英语诗歌鉴赏论文

发布时间：2011-12-16 14:51:05 来源：文档文库

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Poems of W.B. Yeats: The Rose Themes

1. Introduction

As is known to all, Yeats’s poetic thinking is a complexity out of a variety of influences and out of his own originality. Therefore, this study of the Yeatsian poetic thinking would focus on a few distinguished aspects；in order to make them coherently interrelated, I employ the metaphorical meanings of the rose, a key Yeatsian symbol, to represent those chosen aspects.

2. Analysis of the Rose Themes

2.1 Age and Death

2.11 Age

Though a young poet at the time of the composition of The Rose, Yeats is quite preoccupied with themes of aging and mortality. Imagining his old age served as an escape for the young Yeats, who found himself unsuccessful in love and imagined that later in life he would either have won his beloved or his beloved would have come to regret her rejection of him. "In Old Age" is particularly marked by the image of an older Maud Gonne (the woman with whom Yeats was in love) becoming wiser in old age.

2.12 Death

Yeats also had an anxiety about death which was unusual in someone so young. He contemplated death less in terms of himself than in terms of his loved ones. When Maud Gonne travel to France as a convalescent, a worried Yeats wrote "A Dream of Death." This meditation on Gonne's possible death is less of a nightmare than a dream comes true, as Yeats envisions himself being useful to her in death as he could not be in life. Yeats, therefore, views both aging and death as more or less positive forces.

2.2 Irish Mythology

The Rose is rife with mythological references, from King Fergus to Conchubar to Diarmuid. Indeed, such mythic Irish figures populate nearly every poem in the collection.[1]

Mythology operates as a theme in this collection in a number of ways. First and foremost it separates Yeats' poetry from British writing. British writers drew on Roman and Greek mythology - the mythology, in fact, of other (albeit ancient) imperialists. In choosing Irish mythology as his source of allusions and subjects, Yeats creates poetry distinct from that of Ireland's long-time oppressors. This compliments Yeats' desire to cultivate a poetic language suitable to Ireland alone.

Moreover, Yeats' use of Irish mythological subjects allows him to avoid the political climate of his own day. Yeats, a moderate compared to his beloved Maud Gonne, found his political beliefs to be a burden in his pursuit of love. In treating legendary figures, Yeats avoids the problem of referencing the complicated political environment that so tormented him.

2.3 Irish Nationalism

Nationalism in Ireland in the 1890s was in a complicated stage. Many die-hard Fenians (Republicans), including Maud Gonne, were more than willing to take arms against the British to gain their independence. Another group, including Yeats, took the more cautious parliamentary approach. This political party, called the Home Rule Party, was led by John Redmund and held that Ireland could gain independence through legal means.[2]

Because this collection focuses so much on Maud Gonne, Yeats inevitably touches upon his political differences with his beloved. These differences, needless to say, affected their relationship negatively. Yeats feared that Gonne was more repulsed by his moderate politics than by his person.

Thus, in some poems, such as "To Ireland in the Coming Times," Yeats seems to be willfully disassociating himself from the complex political fabric of his own era, instead hearkening to a simpler politics of ancient kings. Undoubtedly Yeats was drawn to these ancient mythic times anyway, but his interest takes on a sadness in the context of his relationship with the politics of his own day (and thus of his relationship with Gonne). Nationalist politics exist negatively in these poems, as the subject that Yeats doesn't want to address.

2.4 Maud Gonne

“A rose of love” refers to the rose as a symbol of love．Love played all important part in Yeats ’s personal life as well as in his writing career．In return it is reflected in his poetry and philosophy．On one hand，his unrequited love for Maud Gonne fills his poetry, especially those of his early phase，with ardent passion．The unattainability of his frequently rejected courtship，however, sets a melancholy tone to his love poetry．Also in his early love poems the reader could find influence of the courtly love tradition，which he received initially from the pre—Raphaelism．[3]On the other hand，his romantic obsession to Gonne contributed considerably to the development of his symbolism．As Yeats himself mentioned，Gonne was the key to his private symbolism．She is compared to apple blossom due to their common beauty and vitality．She is tactically referred to by mere description of her hair, her face，her eyes，her lips，or her “pilgrim soul”．She is the archetype of most women images in Yeats ’s poetry, such as the Countess Cathleen，Helen of Troy, Aengus’s dream lover，Oisin’s wife，Leda，etc．[4]She is also present in many other nonhuman symbols，including the rose，the tree，the swan，the phoenix，the eagle，etc．Furthermore，not only do those symbols present Yeats ’s beloved in his own poetic way, but they are sufficient to have their own life with regard to their artistic value.

The Rose of the World

WHO dreamed that beauty passes like a dream?

For these red lips, with all their mournful pride,

Mournful that no new wonder may betide,

Troy passed away in one high funeral gleam,

And Usna's children died. (Adapted)

Yeats wrote this poem to Maud Gonne, with whom he was deeply in love. He often compares her to Helen of Troy, arguing that her beauty, like Helen's, is capable of wrecking turmoil between nations. Indeed, as Gonne is a representative of Ireland, this comparison suggests that her beauty embodies the strife between Ireland and England, which is especially fitting given that Gonne was a fierce Irish nationalist. The reference to Usna's children in the same stanza likens her to Deirdre, an Irish heroine who was destined to bring suffering on the area of Ulster, because too many men fell in love with her.[5]

3. Conclusion

By making use of the metaphorical meanings of the rose，this thesis is a study of several chosen aspects of Yeats’s poetic thinking . Love drastically influenced Yeast’s writing, acting as his source that contributed considerably to the development of his symbolism；Yeats’s mysticism gave the philosophical quality to his poetry； Therefore，this study of Yeats’s poetic thinking might be useful to the Yeatsian scholarship．It is hoped that the thesis would be helpful to readers who seek for a better understanding of Yeats and his times.