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The Wind Among the Reeds
In a letter to his publisher, Yeats referred to The Wind Among the Reeds as "a book of short lyrics Irish & personal." It may also be described as a collection of love poems both intense and indirect. Now considered a watershed in Yeats's career, the book received mixed reviews when it was first published in April of 1899. More recently, Richard Ellmann has asserted that in The Wind Among the Reeds, "Yeats set the method for the modern movement." For the present volume, Carolyn Holdsworth has assembled and transcribed all holographic materials for each of the 37 poem in the book. She also supplies the complete typescripts and earlier printed versions corrected by Yeats, as well as providing a brief critical introduction. Photographic facsimiles supplement the transcriptions, and the apparatus criticus indicates variant readings. The manuscripts collected here range from drafts on scraps of paper through heavily worked-over typescripts, to neatly copied texts from later years and proof sheets revised by hand. The result is an exhaustive guide to Yeats's work on the poems up to the publication of the book and a full record of his post-publication revisions. Offering a close-up view of the various stages of composition of The Wind Among the Reeds, this edition affords a unique understanding of Yeats's creative process.
124 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 1899
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About the author
W.B. Yeats
2,042 books2,569 followersWilliam Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and dramatist, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years Yeats served as an Irish Senator for two terms. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Nobel Committee described as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." He was the first Irishman so honored. Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers who completed their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize; such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1929).
Yeats was born and educated in Dublin but spent his childhood in County Sligo. He studied poetry in his youth, and from an early age was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult. Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly until the turn of the century. His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and those slow paced and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser and Percy Bysshe Shelley, as well as to the Pre-Raphaelite poets. From 1900, Yeats' poetry grew more physical and realistic. He largely renounced the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual masks, as well as with cyclical theories of life.
--from Wikipedia
Yeats was born and educated in Dublin but spent his childhood in County Sligo. He studied poetry in his youth, and from an early age was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult. Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly until the turn of the century. His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and those slow paced and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser and Percy Bysshe Shelley, as well as to the Pre-Raphaelite poets. From 1900, Yeats' poetry grew more physical and realistic. He largely renounced the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual masks, as well as with cyclical theories of life.
--from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
March 18, 2023
Be still and hark… And the reeds will whisper…
Poetry brings nostalgia… Poems carry sadness… Poems create the mood…
Verses sing of joy… Verses sing of rapture… Rhymes sing of love…
Time makes us grow old but we have our day…
Poet’s voice may seem to be but the wind however it is the wind that makes the reeds bend.
Empty your heart of its mortal dream.
The winds awaken, the leaves whirl round,
Our cheeks are pale, our hair is unbound,
Our breasts are heaving, our eyes are agleam…
Poetry brings nostalgia… Poems carry sadness… Poems create the mood…
Out-worn heart, in a time out-worn,
Come clear of the nets of wrong and right;
Laugh, heart, again in the grey twilight,
Sigh, heart, again in the dew of the morn.
Verses sing of joy… Verses sing of rapture… Rhymes sing of love…
I will find out where she has gone,
And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.
Time makes us grow old but we have our day…
Time drops in decay,
Like a candle burnt out,
And the mountains and woods
Have their day, have their day…
Poet’s voice may seem to be but the wind however it is the wind that makes the reeds bend.
March 11, 2021
With this collection of folk tale and fairy story inspired poems, Yeats really ladles on the romance. In some places, he ladles it on a little thick even for a dyed-in-the-wool hopeless romantic like me. For the most part, though, these are really rather lovely.
There are also copious notes at the end of the book, written by Yeats himself, which is nice.
The Moods
Time drops in decay,
Like a candle burnt out,
And the mountains and woods,
Have their day, have their day;
What one in the rout
Of the fire-born moods,
Has fallen away?
My next book: Tales From Moominvalley
There are also copious notes at the end of the book, written by Yeats himself, which is nice.
The Moods
Time drops in decay,
Like a candle burnt out,
And the mountains and woods,
Have their day, have their day;
What one in the rout
Of the fire-born moods,
Has fallen away?
My next book: Tales From Moominvalley
February 7, 2017
I loved the final passage of "The Fiddler of Dooney":
"And when the folk there [in heaven] spy me,
They will all come up to me,
With 'Here is the fiddler of Dooney!'
