Metaphor and Meaning in
William Butler Yeats’ Poetry
-Christian Ray Licen
BA English Major in Literature
Metaphor from Greek metapherein means to transfer (from meta- + pherein to bear). It is the expression of an understanding of one concept in terms of another concept, where there is some similarity or correlation between the two (www.sil.org/linguistics). In poetry, Metaphor takes its roots in figurative locution that states a transfer of features, characteristics and details from objects, ideas or events. The concept employs metaphor as fundamentally general. Meaning, on the other hands, is the essential construction of thought revealed by major salient elements in poetry. In this analysis, I combined the two for the purpose of unraveling a terse understanding of William Butler Yeats’ turgid poesy.
William Butler Yeats’ poetic parlance stems out from his scholarly experience. Born in Dublin into an Irish Protestant family, he has found interest in mysticism such that themes of reincarnation, communication with the dead, supernatural ideology and Oriental mysticism recurs in his poems. I chose The Lake Isle of Innisfree, The Second Coming and Brown Penny to showcase Yeats’ poetic voice among the three poems which would somehow lead us to distinguish his masterful totalizing composition from one poem to another, thus, appreciating his poetic prodigy. Admittedly, I find him very complicated. Given the challenge to criticize makes it just indefatigably mind-provoking.
In Lake Isle of Innisfree, the persona in the poem, which I believe is the author himself, longs to settle in an idyllic place preferably at the shorelines of the Lake. The first two lines, “I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree” and “a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made” allegorically describes the speaker’s declaration of the need to settle in solitude. Thus, he stresses out that upon doing such, he will plant beans and obtain a hive for the honey-bee. By which, he will find the peace as expressed in the “dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings- there midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow”. Furthermore, his having to hear the “water lapping with low sounds by the shore” declares again his conviction and persistence. Such that when he stands on the roadway or on the pavements, he will hear it or valuably reflect upon its therapeutic effect. Metaphorically, the poem confines itself to the speaker’s idyllic fantasy where he considers nature as a restorative abode for him to ward off the stress and tension from the hustle-bustle of city life. Yeats’ powerful and vivid imagism provides a comprehensive and logical development of the poem. He employs the use of small cabin as a metaphor or symbol to represent “confinement” or solitude. The line, “to live alone in the bee-loud glade” substantiates his desire of sincerely devoting his time to be in communion with nature. Wherefore, by Midnight’s glimmer and purple glow of noon, he will be able to recuperate and sympathetically unite with nature itself. Such tranquil associations provide clues and inklings on the speaker’s social milieu. He may have been enslaved by the regiments of everyday labor that’s why he saw the need to take a hiatus. Moreover, The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a collective experience of those who want to take a break for as Yeats would persist, there’s no better place to find peace than in nature alone. And by that, it requires a natural eye to discern the beauty of nature. We may really not go somewhere far away but by simply recognizing the falling of the leaves, the setting of the sun and frolicking of the waves, we learn to appreciate nature’s divine and aesthetic revelation. No one can ever mimic nature the way it does for itself. Being a part of the ecosystem, we should act in stewardship so as to maintain the balance of nature.
