The Travail of Passion by W.B. Yeats
An exploration of the necessity of suffering for the emergence of transcendent beauty and creative vitality. The text presents passion as a divine yet painful force that inhabits mortal existence, binding human frailty with immortal inspiration. Vivid images—angelic thresholds, burning lutes, and floral symbols—portray this fusion of heavenly zeal and earthly torment. The work suggests that the creative spirit must endure harsh trials—symbolized by wounds, thorns, and bitter sacrifices—to give rise to art imbued with a deep, melancholic hope. It posits that true transcendence and authentic creation are forged in the crucible of personal and emotional agony, where pain and passion intermingle. Through its rich and paradoxical imagery, the work asserts that the path to sublime artistic achievement is paved with the hardships inherent in the human condition, making suffering an essential companion to, and catalyst for, the realization of beauty and creative truth.
By W.B. Yeats · First published 1899 · Genre: Symbolist Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Mystical Poetry · 104 words
First lines
When the flaming lute-thronged angelic door is wide; / When an immortal passion breathes in mortal clay; / Our hearts endure the scourge, the plaited thorns, the way / Crowded with bitter faces, the wounds in palm and side, / The hyssop-heavy sponge, the flowers by Kidron stream:
We will bend down and loosen our hair over you, / That it may drop faint perfume, and be heavy with dew, / Lilies of death-pale hope, roses of passionate dream.
What this Textopian page supports
The Travail of Passion is listed on Textopian as a poem by W.B. Yeats, dated 1899 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: 1899 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Symbolist Poetry, Romantic Poetry, Mystical Poetry, Mythological Poetry, Modernist Poetry
- Length: 104 words
- Structure: 1 section, 2 paragraphs
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Travail of Passion 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
- Dreams by Virna Sheard
- The Phases Of The Moon by W. B. Yeats
- The Body Of The Father Christian Rosencrux by W. B. Yeats
- Tom Oroughley by W. B. Yeats
- The Cat And The Moon by W. B. Yeats
- Eeldrop And Appleplex by T. S. Eliot
Genres
- Symbolist Poetry — The text employs rich, evocative imagery that serves as symbols for deeper, layered meanings.
- Romantic Poetry — It intensely focuses on passion, emotion, and the exploration of the sublime, hallmarks of Romantic expression.
- Mystical Poetry — The work delves into transcendent and metaphysical themes, using visionary language to evoke spiritual experiences.
- Mythological Poetry — Frequent allusions to angelic and mythic elements invoke a mythopoeic framework that shapes its narrative and imagery.
Tags
poetic · symbolic · mystical · romantic · metaphorical · modernist · philosophical · allegorical · introspective · visionary · spiritual · mythical