And dance like a wave of the sea."
Simple and beautiful. The rest of the collection is based on Irish mythology and I didn't get all the references, but Yeats is just so wonderfully readable. I'm also reading right now Whitman's "Leaves of Grass". My favorite of the two? Tough question, but for now I must go with Yeats.
"And when the folk there [in heaven] spy me,
They will all come up to me,
With 'Here is the fiddler of Dooney!'
And dance like a wave of the sea."
Simple and beautiful. The rest of the collection is based on Irish mythology and I didn't get all the references, but Yeats is just so wonderfully readable. I'm also reading right now Whitman's "Leaves of Grass". My favorite of the two? Tough question, but for now I must go with Yeats.
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July 17, 2023Kärlekssångerna i denna samling har något smått patetiskt över sig, men kulisserna bakom är alldeles oerhörda.
January 19, 2018
Celtic dreams from Yeats with a collection of dense yet simple poems about love, magic and mythology.
When I say that the poems are dense I mean that they are all saturated in Gaelic symbolism, when I say they are simple I refer to the language he uses, not to the meanings. He gave most of the poems unusually literal titles, such as:
'Aedh tells of the Rose in his Heart'
'Hanrahan speaks to the Lovers of his Songs in coming Days'
'Michael Robartes asks Forgiveness because of his many Moods'
Only they don't express literal themes. For starters, Aedh, Hanrahan, and Michael Robartes aren't even literal characters. Without the accompanying notes Keats provided I would never have realised this. Informed that Aedh means 'fire burning by itself', Hanrahan is 'fire blown by the wind', and Michael Robartes represents 'fire reflected in water' certainly puts a different, distinctly occult interpretation on things.
There are other characters too. In 'Mongan laments the Change that has come upon him and his Beloved' Keats gives us a sketch of desire and death where the King of Ulster was the 'man with a hazel wand' who met the 'boar without bristles'.
'The Song of Wandering Aengus' goes fishing and hooks a faerie; 'The Cap and Bells' tells of an encounter between a jester and a queen in light, skipping rhymes; while 'A Cradle Song' has the mythical children of Danann laughing 'in cradles of wrought gold' while winds rage above.
I adored the imagery of desire, which was unconventional and decidedly Irish. Would a poet from elsewhere rhapsodise about 'dim heavy hair', 'pearl-pale hand', and 'cloud-pale eyelids falling on dream-dimmed eyes'? I doubt it.
'The Secret Rose' is the major poem, a highly allusive summary of when Christianity came to pagan Eire, including fleeting references to Caolte, Fergus, and the love story between Cuchullain and Fand among others.
Back to those notes. Sometimes they unlocked the mysteries of the verse, other times they left me scratching my head. Though the source of his inspiration was always Irish mythology, he clearly believed in Faery, known as the Sidhe in Gaelic. Why else reference a series of old wives' tales as though they explained everything?
Maybe he was a little soft in the head in that regard.
Bloody good poet though.
When I say that the poems are dense I mean that they are all saturated in Gaelic symbolism, when I say they are simple I refer to the language he uses, not to the meanings. He gave most of the poems unusually literal titles, such as:
'Aedh tells of the Rose in his Heart'
'Hanrahan speaks to the Lovers of his Songs in coming Days'
'Michael Robartes asks Forgiveness because of his many Moods'
Only they don't express literal themes. For starters, Aedh, Hanrahan, and Michael Robartes aren't even literal characters. Without the accompanying notes Keats provided I would never have realised this. Informed that Aedh means 'fire burning by itself', Hanrahan is 'fire blown by the wind', and Michael Robartes represents 'fire reflected in water' certainly puts a different, distinctly occult interpretation on things.
There are other characters too. In 'Mongan laments the Change that has come upon him and his Beloved' Keats gives us a sketch of desire and death where the King of Ulster was the 'man with a hazel wand' who met the 'boar without bristles'.
'The Song of Wandering Aengus' goes fishing and hooks a faerie; 'The Cap and Bells' tells of an encounter between a jester and a queen in light, skipping rhymes; while 'A Cradle Song' has the mythical children of Danann laughing 'in cradles of wrought gold' while winds rage above.
