The Fisherman by W.B. Yeats (1919)
The Fisherman is a poem by W.B. Yeats, first published in 1899. It tells the story of an old fisherman who casts his net into the sea, hoping to catch a fish. He is unsuccessful, but he is content with his life, and he reflects on the beauty of the sea and the sky. He is content with his simple life, and he is content with his solitude. He is content with his lot, and he is content with his faith in God. The poem is a meditation on the beauty of nature, the power of faith, and the joy of a simple life.
By W.B. Yeats · First published 1919 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Irish Literature · 215 words
First lines
Although I can see him still, The freckled man who goes To a grey place on a hill In grey Connemara clothes At dawn to cast his flies, It's long since I began To call up to the eyes This wise and simple man. All day I'd looked in the face What I had hoped 'twould be To write for my own race And the reality; The living men that I hate, The dead man that I loved, The craven man in his seat, The insolent unreproved, And no knave brought to book Who has won a drunken cheer, The witty man and his joke Aimed at the commonest ear, The clever man who cries The catch-cries of the clown, The beating down of the wise And great Art beaten down.
Similar titles
- A Deep Sworn Vow by W. B. Yeats
- Memory by W. B. Yeats
- Two Songs Of A Fool by W. B. Yeats
- The Collar Bone Of A Hare by W. B. Yeats
- Tom Oroughley by W. B. Yeats
- The Sad Shepherd by W. B. Yeats
Genres
- Poetry — The Fisherman is a poem written by W.B. Yeats, making it a work of poetry.
- Romanticism — The poem is written in a romantic style, with themes of love, nature, and the supernatural.
- Irish Literature — The Fisherman is a poem by an Irish author, making it a work of Irish literature.
- Modernism — The poem is written in a modernist style, with themes of alienation and the search for meaning.
Tags
fishing · nature · mythology · Irish culture · poetry · spirituality · loss · memory · identity · tradition · water · fate
What this Textopian page supports
The Fisherman is listed on Textopian as a poem by W.B. Yeats, dated 1919 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: 1919 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Irish Literature, Modernism
- Length: 215 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Difficult (College Level)
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