If a poet interprets a poem of his own he limits its suggestibility.
William Butler YeatsRead
Was it for this the wild geese spread The gray wing upon every tide; For this that all that blood was shed, For this. Edward Fitzgerald died, And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone, All that delirium of the brave? Romantic Ireland's dead and gone, It's with O'Leary in the grave.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the sacrifices made for Ireland and mourns its lost romantic ideals.
This quote expresses deep sorrow for the sacrifices made by those who fought for Irish freedom, questioning if all that bloodshed was worthwhile in the face of what he sees as the death of the romantic vision of Ireland. Yeats laments that the heroic spirit that inspired such sacrifices has faded, now resting in the grave alongside its champions, suggesting a loss of hope and idealism in contemporary Ireland.
Themes
IrelandSacrificeFreedomRomanticismHistory
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a speech about national identity and the sacrifices made for freedom.
More from William Butler Yeats
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For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.
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Love is created and preserved by intellectual analysis, for we love only that which is unique, and it belongs to contemplation, not to action, for we would not change that which we love.
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