I adored the imagery of desire, which was unconventional and decidedly Irish. Would a poet from elsewhere rhapsodise about 'dim heavy hair', 'pearl-pale hand', and 'cloud-pale eyelids falling on dream-dimmed eyes'? I doubt it.
'The Secret Rose' is the major poem, a highly allusive summary of when Christianity came to pagan Eire, including fleeting references to Caolte, Fergus, and the love story between Cuchullain and Fand among others.
Back to those notes. Sometimes they unlocked the mysteries of the verse, other times they left me scratching my head. Though the source of his inspiration was always Irish mythology, he clearly believed in Faery, known as the Sidhe in Gaelic. Why else reference a series of old wives' tales as though they explained everything?
Maybe he was a little soft in the head in that regard.
Bloody good poet though.
September 28, 2019
Yeats isn’t easy, but he is sublime. Some reviewers here have complained about the amount of knowledge of Irish folk that is required to really appreciate these pieces, but for me, making you work for it makes them all the more special. To delve and explore further into his allusions and symbols only increase my admiration of his verse technique, skill and storytelling. There is not a word out of place, each one surgically chosen. You can hear the personae in every poem coming through the words and the rhythms Yeats has created - whether that is Hanharan, Robertes, or Aedh. I never read a collection of poetry once, I go over each poem multiple times savouring them, my understanding and connection with the rhythm getting stronger.
This is not Yeats best collection of verse but it is one of my favourites. Just make sure you read it in a copy that has a good notes section - and even if you don’t they will still sing. You can read the whole collection in an afternoon but you can keep reading and discovering them for a lifetime.
This is not Yeats best collection of verse but it is one of my favourites. Just make sure you read it in a copy that has a good notes section - and even if you don’t they will still sing. You can read the whole collection in an afternoon but you can keep reading and discovering them for a lifetime.
March 3, 2013
Yeats when his heart was young. Some of the most beautifully crafted lyric poetry ever written.
November 9, 2016
While I didn’t enjoy all of the poems in this collection (about 30% of them seemed very contrived, like Yeats was forcing out poems to please his lover), there were far more that began to show his voice as a key proponent of the resurgence in Gaelic culture. It’s hard not to focus specifically on poems like “The Fiddler of Dooney,” which has typically Irish rhythm and imagery, but it’s just so charming that I can’t help it! What I liked so much about this poem in particular was that it embodied a sense of insouciance towards expected motifs (here: Christianity, folk music culture, brotherly competition, the bard in society) that is at once irreverent and whimsical without being abjectly disrespectful. How can one not laugh when the fiddler gets let into heaven before the priests? Only in Ireland!
March 7, 2016
In preparation for an upcoming trip to Ireland, I'm reading some Yeats. I listened to the Librivox recording of this book, read by a bunch of different readers. It was an interesting experience to hear these pieces read in many different accents and with different levels of drama. As for the actual writing, these short poems and stories were a fun way to revisit Yeats and to think about the Irish countryside and Irish folklore. Faeries and Siddhe abound here, as do ghosts and spirits. An enjoyable way to experience these poems.
May 11, 2024
Yeats crece magníficamente. En este libro engrandece sus temas preferidos de los dos libros anteriores y les da dimensiones de imaginación y ternura muy grandiosas. ¡Excelente! Tenía un ojo tan sensible este señor... bueno, a esta altura de su vida.
December 19, 2013
Poems about Irish gods and legends set in a time when they are fading into the mists and being replaced by the modern world. Sadly beautiful.
January 20, 2014
Lyrically beautiful and enchanting!
April 12, 2020
2,5
The words here are beautiful but this poetry collection is just too mystic for me. I rarely attempt to read and as a result enjoy poetry because it's just not my cup of tea. Fleeting moments of amazement created by a few alluring words can't hold my attention as a really long fiction work can with an engaging plot and good characters. Nevertheless I won't give up so easily and I hope I will one day find some poem that will stick in my mind for a very long time.
My favourite poems are:
The Lover Pleads with His Friend for Old Friends
"Though you are in your shining days,
Voices among the crowd
And new friends busy with your praise,
Be not unkind or proud,
But think about old friends the most:
Time's bitter flood will rise,
Your beauty perish and be lost
For all eyes but these eyes."
and
Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
"Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."
