A Prayer for my Son by W.B. Yeats
The work is a prayer in which the speaker implores a divine power to safeguard his child from the hidden perils of a hostile world. He calls for a formidable, almost spectral guardian to stand watch over his son, ensuring peaceful sleep and protection from both physical and spiritual threats. The speaker warns against unseen enemies who harbor destructive intentions rooted in future ambitions, suggesting that even the highest aspirations can provoke dangerous envy and malice. At the same time, the prayer contrasts the incomprehensible creativity of the divine—able to bring order and beauty from nothing—with its failure to address the tender, human needs of nurturing and affection. This contrast underscores a view that while cosmic forces can shape the universe, they fall short in providing the essential, empathetic care that characterizes human love and understanding. Underlying the protective appeals is an acknowledgement of the interplay between fate and free will. The piece meditates on how the child might inherit both the luminous potential of a higher, artistic order and the perilous vulnerabilities of human nature. The speaker emphasizes that while supernatural forces can establish cosmic order, it is through human love and vigilance that the immediate dangers of life are most effectively countered. Ultimately, the work is a meditation on the responsibilities of one generation to shield and guide the next. It encapsulates themes of protection, the duality of divine majesty and human shortcoming, and the hope that nurturing love will prevail over the chaos and cruelty of the wider world.
By W.B. Yeats · First published 1938 · Genre: Religious Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Symbolist Poetry · 290 words
First lines
Bid a strong ghost stand at the head / That my Michael may sleep sound, / Nor cry, nor turn in the bed / Till his morning meal come round; / And may departing twilight keep / All dread afar till morning's back / That his mother may not lack / Her fill of sleep.
Bid the ghost have sword in hand: / There are malicious things, although / Few dream that they exist, / Who have planned his murder, for they know / Of some most haughty deed or thought / That waits upon his future days, / And would through hatred of the bays / Bring that to nought.
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Genres
- Religious Poetry — The poem functions as a supplication and invokes divine protection, central to its themes.
- Lyric Poetry — Its personal, emotive tone and intimate reflections classify it as a lyric expression.
- Symbolist Poetry — Utilizes symbolic imagery and allegorical references to evoke abstract ideas and internal states.
- Political Allegory — References to external threats and societal forces suggest an underlying commentary on political realities.
Tags
spirituality · fatherhood · legacy · hope · transformation · responsibility · mortality · innocence · sacrifice · tradition · modernity · destiny
What this Textopian page supports
A Prayer for my Son is listed on Textopian as a poem by W.B. Yeats, dated 1938 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: W.B. Yeats
- Date: 1938 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Religious Poetry, Lyric Poetry, Symbolist Poetry, Political Allegory, Modernist Poetry
- Length: 290 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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