That the Night Come by W.B. Yeats

Name: That the Night Come
Author: W.B. Yeats

The work explores the tension between an ordinary life and a transcendent, heroic end. It presents a figure who rejects the commonplace pleasures and struggles of daily existence in favor of an exalted, almost ceremonial death—a death that promises transformation, liberation, and grandeur. The central character is driven by a powerful desire for a death imbued with majesty and symbolism; she aspires to break free from the mundane by embracing a fate that is as grand and tumultuous as a royal celebration. Throughout the work, vivid, martial imagery is employed to convey this yearning. Elements such as banners, trumpets, kettledrums, and cannon signify more than the mechanical aspects of battle; they evoke a ritualistic passage from life to a realm beyond the confines of time and common experience. The night, far from merely a time of darkness, becomes an emblem of transformation—it is the threshold at which ordinary life ends and a profound, almost mystical metamorphosis begins. The narrative is both personal and universal. It delves into the internal conflict of one who finds the known world insufficient, craving instead an existence where even the act of dying is charged with creative potency. By rejecting the “common good of life,” the character asserts that life, in its routine and banality, can strip away the potential for art, heroism, and true transformation. The work situates these themes within a broader cultural and aesthetic context, reflecting a modern, often symbolist preoccupation with reconciling the ephemeral nature of human existence with a search for eternal, transcendent truths. Death is not portrayed as defeat or loss, but as a necessary and celebratory act that bundles time away—redefining the nature of existence by replacing the continuous flow of life with a singular moment charged with meaning and ritual. Ultimately, the text is a meditation on the nature of desire and the duality of existence. It questions conventional values by suggesting that the highest form of living might lie in the sumptuous, even bathetic, embrace of an extraordinary destiny—a destiny where even the end is a work of art.

By W.B. Yeats · First published 1910 · Genre: Poetry, Symbolism, Romanticism · 96 words

First lines

She lived in storm and strife. / Her soul had such desire / For what proud death may bring / That it could not endure / The common good of life, / But lived as 'twere a king / That packed his marriage day / With banneret and pennon, / Trumpet and kettledrum, / And the outrageous cannon, / To bundle Time away / That the night come.

Open reader

What this Textopian page supports

That the Night Come is listed on Textopian as a poem by W.B. Yeats, dated 1910 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: 1910 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Symbolism, Romanticism, Allegory, Tragedy
Length: 96 words
Structure: 1 section, 1 paragraphs

Good citation fit

Work identity for That the Night Come by W.B. Yeats
Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
Readability and classroom-planning context
Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

Similar titles

Genres

Poetry — The work is structured in verse with rhythmic language and vivid imagery characteristic of poetic form.
Symbolism — The text employs symbols such as storm, strife, and death to convey deeper, layered meanings beyond the literal.
Romanticism — It emphasizes intense emotion, individual passion, and the sublime confrontation with destiny, reflecting Romantic ideals.
Allegory — The narrative can be interpreted as representing larger themes of human desire, fate, and the heroic defiance of mortality.