The words here are beautiful but this poetry collection is just too mystic for me. I rarely attempt to read and as a result enjoy poetry because it's just not my cup of tea. Fleeting moments of amazement created by a few alluring words can't hold my attention as a really long fiction work can with an engaging plot and good characters. Nevertheless I won't give up so easily and I hope I will one day find some poem that will stick in my mind for a very long time.
My favourite poems are:
The Lover Pleads with His Friend for Old Friends
"Though you are in your shining days,
Voices among the crowd
And new friends busy with your praise,
Be not unkind or proud,
But think about old friends the most:
Time's bitter flood will rise,
Your beauty perish and be lost
For all eyes but these eyes."
and
Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven
"Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."
February 23, 2019
A collection of 37 poems from 1899. Highlights - " the host of the air" " into the twilight" "the cup and bells" "he wishs for the cloths of heaven"
December 31, 2021
I slutet av denna bok hittar Yeats den formalism som senare gör honom så fantastisk. De fem-sex sista dikterna är gör de tidigare värda att läsa.
January 10, 2021
4,5 sei lá. Yeats tá virando um dos meus melhores amigos
June 20, 2024
4.5
Starting Yeats has made me reconsider what I like about poetry. His voice embodies nature and soul. I read through all of his third collection “The Wind Among the Reeds” (1899) and most of his first two “Crossways” (1889) and “The Rose” (1893) with my especial favorites being “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”, “When You are Old”, “The Sad Shepherd” and “To an Isle in the Water”. Some habits that augmented my experience was listening to recordings of many poems and reading others at the Oregon Coast, a place which looks as near to Sligo and I can imagine in the US.
Further, Yeats is in the definitive triumvirate of Irish writers along with Oscar Wilde and James Joyce. He helped found the Irish Literary Revival movement alongside Lady Gregory which served to emphasize the role of Irish culture under English oppression. I became fascinated with Irish culture starting Yeats and learned about the mythology, the Literary Revival, the history and the music and dance. This all started sauntering over to Powells after a three-leg St. Paddy’s Day festival sponsored by Kells in downtown Portland (notice the start date) where I got to experience a variety of jigs accompanied by modern Irish rock singers, bagpipes, stout beer and corn beef hash. A real marked experience in my progression towards immersion in what I read with and without the book in-hand.
I would recommend listening to a few poems of Yeats to anyone and challenge them NOT to be taken aback by their majesty. I look forward to picking up another couple collections soon!
Starting Yeats has made me reconsider what I like about poetry. His voice embodies nature and soul. I read through all of his third collection “The Wind Among the Reeds” (1899) and most of his first two “Crossways” (1889) and “The Rose” (1893) with my especial favorites being “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”, “When You are Old”, “The Sad Shepherd” and “To an Isle in the Water”. Some habits that augmented my experience was listening to recordings of many poems and reading others at the Oregon Coast, a place which looks as near to Sligo and I can imagine in the US.
Further, Yeats is in the definitive triumvirate of Irish writers along with Oscar Wilde and James Joyce. He helped found the Irish Literary Revival movement alongside Lady Gregory which served to emphasize the role of Irish culture under English oppression. I became fascinated with Irish culture starting Yeats and learned about the mythology, the Literary Revival, the history and the music and dance. This all started sauntering over to Powells after a three-leg St. Paddy’s Day festival sponsored by Kells in downtown Portland (notice the start date) where I got to experience a variety of jigs accompanied by modern Irish rock singers, bagpipes, stout beer and corn beef hash. A real marked experience in my progression towards immersion in what I read with and without the book in-hand.
I would recommend listening to a few poems of Yeats to anyone and challenge them NOT to be taken aback by their majesty. I look forward to picking up another couple collections soon!
June 17, 2013
Before I begin, I must say, I am utterly biased - I love Yeats' poetry. It is so beautiful, so sparsely written, with never a word out of place, and yet so evocative and lyrical. This volume of poems is no different. There is a big emphasis on Irish folklore on it, and in this edition there are a lot of the stories in the notes at the back of the book (in fact there are more stories than there are poems - but to be honest, I was only really bothered about the poems - let them speak for themselves, that's what I say!)
