Mongan Laments the Change that has Come Upon him
The work presents an allegorical meditation on irreversible transformation and loss. The speaker laments a profound change in his nature, portrayed through vivid metamorphosis imagery that shifts his original, purer state—symbolized by a hornless white deer—into a flawed, instinctual existence, represented as a hound with a single red ear. This altered form reflects the intrusion of external forces and the relentless tide of time, birth, and change that strip away inherent identity and purpose. Central to the text is the encounter with an enigmatic figure wielding a hazel wand, whose silent, transformative intervention abruptly diverts the speaker from his original path. This encounter is not merely physical; it epitomizes a deeper metaphysical metamorphosis wherein the subject loses his former calling and is cast into a life defined by persistent, almost inescapable, change. Such a transformation underscores the tension between self-determination and the implacable progress of fate, suggesting that external, mysterious forces commandeer personal destiny. The narrative is suffused with mythic and natural symbolism. The invocation of animals—a white deer, a hound, and a boar—serves as metaphors for different states of being and for forces of nature that disrupt and redefine order. The white deer embodies an initial state of idealized purity or grace, while the hound signifies a descent into a more base, animalistic condition. The imagined intervention of a boar from the West, capable of uprooting celestial bodies, conveys a desire for an equally radical, if destructive, transformation to overturn the existing cosmic order, perhaps to reclaim what has been irretrievably lost. Themes of inescapable change and lamentation permeate the work. The speaker's reflective yearning for a state where even the sun, moon, and stars might be overturned speaks to a deep dissatisfaction with the prevailing order—a world dictated by ceaseless transformation and the erosion of what once was pure and ordered. The metaphors evoke a sense of alienation and mourning for a lost ideal, as well as a resigned acknowledgment of the forces that uproot personal and collective identity. The tone is one of stark resignation, marked by a clear recognition of the inevitability of change. The text articulates a dual awareness: on one level, it is a personal lament for the loss of a cherished, uncorrupted self; on another, it serves as a broader commentary on the cultural and existential shifts that redefine traditional values and identities. The imagery of the “Path of Stones and the Wood of Thorns” further accentuates the struggle and pain inherent in this transformation. Overall, the work encapsulates the tension between a longing for an unattainable, bygone ideal and the relentless forward march of time that transforms both person and world. The narrative resists simple interpretation by blending personal grief with mythic symbolism, ultimately suggesting that identity is mutable and subject to forces far larger than individual control.
By W.B. Yeats · First published 1936 · Genre: Symbolist Poetry, Modernist Poetry, Mythological Poetry · 166 words
First lines
Do you not hear me calling, white deer with no horns!
I have been changed to a hound with one red ear; / I have been in the Path of Stones and the Wood of Thorns, / For somebody hid hatred and hope and desire and fear / Under my feet that they follow you night and day.
A man with a hazel wand came without sound; / He changed me suddenly; I was looking another way; / And now my calling is but the calling of a hound; / And Time and Birth and Change are hurrying by.
I would that the boar without bristles had come from the West / And had rooted the sun and moon and stars out of the sky / And lay in the darkness, grunting, and turning to his rest.
Similar titles
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- Another Song Of A Fool by W. B. Yeats
- Mongan Thinks Of His Past Greatness by W. B. Yeats
- Aedh Thinks Of Those Who Have Spoken Evil Of His Beloved by W. B. Yeats
- Upon A Dying Lady by W. B. Yeats
- A Former Life by Charles Pierre Baudelaire
Genres
- Symbolist Poetry — The work relies heavily on symbolic imagery and layered metaphors to portray transformation and inner states.
- Modernist Poetry — The thematic focus on change, fragmented identity, and unconventional narrative aligns with modernist literary techniques.
- Mythological Poetry — The invocation of archetypal animals and mystical transformation echoes mythic and folkloric traditions.
- Allegorical Poetry — The text uses metaphorical figures to represent broader themes of change, destiny, and human condition, lending itself to allegorical readings.
Tags
lamentation · transformation · grief · mourning · ephemeral · decay · mysticism · symbolism · nostalgia · loss · transition · alienation
What this Textopian page supports
Mongan Laments the Change that has Come Upon him and his Beloved is listed on Textopian as a poem by W.B. Yeats, dated 1936 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: 1936 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Symbolist Poetry, Modernist Poetry, Mythological Poetry, Allegorical Poetry, Fantasy Poetry
- Length: 166 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for Mongan Laments the Change that has Come Upon him and his Beloved by W.B. Yeats
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