The Uniqueness of W.B. Yeats

The Unique Style of W.B. Yeats

W.B. Yeats, born of Irish heritage, is one of the most talented poets in the English language.  As a young man Yeats developed his own taste and spiritual style for writing and became one of the most important writers of the twentieth century. (Foster)  Yeats was a nostalgic man who longed for life in the past. His poetry uses imagery, symbolism, and reflection to demonstrate his disdain for the progression of time and for the human process of aging.  Yeats is known for his unique style and he has been referenced as the “master of symbolism”  (Morgan).

Yeats’ use of symbolism, along with his theme of aging, presents itself in Wild Swans at Coole written in 1919.  At the time he wrote this poem Yeats was fifty four years old.   Standing lakeside, Yeats acknowledges he was past his prime and reflects unhappily on his life.  In this poem he uses a more conventional comparison of aging to the seasons. (Pruitt)  Autumn refers to Yeats living in the season before his death.  The trees during this season are leafless which is significant because the leaves give trees their beauty.  Yeats feels as though he is without accomplishments; old age has stripped him of what makes him worthwhile.  His reference to dry paths within the poem may be a comparison to his imagination and creativity pool.  There is nothing left and his resources have dried up.  The water is still, which allows Yeats to use the lake as a tool for reflection on his life and accomplishments. Yeats notes, “...upon the brimming water among the stones are nine and fifty swans.”  Water, the symbol of life, is brimming around the swans, they have plenty of life left, unlike Yeats.  Another dissimilarity between the swans and Yeats is that Yeats was never successful in obtaining a life partner, unlike swans who mate for life.  The fact that there are fifty-nine swans tells us that there is one who is without their mate which may be reflective of his life without a long time partner. (Jeffares 163) The fact that Yeats chose swans is also significant. Swans are a symbol of beauty and grace, the opposite of how he views himself in old age.  Yeats states that "...their hearts have not grown old," connoting that they will live forever and he will not.  He feels their beauty will remain as his will wither.  Yeats does not see anymore opportunity in life for himself yet envies the choice that the swans have: "to paddle in the cold, Companionable streams or climb the air."  Old age will not allow him to soar, and the excitement of life is lost.  Yeats clearly longed for his younger years.  Autumn represents his age, the swans represent his nostalgia for his past, and Yeats makes it clear he desperately wishes to turn back time. 

  In Yeats’ work Sailing to Byzantium written in 1928, the abhorrence Yeats has for his aging body becomes more visible.  Yeats