The Second Coming is a bit tedious and dense. One may find vivid and elaborate allusions and symbolism in this poem. Apparently, Yeats resurging theological values shift from Christian perspective to Paganism. The first eight lines of the poem express Yeats’ de-centered belief toward Christianity. The lines, “the falcon cannot hear the falconer”, “things fall apart”, and “the center cannot hold” substantiates his discontent and consternation on the people’s slackened faith toward their religion. Here, Yeats may directly attack the Christian faith as he further states that, “The ceremony of innocence is drowned”. The conflict lies between the people and religion itself. In this case where the best lack convictions, while the worst are full of passionate intensity, Yeats may have referred to the people’s overindulgence to earthly possessions, crass materialism and superficialities such that their value system has been compromised. Besides that, since they have been overwhelmed by such forces, it compels them to disregard and loose their faith. The irony lies between logic and irrationality. Why did he intently regard those who lack convictions as the best? And the worst are full of passionate intensity? The meaning is left to the discretion and interpretation of the readers. In my humble opinion, Yeats devised such irony to make us draw the line between those who may “know everything yet still insubstantial and inadequate” and to those who are “not-so- knowledgeable but passionate though still worst in the public’s eye”. Clearly, this is a stereotyping of a society whose standards, norms and culture bring about its own pitfall and destruction. The second set of eight lines speaks about the revelation of the Second Coming. His use of the word, Spiritus Mundi accentuates his steering proclivity to become a Pagan. Presumably, Yeats may have reached to a point of fully embracing a pagan epiphany by this time. He would rather be envisioned by the spirit of men rather than the mystical mystery of God’s divinity. Therefore, we assume that he is converted to this stream of conviction. Since there is no good and evil in the human world as exemplified by his line “now I know”, he propels the idea that everything follows a natural cycle devoid of judgment. Then he intends that there’s no need to be worried by those alarming radical events. Since he has established a Pagan perspective, what seems to be contradicting is his submissive realization that indeed, as the book of Revelation states that in the Second Coming, The son of God will not be begotten among men but rather come to the world in full glory. His partiality over this pagan belief has been defeated upon his resurfacing of the line, “A shape with lion body and the head of a man, a gaze blank and pitiless as the sun”. But the ideation behind the line, “the darkness drops again” revives his conviction that Paganism will win over Christianity. The Spiritus Mundi vehemently vindicates that Christianity is becoming weak, and that its innocence has gradually deteriorated the value system it admonishes and prescribes in the context of reality. The Second Coming may have a lot of interpretation. But the bottom line is that people have gradually changed by the rigidity of materialism and advent of superficiality. Because of such, they have become existential and practical. This only implies that the Second Coming is a regeneration of another phase. It is either a change for the better or for the worst.
The last selection, Brown Penny, interests me much. One must know that Yeats sparse verses are lyrical in nature. Irish poets are born to be bards. Typical of this nature is Brown Penny which is intended to be sung by a whirling Irish dance step. The poem centers on love amid the welter of emotions it afflicts. Engendered in the young man’s heart, which is Yeats in his inviolable persona, he is beset by a hodgepodge of emotions, joy, fear, anxiety and obsession. Certainly, he struggles toward obtaining the true meaning of love. The first two lines, “I whispered, ‘I am too young’”, “and then, ‘I am old enough’” depicts the development of his maturity and disposition toward love. Wherefore, the throwing of the penny wages his fate and chances to be in love. Then he posits to pursue on this venture by taking the risk but was just “looped in the loops of her hair”. His volition of mustering all strength to revive his failed attempt has outpoured an excess of emotions. Such is tragic. But there’s no way that the speaker has to give up. So he has resorted to the brown penny for him to begin too soon- when is all set to love again as expressed in the line “For he would be thinking of love till the stars had run away / and the shadows eaten the moon/ Ah Penny, brown penny, brown penny/one cannot begin it too soon.” One very ironic underpinning in this poem is the speaker’s willful submission to love through the tossing of the coin. It makes me ponder whether love can really be measured through fate or chance. I think not. One has to take risks to win love. However, the symbolism survives in the expression, “a penny for your thought”. Such explication manifests on the speaker’s perspective about love. Well, when one finds little hope, one may just as well resort to toss a brown penny. But I will reiterate, we are left with choices. It is up to our discretion which side of the road we will partake. In this case of love, it is merited only when one has failed, as mirrored in the speaker’s initial attempt. This poem teaches us to raise our hopes by actualizing our desire to love. Lest you lose again, you may as well toss the brown penny!
Conclusively, Yeats undisputable poetic craftsmanship levers the caliber of the sublime. Compared to Shakespeare, Chaucer, Dickinson and Milton, Yeats local tone makes it appear realistic and stylistic with the employment of allusions and irony. In short, his poetry is ought to be learned. His traditional view of poetry encompasses his contemporaries’ wit and ecstasy thereby making him incomparably unique and highly celebrated.