And how they speak! I defy anyone not to be swept away with the romanticism of the poetry presented to the reader here. Beautifully crafted poems of love and romance. There are undoubtedly some you will recognise in this volume ("Tread softly because you tread on my dreams") and maybe some which will be new to you, but which are equally beautiful and moving to read.
There is something about reading Yeats's poetry which is good for one's soul - read it now, it's free and it will enrich you.
And how they speak! I defy anyone not to be swept away with the romanticism of the poetry presented to the reader here. Beautifully crafted poems of love and romance. There are undoubtedly some you will recognise in this volume ("Tread softly because you tread on my dreams") and maybe some which will be new to you, but which are equally beautiful and moving to read.
There is something about reading Yeats's poetry which is good for one's soul - read it now, it's free and it will enrich you.
September 19, 2013
I will be honest by saying that most of Yeats's subject matter goes over my head - due to the fact that it deals with mysticism, occultism, astrology, and magic extensively; though his own notes are helpful, I feel that the unusual topics keep the reader at an arm's length. Furthermore, I must admit that my own belief system is in stark contrast with that of Yeats, which did become an obstacle throughout this collection. However, as a poet, Yeats was incredibly gifted. His writings are full of great imagery, and each poem reads beautifully! This made up for the lack of connection between myself and the text. All in all, this is a good read by great writer.
My Favorite Poems from "The Wind Among the Reeds"
- The Song of Wandering Aengus
- The Fiddler of Dooney
- Michael Robartes Bids his Lover be at Peace
- The Poet Pleads with his Friend for Old Friends
My Favorite Poems from "The Wind Among the Reeds"
- The Song of Wandering Aengus
- The Fiddler of Dooney
- Michael Robartes Bids his Lover be at Peace
- The Poet Pleads with his Friend for Old Friends
April 11, 2013
"Desolate winds that hover in the flaming West;
Desolate winds that beat the doors of Heaven, and beat
The doors of Hell and blow there many a whimpering ghost"
"And time and the world are ever in flight
And love is less kind than the grey twilight"
"It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossoms in her hair": Baile Átha Cliath, 1145
~
Considered as a summation of Yeats's early period, I think it does a lot to act as a good cap. The language is richer here than anywhere, the images are strong if a bit repetitive, and the interweaving of Irish folklore establishes a firm backbone and narrative to many of the pieces. I can't call myself a fan of this period of Yeats's poetry, especially the love poetry which still occasionally comes off on as treacle.
Desolate winds that beat the doors of Heaven, and beat
The doors of Hell and blow there many a whimpering ghost"
"And time and the world are ever in flight
And love is less kind than the grey twilight"
"It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossoms in her hair": Baile Átha Cliath, 1145
~
Considered as a summation of Yeats's early period, I think it does a lot to act as a good cap. The language is richer here than anywhere, the images are strong if a bit repetitive, and the interweaving of Irish folklore establishes a firm backbone and narrative to many of the pieces. I can't call myself a fan of this period of Yeats's poetry, especially the love poetry which still occasionally comes off on as treacle.
June 20, 2012
Yeats writes with such beautiful clarity, such brilliant gentle beautiful prose. Many of the works contained here are tragic, but the words linger on your lips like a a haunting melody, and even though they're terribly sad they make you smile just a little.
My single favorite lines from the whole collection
My single favorite lines from the whole collection
"She laid them upon her bosom,
Under a cloud of her hair,
And her red lips sang them a love song
Till stars grew out of the air."
January 29, 2013
The Lover Pleads With His Friend For Old Friends
Though you are in your shining days,
Voices among the crowd
And new friends busy with your praise,
Be not unkind or proud,
But think about old friends the most:
Time's bitter flood will rise,
Your beauty perish and be lost
For all eyes but these eyes.
Though you are in your shining days,
Voices among the crowd
And new friends busy with your praise,
Be not unkind or proud,
But think about old friends the most:
Time's bitter flood will rise,
Your beauty perish and be lost
For all eyes but these eyes.
December 25, 2016
Beautiful poetry but I highly recommend getting a version with explanatory notes. I am not unfamiliar with Irish mythology and legends but I was still looking things up to get a better understanding of the poems. At the very least read the notes on the poem first so you know the basis of the poem in question. I'll definitely be rereading it after doing more research.
