Decay and Remedy in W.B Yeats' Poems or W.B Yeats is a Modern Poet

William Butler Yeats is one of the modern poets who is acutely conscious of modern civilization with its manifolds problems. Yeats vividly portrays in his poems the picture of disorder, despairing individual behaviors. He has seen a sense of uncertainty, insecurity with the loss of faith in Christianity. Also he perceives the decay of European society after the First World War. Besides, he has also provided some remedies to cope with these problems but the solutions suggested by him are not practical, but ideal and impossible.

 

The very opening lines of the poem "The Second Coming" neatly and effectively stop us with the situation of the world after the First World War. He wrote many poems dealing with the crumbling of modern civilization due of war. In the Second Coming, he describes what lies at the malady:

 

 

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer,

Things fall apart; the centre can't hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world"

 

Yeats mind is equally stuffed with the anarchy and the blood -dimmed tide of the modern world:

 

"The blood - dimmed thee is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all convictions, while the word

Are full of passionate intensity."

 

These lines indicate the decadence and disorder that prevailed after the First World War. The poet gives us a picture of the disintegration which has overtaken the Christian civilization. The diminishing force of Christianity is conveyed to us through the idea that Christianity is like a falcon that has lost touch with the falconer and has thus become directionless. The poet says that the centre of things is unable to hold itself together and as a result complete anarchy is let loose upon the world and this anarchy is bringing with it a lot of blood shed. The worst part of the whole situation is that the best people are not sure of themselves whereas the worst parts are sure of themselves. An atmosphere of fascination and violence has overtaken everything.

 

Yeats portrays that though war has been ended, its effects are continuously affecting the people of modern age. He says that there remains insecurity and disorder everywhere. Yeats feels gloomy and fears of a stormy future. He knows that the world is full of disorder and there "Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world”

 

This threatening background is the cause for the poet's gloom. Being conscious of this chaotic world, the poet wants to save his daughter from many of the evils. Hence, the poet is naturally gloomy, and the poem opens with the image of his child sleeping innocently through a howling storm, and the poet wishes and prays for the safety, protection and the best settlement in life for her. The problem before him is how to protect his daughter from the wrath of the coming cruel tides of time which would bring a ruin upon civilization:

 

"Imagining in excited reverie

That the future years had come,

Dancing to a frenzied drum,

Out of the murderous innocence of the sea."

 

There is a great gloom in the poet’s mind and an excited reverie caused by the sad aftermath of the first world war. Dr. B. Rajan pertinently remarks, "yeats's prayer for his daughter gains in strength against the threatening background which makes the appeal to custom and ceremony."

 

Arnold Usher in ‘’ Three Irishman’’ says that in the poem, “A Prayer for My Daughter,” Yeats has focused some remedy of the decay of this modern age. He says ‘’mere anarchy’’ can’t harm the child if she is innocent and is in custom and ceremony breed’’.

 

In the poem, “A Prayer for My Daughter,” he wishes his daughter may find an aristocratic husband in order to be safe. He regards aristocracy as the guardian of the traditional culture and way of life and of the highest spiritual values.

 

The poet's fear is the safety of his daughter and his main indication is that the arrogance and hatred of common people revolves from their negligence of traditional and moral values. So, Yeats has given some solutions to cope with these manifold problems that are- traditional and moral values should be maintained instead of arrogance.

 

In the poem, “Sailing to Byzantium”, the poet is dissatisfied and frustrated with the country in which he has been living. He sees that modern people do not consider the genuineness of the old people but only cares for sexual pleasures. The young man and woman are in close embrace –

 

-"The young

In one another's arms"

 

They can spare no thought for those masterpiece of art which are the product of ageless intellect:

 

"Caught in that sensual music all neglect

Monuments of unageing intellect."

 

Yeats refers his age as the world of chivalrous, gallant, adventurous young men. This is the 20th century world of spider women who attract men into their fold. It is the world where only the young can enjoy honey of the sweet Eves; old men are shut out from it. But in his age, Yeats portrays that values have changed. Older people are neglected "That no country for old men."

 

As it is stated earlier that Yeats gives solutions that are ideal and impractical, he tries to solve the problem of how one should cope with old age. His solution here is that an old man should escape to Byzantium which is the world of art and spirituality as distinguished from the world of sensuality.

 

His desire for Byzantium was the antidote for the ‘’dissipation and despairs’’ that he found in the modern world. The escape to Byzantium means not only an escape from sensuality and morality but also from impurity, ugliness and corruption. The solution suggested by Yeats in this poem is not practical, but ideal and impossible.

 

Parkinson asserts that “‘Sailing to Byzantium’ is revealing, for the poem resolves the problem of old age and art.” (Thomas Francis Parkinson, 1971, p.56)

 

To conclude, it can be said that Yeats, in many of his poems, vividly portrays the various problems of the then society and gives ideal solutions to those problems.

 

References:

 

01.  Balachandra Rajan, (1969), W.B. Yeats: a critical introduction, Hutchinson: Hutchinson university library.

02.  Thomas Francis Parkinson, (1971), W. B. Yeats: the later poetry, California: University of California Press.

 

 

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