The Municipal Gallery Revisited : Quotations
The Municipal Gallery Revisited is a notable literary work by William Butler Yeats. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of The Municipal Gallery Revisited.
Quotations
Quotes
“This is not the dead Ireland of my youth, but an Ireland
The poets have imagined, terrible and gay.”
Explanation: Here, Yeats declares that modern Ireland is no longer the lifeless nation of his youth. It has been reborn through the imagination of poets—filled with both pain (“terrible”) and pride (“gay”). This line celebrates the creative power of poetry to revive a nation’s spirit and identity.
“Think where man’s glory most begins and ends,
And say my glory was I had such friends.”
Explanation: In these closing lines, Yeats reflects that true glory lies not in fame or art but in friendship and shared ideals. He honors his fellow artists—Lady Gregory, Synge, and others—whose lives embodied Ireland’s cultural soul.
“All that we did, all that we said or sang
Must come from contact with the soil.”
Explanation: Yeats recalls the artistic philosophy he shared with Synge and Lady Gregory—that true art must grow from the soil of one’s own land and people. This belief grounded their work in Irish life and folklore, giving strength to the Irish Revival.