February 5, 2013
I hadn't really read Yeats so I picked this up at the library. I really enjoyed it. I especially liked how at the end he gave a couple of insights into what he was thinking when he wrote the poems. There was one that I had to read a couple of times because the imagery was so interesting.
September 23, 2013
So, so good. Yeats draws on Irish mythology, but his poems aren't really fairy tales, they're expressions of the deepest human emotions, set on a backdrop of a world still enchanted. Yeats has an incredible gift with language, and it shines through in these poems.
June 15, 2020
Thus far, Reeds is my favorite collection of Yeats poetry. Yeats continues to intrigue me with his wanderings with the Tuatha Dé Danann. I hope I can make a habit of returning to his poetry so as to better infuse its language into my tongue.
November 6, 2020
The Lover Tells of the Rose in his Heart; Into the Twilight; The Heart of the Woman; He Remembers Forgotten Beauty; A Poet to his Beloved; He Gives his Beloved Certain Rhymes; The Cap and Bells (*); The Travail of Passion; He Wishes His Beloved Were Dead; He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven (*);
April 13, 2019
My first reading of Yeats
I enjoy my book challenges. They lead to new adventures with authors old and new. Works of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
I enjoy my book challenges. They lead to new adventures with authors old and new. Works of yesterday, today and tomorrow.
November 7, 2023
Continuing on my chronological journey through Yeats' complete poetry, 'The Wind Among The Reeds' is a return to form after I found is second output to be a little bit dull in comparison to his first collection. In this set of poetry, while still having a lot of the Irish Folklore/Mythology poems which not just mostly go over my head, but often irritate me because of my disinterest in its intentions related to the movement coined "Irish Literary Revival" (which I simply do not care for due to its connections with nationalism and its perspective on the past with very rose-tinted glasses instead of progressing forward), the ones that infuse the sublimely mythological aspect of the poetry with more emotionally resonant themes and modern sensibilities are still very tasteful and thought-provoking, and the many love poems in this collection are very touching and powerful.
The entire set has much thematic and stylistic cohesion within, and one much benefits from reading it in sequence as this is really the first time in Yeats' oeuvre that I felt as though poems enhanced one another by being read back to back. There is a row of many love poems in the middle of this work that is quite resonant and beautiful to me. As always with his poetry, there is a lot of mind-blowing phrasing here, Yeats definitely knew how to string together a perfect set of words, but I honestly don't have much to say here than I already had in my previous two reviews. I feel like I might be repeating myself until we get into the more truly modernist stuff in the later stage of his career.
The entire set has much thematic and stylistic cohesion within, and one much benefits from reading it in sequence as this is really the first time in Yeats' oeuvre that I felt as though poems enhanced one another by being read back to back. There is a row of many love poems in the middle of this work that is quite resonant and beautiful to me. As always with his poetry, there is a lot of mind-blowing phrasing here, Yeats definitely knew how to string together a perfect set of words, but I honestly don't have much to say here than I already had in my previous two reviews. I feel like I might be repeating myself until we get into the more truly modernist stuff in the later stage of his career.
October 15, 2021
Yeats is above all concerned with love in this collection. He often compares the attributes of his beloved to geologic features and natural forces. In Yeats poetry, hair is never hair; hair is a cloud or an ocean that drowns mens’ eyes. Phrases recur throughout, such as “cloud-pale eyelids” and “dream-dimmed eyes” in “He tells of a Valley full of Lovers” and “He tells of the Perfect Beauty”. “He tells of the Perfect Beauty” becomes curiously self-referential in his lament that the poet may labour “to build a perfect beauty in rhyme” only to fall short before the power of a woman’s single glance. “The dews drop slowly” in “The Valley of the Black Pig” just as peace drops slow in “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”; dew seems to drop slow in many of his poems. Favorites include “The Host of the Air”, “Into the Twilight”, “The Song of the Old Mother”, “The Valley of the Black Pig”, “He tells of the Perfect Beauty”, “The Blessed”, “He thinks of his Past Greatness when a Part of the Constellations of Heaven”, but I could see any one of these being a gem at some point of my life.
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