In Memory of W.B. Yeats : Summary

Summary

This is a mourning poem or elegy by Auden. He wrote this poem mainly in memory of the popular Irish poet W B Yeats. Elegies usually express a lot of grief and nature is also shown as grieving. But this poem shows the opposite.

In this poem, there is no change in the nature of Yeats’s death. Nature runs on its own rules. On the day Yeats died, the weather was very cold, the falls were freezing cold, the barometer had dropped, and the forest was full of foxes. The rivers were the same as before. The airport was closed due to the extreme cold. Here Aden is mocking death.

In the next part, the poet describes the situation of the evening before the death of the poet. As the nurses rushed to attend to the poet, rumors spread that the poet was dying. In fact, Auden does not praise Yeats here but presents him as an ordinary innocent person.

Auden then declares Yeats immortal. He said the poet will live on in the hearts of his fans. In the hearts of those rich female devotees who were infatuated with him. Besides, the poet will live in the hearts of those who liked his poems.

Auden then explains why Yeats was such a great poet. In fact, various mistakes of Iris used to trouble the poet a lot. These are written by Yeats in his poem. According to Auden, the poet loved his country more. So he wanted to bring a rebirth and revolutionary change in the world of art and literature of the country. But the poet’s poetry could not bring any change in the people of the country, their condition, and the political and literary climate of the country. But the poet and his poems will live forever in the minds of those who love him.