The Second Coming - A poem by William Butler Yeats

William Butler Yeats - The Second Coming

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight:  somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Added: on December 6th, 2005 at 6:12 PM | Viewed: 13170 times | Comments (26)

The Second Coming - Comments and Information
Poet: William Butler Yeats Poem: The Second Coming Volume: Michael Robartes and the Dancer Year: Published/Written in 1921 Comment 26 of 26, added on April 10th, 2006 at 7:00 AM. This poem is very intricate, personal and deeply satisfying. It, to me, makes sense and for that this poem is very powerful. I feel Yeats is trying to express what he feels about the world in some philospohical form that trains his imagination. It is a beautiful piece of literature and a joy to one and all. olivia from Australia Comment 25 of 26, added on December 25th, 2005 at 5:19 PM. i think wb yeats is a great writer who is heavily in fluenced by the first world war and the great turmoil of the environment around him. according to his complicated design and vision about future he could put all his experiences in akind of belief system. and i think it's amazing. it's a pleasure to read his poetry in my literature classes.. hilal from Turkey Comment 24 of 26, added on December 6th, 2005 at 6:12 PM. I think it's interesting to note that "lines 4-8 refer to the Russian Revolution of 1917." (My professor mentioned this, and it is also noted in several different anthology notes: from 7th Edition Norton Anthology, volume B, in my case.) Tinga from Canada More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, The Second Coming, has received 26 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by William Butler Yeats with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
The Second Coming Volume: Michael Robartes and the Dancer Year: Published/Written in 1921 Last read: 2008-07-04 18:59:40 Viewed 13170 times. Added on December 6th, 2005 at 6:12 PM.

Yeats Info
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