- 11.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Why could Cú Chulainn not recognise his own son?
Cú Chulainn is a famous character from Irish myth, and the accidental slaying of his son is part of the legend. On Baile's Strand is a retelling of parts of the myth, with some added subplots and ...
- 20.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Understanding and interpreting Yeats phases of the moon
The song of Robartes in ‘The Phases of the Moon’ describes a pseudo-astrological schema in which the twenty-eight phases of the moon represent the stages of life from birth to death, as well as ...
- 51.8k
3
votes
Comprehending “how but in custom and ceremony are innocence and beauty born”
A Prayer for my Daughter dates from 1919 and expresses what is, by modern standards, a pretty regressive attitude to women. Broadly, Yeats says that he hopes his daughter will be beautiful and ...
- 20.8k
3
votes
Accepted
When did Yeats enter into "Virgil's territory"?
The original source of the quote seems to be Virgil in a Cultural Tradition: Essays to Celebrate the Bimillenium, edited by
Richard Andrew Cardwell and Janet Hamilton. Google books shows that this ...
- 11.2k
2
votes
How does “The Second Coming” form the background for “A Prayer for My Daughter”?
Much has been written about these two poems, to the extent that many scholarly publications nowadays simply take it as a given, not needing justification, that "A Prayer for my Daughter" is ...
- 70.6k
2
votes
What does "ceremony of innocence" mean In "The Second Coming"?
I put "Yeats ceremony of innocence" on Google and saw lots of speculation/interpretation just in the first page of results.
Yeats uses the term "ceremony of innocence" to harken ...
- 21
2
votes
Who is the falcon, and who the falconer?
Yeats wrote this in 1919, one year after the First World War ended. It’s not surprising that looking at the horrific devastation, the killing fields of Europe (‘the blood-dimmed tide’) and what was ...
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2
votes
Who is the falcon, and who the falconer?
I don't believe this was intended allegorically. The falcon and the falconer aren't anybody but who they are.
It is, instead, an image, drawn from the sport of falconry. The bird flies overhead in a ...
- 5,018
1
vote
What does "ceremony of innocence" mean In "The Second Coming"?
His usage of similar imagery in A Prayer for My Daughter shows some of his thinking on connections between ceremony and innocence.
And may her bridegroom bring her to a house
Where all's accustomed, ...
- 5,812
1
vote
Who is the falcon, and who the falconer?
Here's a take on the obvious answer. (I highly recommend Matt Throwers answer providing a supportable interpretation in an alternate framework. Also Mozibur Ullah's answer, which shows that the ...
- 4,178
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