DOWN by the salley gardens my love and I did meet;
She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet. She bid me take love easy, as the leaves grow on the tree; But I, being young and foolish, with her would not agree. In a field by the river my love and I did stand, And on my leaning shoulder she laid her snow-white hand. She bid me take life easy, as the grass grows on the weirs; But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears In William Butler Yeats’s poem “Down by the Salley Gardens,” the sound devices he uses, such as his rhyming scheme, his internal rhyme, and his repetition, all play a major role in portraying the poem keeping the reader’s attention. As well as focusing the reader’s attention on certain parts of the poem. W.B Yeats’s rhyme scheme is quite simple. However, sometimes the simplest of things have the greatest importance. This is one of those times. His rhyme scheme is “AABBCCDD,” and when I read it aloud, its rhythm sounds similar to that of a song more so than any other poem: a slow song to be specific. Slow songs are usually tied in to being about love, and this poem is surely affiliated with the topic. The constant rhyming keeps the reader alert and analyzing those specific words due to the rhyming putting emphasis on them and bringing a sense of importance to them. This is not just for the end rhymes. It also includes the words rhyming internally as well. Lines such line three where it reads “She BID ME take love EASY, as THE LEAVES grow on THE TREE” and line 6 where it reads “And on my leaning SHOULDER she LAID HER snow white hand” would always pull me closer into the text which is most likely Yeats’s goal. If so, he achieved it. Lastly, there is his repetition. His repeating of the Salley Gardens is proof enough that it is a major part of this poem. He also says that he was “young and foolish” in both stanzas of the poem. This tells me that he has grown up now and sees the errors of his thinking now. He is now in complete disagreement with himself and his stupid decisions, and fully regrets not listening to his lover. Now he is sad that he has lost her.
0 Comments
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. In the poem, “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven,” William Butler Yeats uses sensory imagery very well. He also uses a persona very peculiar when considering Yeats’ lifestyle. This is a very short poem, however, in these short 8 lines, he is able to give such vivid descriptions of “heavens’ embroidered cloths.” In the beginning, the first four lines he wishes for the heavenly cloths he describes as being “enwrought with golden and silver light.” The golden and silver lights give the cloths a very heavenly appearance for the readers to visualize. In fact it enriches the beauty of it even more so than it was when he only said it was from heaven. He then specifically notifies the “blue and the dim and the dark cloths of night and the light and the half-light.” Afterwards, he tells who I believe is his lover that what he would do with them which is to “spread the cloths under [her] feet.” Then he explains to her that the reason he has to wish for it is because he cannot afford it due to him “being poor.” Therefore, he does not have the cloths, only dreams. I find this ethos that he takes on rather queer when I consider the fact that poet William Butler Yeats was born into a financially blessed family and even managed to be successful after leaving his parents’ care. He expresses the thought process of a person who struggles financially very well. And when he says “I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams,” he acknowledges the poor’s dreams for better, but also notifies how fragile dreams are. 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 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. 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 i{Spiritus Mundi} Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about 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? In William Butler Yeats’ poem, “The Second Coming,” the language in the beginning of the poem seems to be a bit dark and evil, as well as very descriptive. Yeats (or whoever the narrator is) talks about a spiral that appears to be getting bigger and bigger. Then he brings up a falcon that is unable to hear its trainer. I believe that this is all symbolizing the world falling apart. Chaos is wreaked everywhere and nobody is pure of heart or innocent. The diction that he uses enforces me to believe he has a frightened tone. For example: “the blood-dimmed tide,” “innocence is drowned,” and “mere anarchy is loosed.” These all make one fearful in the heart when they imagine living n a world described as such. Then he brings up “The Second Coming.” After thinking about it, I believe it shows a good representation of how the Rapture could potentially start off. Afterwards, Jesus Christ will be born again. This part then shifts the tone from frightening to relieved, for we are sure that Jesus Christ will save us from such a tragedy. However, he then makes another turn to say that something “troubles his sight,” and brings up a vision of a sphinx (usually viewed as a merciless and treacherous creature according to the Greeks’ mythology). It walks with a blank expression on his face and “darkness drops again.” This makes me think that the grim outlook he had on things to begin this poem comes up again. In the middle it was perceived that this all meant that Jesus was making his second appearance and light became visible again. However, this vision that just occurred to him makes him see that the dark side of things come up again. “That twenty centuries of stony sleep was vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle.” The twenty centuries represent the last time Christ was here, and was also the time that the Sphinx just sat there in Egypt as if it were just a huge stone sculpture/ building. He goes on to say that it was “vexed” or cursed (meaning the sphinx was destined to do this no matter what) to “nightmare by a rocking cradle.” This says that it will bring forth a newborn child. And finally, Yeats asks himself “what rough beast… slouches toward Bethlehem to be born.” Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus Christ, but he characterizes the baby to be as a “rough beast,” so the baby that is to be born won’t be our savior, but more likely the one to bring us all to our doom. Lastly, it brings the tone from relieved back to frightening and cr What lively lad most pleasured me
Of all that with me lay? I answer that I gave my soul And loved in misery, But had great pleasure with a lad That I loved bodily. Flinging from his arms I laughed To think his passion such He fancied that I gave a soul Did but our bodies touch, And laughed upon his breast to think Beast gave beast as much. I gave what other women gave That stepped out of their clothes. But when this soul, its body off, Naked to naked goes, He it has found shall find therein What none other knows, And give his own and take his own And rule in his own right; And though it loved in misery Close and cling so tight, There's not a bird of day that dare Extinguish that delight. In William Butler Yeats’ poem, “A Last Confession,” figuring out who the speaker is can be a bit confusing in the beginning. At least it was for me. However, when I got to the third stanza, line thirteen says, “I gave what other women gave.” At that point, I questioned my first thought of the speaker, which was William Butler Yeats and he talking about himself and a homosexual encounters in his past. This line proved to me that he was actually saying this poem from the perspective of a woman. Then, I finalized the speaker as a woman who had been with many men I her time. Not to say she was a “hoe,” but she got around. The tone of the poem can be identified as slightly comical and arousing. I say arousing because she brings up a man of which she has been with and loved the physical pleasures that he gave her. This is obvious from tine such as 1 and 2 (what lively lad most pleasured me of all that with me lay?), line 10 (but did our bodies touch), and more. The comical side comes from the woman laughing at the man thinking that she gave him her soul just because they had sex (He fancied that I gave a soul) and she thinks it is funny that he thinks in such a way when all that happened was sexual intercourse and nothing more (I laughed). The theme of the passage is probably that when it comes to sex, people should think of it as just that until proven to be more. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |