'The Travail Of Passion' by William Butler Yeats
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
WHEN the flaming lute-thronged angelic door is wide;
When an immortal passion breathes in mortal clay;
Our hearts endure the scourge, the plaited thorns, the way
Crowded with bitter faces, the wounds in palm and side,
The vinegar-heavy sponge, the flowers by Kedron stream;
We will bend down and loosen our hair over you,
That it may drop faint perfume, and be heavy with dew,
Lilies of death-pale hope, roses of passionate dream.
Editor 1 Interpretation
The Travail of Passion: A Journey Through Yeats' Poetic Imagination
William Butler Yeats is known for his profound contributions to modern literature, and his poetic works have been studied and analyzed by scholars and enthusiasts alike for decades. Among his many works, The Travail of Passion stands out as a masterpiece that captures the essence of Yeats' poetic imagination, exploring themes of love, desire, and the human condition.
At its core, The Travail of Passion is a series of poems that tell the story of a man's journey through the tumultuous landscape of his own emotions. The poems are presented in a chronological sequence, tracing the protagonist's experiences from his initial infatuation to his ultimate disillusionment and despair. Through vivid imagery and skillful use of language, Yeats evokes a sense of the raw, unbridled passion that drives the protagonist, as well as the pain and confusion that he experiences as a result of his obsession.
The Power of Passion
One of the most striking aspects of The Travail of Passion is the way in which Yeats portrays the power of passion. From the opening lines of the first poem, "He hears the leaves rustling in the wind" (Yeats, "The Tragic Bride"), the reader is drawn into a world of sensory experience, where the sights, sounds, and sensations of the natural world merge with the protagonist's intense emotions. As the poems progress, we witness the protagonist's obsession with a woman who embodies his ideal of beauty and perfection, and we see how his desire for her becomes a force that drives him to the brink of madness.
Yeats' language is rich and evocative, and he uses a variety of poetic devices to convey the intensity of the protagonist's feelings. For example, in "The Folly of Being Comforted," he employs an extended metaphor of a shipwreck to describe the protagonist's emotional state:
The sea was calm and flat as a mirror,
Like a broad light in the sky;
The broad sun on the level waters
Like gold and bronze did lie.
Here, Yeats uses the image of the calm sea to contrast with the turmoil that the protagonist is experiencing internally. The shipwreck metaphor suggests that the protagonist's emotions are like a vessel that has been tossed and battered by the waves, leaving him adrift and directionless.
The Illusion of Perfection
Another theme that runs throughout The Travail of Passion is the idea of the illusion of perfection. The protagonist is drawn to the woman he desires because she embodies his ideal of beauty and perfection, but as the poems progress, we see that this ideal is ultimately unattainable. In "The Folly of Being Comforted," for example, the protagonist reflects on the fact that his ideal woman is not real:
I dreamed that I had found her
In an orchard green and wild,
And that she kissed me with her mouth
Sweeter than honey mild.
But when I woke and found her not
I cried aloud in my despair,
All that my longing had forgot
I saw her with her cold, cold stare.
Here, Yeats uses the imagery of a dream to suggest that the protagonist's ideal woman is a figment of his imagination. The fact that she is not real is underscored by the line "And that she kissed me with her mouth / Sweeter than honey mild," which suggests that the protagonist's desire for her is based on an illusion rather than reality.
The Limits of Human Desire
Ultimately, The Travail of Passion is a meditation on the limits of human desire. The protagonist's obsession with the woman he desires leads him down a path of self-destruction, as he becomes increasingly isolated and detached from the world around him. In "The Lamentation of the Old Pensioner," Yeats portrays the protagonist as a broken, disillusioned figure:
I have old women's secrets now
That had those of the young;
Madge tells me what I dared not think
When my blood ran high or my nerves were strung.
