The People by W.B. Yeats (1919)
The People is a collection of poems by W.B. Yeats, published in 1919. The collection is divided into two parts: The Tower and The Winding Stair and Other Poems. The Tower is a sequence of poems that explore the themes of love, death, and the passing of time. The poems are set in a tower, which serves as a metaphor for the human condition. The poems explore the idea of a spiritual journey, and the idea of a soul's journey through life. The Winding Stair and Other Poems is a collection of poems that explore the themes of love, death, and the passing of time. The poems explore the idea of a spiritual journey, and the idea of a soul's journey through life. The poems also explore the idea of a spiritual connection between the living and the dead. The People is a collection of poems that explore the themes of love, death, and the passing of time. The poems explore the idea of a spiritual journey, and the idea of a soul's journey through life. The poems also explore the idea of a spiritual connection between the living and the dead. The collection is a powerful exploration of the human condition, and the idea of a soul's journey through life.
By W.B. Yeats · First published 1919 · Genre: Poetry, Drama, Romance · 300 words
First lines
'What have I earned for all that work,' I said, 'For all that I have done at my own charge? The daily spite of this unmannerly town, Where who has served the most is most defamed, The reputation of his lifetime lost Between the night and morning. I might have lived, And you know well how great the longing has been, Where every day my footfall should have lit In the green shadow of Ferrara wall; Or climbed among the images of the past-- The unperturbed and courtly images-- Evening and morning, the steep street of Urbino To where the duchess and her people talked The stately midnight through until they stood In their great window looking at the dawn; I might have had no friend that could not mix Courtesy and passion into one like those That saw the wicks grow yellow in the dawn; I might have used the one substantial right My trade allows: chosen my company, And chosen what scenery had pleased me best.' Thereon my phoenix answered in reproof, 'The drunkards, pilferers of public funds, All the dishonest crowd I had driven away, When my luck changed and they dared meet my face, Crawled from obscurity, and set upon me Those I had served and some that I had fed; Yet never have I, now nor any time, Complained of the people.'
What this Textopian page supports
The People 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, Drama, Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
- Length: 300 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)
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Genres
- Poetry — The People is a collection of poems written by W.B. Yeats.
- Drama — The People contains several dramatic monologues that explore themes of love, loss, and identity.
- Romance — The People contains several romantic poems that explore themes of love and longing.
- Fantasy — The People contains several poems that explore themes of mythology and the supernatural.
Tags
Irish · poetry · Yeats · nationalism · mythology · identity · politics · culture · history · spirituality · folk · tradition