What Romantic Elements Do You Find in the Poems of W.B. Yeats?

Answer

Trace the romantic elements in W.B. Yeats’ poetry. [NU: 2017, 19, 21] ★★★

W.B. Yeats (1865-1939) is a great poet of the modern age. But in his heart, he was a romantic. Like the Romantic poets (such as Wordsworth or Shelley), Yeats loved nature, imagination, emotions, and the soul of man. He also used symbols and dreams. His poems are full of beauty, mystery, and deep feelings. Let’s have a look at how romantic ideas are found in his poems.

Love of Nature: Yeats loved nature very much. In “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”, he dreams of living alone on a small island. He wants a life of peace and beauty. He says:

“I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree.”

He talks about bees, lake water, trees, and peace. This is pure romantic love for nature. Like Wordsworth, he finds comfort in the natural world. So he says in “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”,

“And live alone in the bee-loud glade.”

This shows his wish to escape the city and live with nature.

Imagination and Escapism: Romantic poets like Keats often escape from the real world through imagination. Yeats does this in “Sailing to Byzantium”. He leaves the world of youth and love.  He says about modern Ireland that,

“That is no country for old men.”

He sails to a holy city of art and spirit. He wants to go to a place like Byzantium. He says,

“And therefore I have sailed the seas and come 

To the holy city of Byzantium.”

He dreams of becoming a golden bird in Byzantium. This shows his romantic mind, full of dreams and imagination.

Mystery, Myths, and Symbols: Yeats used Irish myths and powerful symbols in his poems. Romantic poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, and Shelley loved myths too. In “The Second Coming”, he talks about strange things, a gyre, a rough beast, and the end