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In Memory of W.B. Yeats by W. H. Auden
In Memory of W.B. Yeats by W. H. Auden
In Memory of W.B. Yeats by W. H. Auden
Auden had a different goal in mind with each section. The rst
images what it was like when Yeats was dying, the second is
addressed to the poet himself, and the third is a much more
traditional elegy.
Poetic Techniques in In
Memory of W.B. Yeats
Auden makes use of several poetic techniques in ‘In Memory
of W.B. Yeats’. These include enjambment, allusion, and
alliteration. An allusion is an expression that’s meant to call
something speci c to mind without directly stating it. In the
second part of the poem, Auden alludes to some of Yeats’
other works, especially those focused on the Irish
Independence Movement and the Irish Nationalists at the
heart of it. The nal section alludes to the tragedies of the
Second World War that was brewing in 1939 when Yeats died.
Stanza Two
In the second stanza of ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats’ the speaker
describes how despite the death of this great man, things go
on. The wolves are still running through the forests and the
“peasant river” is untempted by the more “fashionable quays”.
By speaking about nature in this way, personifying its
descriptions, he is alluding to the human reaction to the poet’s
death. It is clear from the emphasis placed on the
continuation of normal day to day life that the speaker is
bothered by it.
The nal two lines of this stanza suggest that when readers
encounter his poems his death ill not weigh on their minds. It
was “kept from his poems”. They continue on, just as the
people do, unchanged by the death. The poems last past his
death, as any writer would want.
Stanza Three
The third stanza of ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats’ gives the reader
a very human picture of Yeats’ death. His last moments were
spent around nurses in the hospital. In the next lines, he
depicts Yeats’ body at war with itself. His “body revolted”
against itself and the “squares” (alluding to the architecture of
a city square) “of his mind were empty”. There was nothing
but “silence” in the suburbs. These human-built images are
juxtaposed against the more natural imagery in the previous
stanzas.
Stanza Four
In the fourth stanza of the rst section of ‘In Memory of W.B.
Yeats’ the speaker describes how Yeats’ soul and essence are
“scattered among a hundred cities” among all his admirers. He
is still living, in a way, but has no control over how he’s
perceived. He is in the “guts of the living” where his words are
“modi ed”. This way of being is different, strange, and
“unfamiliar” to the poet. By speaking about Yeats in the
present tense in this stanza Auden emphasizes the theme of
life after death.
Stanza Five
Once again Auden speaks on how the human world is going
on without pause. He uses a simile to describe how the
“brokers are roaring like beasts” (they are back to work) on the
“bourse,” or the Paris version of Wall Street. He also describes
the poor as back to normal as well, they suffer as they always
do. This is an unhappy image of the world that is only
expanded in the next lines as he speaks more broadly about
humankind. He says that all are in the “cell of himself” where
they are “convinced” almost, of their own freedom.
Stanza Six
The last two lines of this rst part of ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats’
act as a refrain. They are a repetition of the two lines at the
end of the rst stanza, reemphasizing the need for different
instruments to measure the poet’s death. Humans are unable
to adequately measure “The day,” or any day. This speaks to
nature’s ability to move on, without fully comprehending
something that’s happened. This is how Auden feels about the
passing of Yeats’ death day.
Part II
Stanza One
The second part of ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats’ is only one
stanza long. At the beginning of this ten-line section the
speaker transitions from the third person to second. He
addresses Yeats calling him “you”. The speaker says that
“your gift survived it all”. It outlasted “your” physical decay and
the “parish of rich women”. It is still there after “Mad Ireland
hurt you into poetry”.
Part III
Stanza One
The third section of ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats’ begins with
Auden addressing the earth. This part of the poem takes the
form of an elegy or a work written in dedication to someone
recently deceased. He asks it to revive Yeats’ body where he is
laid to rest. This is also the rst time that “William Yeats” is
mentioned by name. He was a “vessel” for his poetry and now
that’s all that remains. It is empty of the poetry it once held.
Stanza Two
The second stanza of this section of ‘In Memory of W.B.
Yeats’ gives the reader a few more details about the poet’s
death. It occurred in 1939 in the lead up to World War II. A
nightmare is on its way and “All the dogs of Europe bark” at its
approach. The nations of the world are “sequestered,”
separate from one another basking in their individual hate.
This separation and those differences are at the source of the
con ict.
A reader should also take note that for the rst time in this
long work Auden is using a rhyme scheme.
Stanza Three
The power that poetry once held to “ ow” between worlds
seems lost in this stanza. “Intellectual disgrace” is what one
can nd in “every human face”. Nothing pleasant is occurring
at this time in the world. It is interesting to consider why
Auden chose to write so much about the political climate of
the time in a poem that was supposed to be about Yeats. This
was likely because of Yeats’ own interest in politics and the
closeness with which he kept tabs on the world. By speaking
about the wider world he is also giving more context to the
time period in which Yeats died.
Stanzas Four and Five
In the fourth stanza of ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats’ the speaker
celebrates Yeats’ ability to look into the “bottom of the night”
with his “unconstraining voice”. IT was a tool that allowed him
to see clearly. It still has power as well. This is another
example of life after death that was so important in the rst
part of the poem.
Stanza Six
In the nal stanza of ‘In Memory of W.B. Yeats,’ the speaker’s
tone lightens, as does the imagery. The image of water
appears again as well. The “healing fountain” should “Start” in
the hearts of men, the speaker says.
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Emma Baldwin
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BA in English, minor in Creative Writing, BFA in Fine Art,
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