Here, Yeats suggests that the protagonist has gained a kind of wisdom through his experiences, but it is a wisdom that comes at a price. The fact that he is now privy to "old women's secrets" suggests that he has lost touch with the vitality and energy that he once possessed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The Travail of Passion is a remarkable work of literature that captures the essence of Yeats' poetic imagination. Through vivid imagery and skillful use of language, Yeats explores themes of love, desire, and the human condition, showing us the power of passion, the illusion of perfection, and the limits of human desire. At once tragic and beautiful, The Travail of Passion is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to move and inspire its readers.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
The Travail of Passion: A Masterpiece by William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, is known for his profound and complex works that explore themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Among his many masterpieces, The Travail of Passion stands out as a powerful and moving poem that captures the essence of human desire and the struggle to find meaning in life.
The poem, which was first published in 1933, is a meditation on the nature of passion and its transformative power. It is divided into three parts, each of which explores a different aspect of the theme. In the first part, Yeats describes the experience of falling in love and the intense emotions that come with it. He writes:
"When passion's trance is overpast, And we lie limp and dark at last, And moan the unutterable moan, When the heart's strings are overthrown, Drowned in the labouring sea of sound, Heart cries to heart its grief profound."
Here, Yeats captures the intensity of the emotional experience of falling in love. He describes it as a "passion's trance," a state of mind in which one is completely consumed by their feelings. The image of lying "limp and dark" suggests a sense of surrender, as if the speaker has given themselves over completely to the power of their emotions. The "unutterable moan" and the "labouring sea of sound" suggest a sense of overwhelming emotion, as if the speaker is struggling to express the depth of their feelings.
In the second part of the poem, Yeats explores the transformative power of passion. He writes:
"Then, then the gloom is like a scroll Rolled up, and hidden from the soul. Then, then the light breaks in above, A shining sea of peace and love."
Here, Yeats suggests that passion has the power to transform us, to lift us out of our darkness and into the light. The image of the "gloom" being rolled up like a scroll suggests a sense of release, as if the speaker is being freed from their emotional burdens. The "shining sea of peace and love" suggests a sense of transcendence, as if the speaker has been lifted up to a higher plane of existence.
Finally, in the third part of the poem, Yeats explores the idea that passion is ultimately a fleeting experience. He writes:
"But passion brought the heart that beat From solitudes of bitter sweet, And the world's tide swept them apart, That should have been a single heart."
Here, Yeats suggests that passion is a temporary state, one that is ultimately doomed to end. The image of the heart being brought from "solitudes of bitter sweet" suggests a sense of isolation, as if the speaker has been lifted out of their ordinary life and into a realm of intense emotion. The idea that the "world's tide swept them apart" suggests a sense of inevitability, as if the forces of the world are too powerful to be overcome by even the strongest of emotions.
Overall, The Travail of Passion is a powerful and moving poem that captures the essence of human desire and the struggle to find meaning in life. Through its exploration of the transformative power of passion, Yeats suggests that even in the face of life's greatest challenges, there is always hope for transcendence and renewal. Whether read as a meditation on love, loss, or the human condition, this poem is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to move and inspire us.
Editor Recommended Sites
Build Quiz - Dev Flashcards & Dev Memorization: Learn a programming language, framework, or study for the next Cloud CertificationGraph ML: Graph machine learning for dummies
New Programming Language: New programming languages, ratings and reviews, adoptions and package ecosystems
Haskell Community: Haskell Programming community websites. Discuss haskell best practice and get help
Developer Flashcards: Learn programming languages and cloud certifications using flashcards
Recommended Similar Analysis
Kitten And Falling Leaves, The by William Wordsworth analysisSpring by Gerard Manley Hopkins analysis
We shall enjoy it by Sappho analysis
Elegy by Jorge Luis Borges analysis
Hope by Emily Jane Brontë analysis
Siege and Conquest of Alhama, The by George Gordon, Lord Byron analysis
Anecdote Of The Jar by Wallace Stevens analysis
Reverie of Poor Susan, The by William Wordsworth analysis
Hyla Brook by Robert Frost analysis
Spring by Edna St. Vincent Millay analysis