World Poetry Month: Day Twenty Two

World Poetry Month: Day Twenty Two

Today’s poetry is ‘The Second Coming’ a poem by William Butler Yeats. The poem looks at the chaos in the world and predicts a new era of peace.

A golden age of poetry was ushered in by William Butler Yeats during the 20th century.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Protestants and Anglo-Irish dominated Ireland’s economic, political, social, and cultural life.

The majority of members of this minority considered themselves English people born in Ireland, but Yeats was adamant about his Irish identity.

Yeats featured Irish heroes and legends in many of his plays and poems throughout his adult life, even though he lived in London for 14 years of his childhood. Artistically, he was equally steadfast in adhering to his self-image.

Many accused him of elitism because of this conviction, but it also unquestionably contributed to his greatness.

According to fellow poet W.H. Auden, in his 1948 Kenyon Review essay “Yeats as an Example,” Yeats accepted the necessity of making a deliberate and lonely choice “of the principles and presuppositions that made sense of his experience.”

Yeats was praised by Auden for writing “some of the most beautiful poetry” of the modern times.

The poetry of Yeats represents a people and country as poignantly as any other poet, both during and after his life.

The poem starts off by describing a falcon’s flight and how the bird is lost from sight. The imagery paints a picture of something being unleashed, as if an unknown force is stirring up trouble in the world.

It also describes ‘the rough beast’ that is slouching towards Bethlehem to be born. This symbolizes the chaos destruction that is coming with a new era of peace.

The poet then concludes by saying that mankind must be ready for this new age and to put aside their previous mistakes in order to create a better world.

It’s easy to see why this poem has been so enduringly popular; it speaks to our current age of turmoil, offering us hope and a reason to work together for a better future.

By uniting our efforts, we can make a lasting impact on the world around us and find new ways of living that are more peaceful and equitable.

With the right intention and effort, a brighter tomorrow is possible. So let us come together, united in purpose, and work to create a world where we can all thrive.

It is within our power to influence the course of our lives and make a positive difference; now is our chance to do just that. It starts with each of us taking action and striving for progress day by day.

The future is ours to create, and together we can create something magnificent. Let’s make it happen!

These powerful words offer us motivation to pursue a brighter future, and they remind us that our actions are capable of making a real difference.

It is everyone’s responsibility to contribute to this world’s creation,  it doesn’t matter how small or insignificant it may seem.

Every contribution counts, and together we can create a better tomorrow. So let us come together and build a world where everyone can thrive. The future is ours to make!

‘The Second Coming’ By William Butler Yeats ▶️

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 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?

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