The Works of W.B. Yeats

by W.B. Yeats

This volume of Yeats's poetry contains all the work from the 1933 edition of the "Collected Poems", the last anthology to be published in the poet's lifetime.

Genres: Poetry, 20th Century, Irish Literature, Classics

325 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 1940

About the author

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and dramatist, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years Yeats served as an Irish Senator for two terms. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for what the Nobel Committee described as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." He was the first Irishman so honored. Yeats is generally considered one of the few writers who completed their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize; such works include The Tower (1928) and The Winding Stair and Other Poems (1929).

Yeats was born and educated in Dublin but spent his childhood in County Sligo. He studied poetry in his youth, and from an early age was fascinated by both Irish legends and the occult. Those topics feature in the first phase of his work, which lasted roughly until the turn of the century. His earliest volume of verse was published in 1889, and those slow paced and lyrical poems display debts to Edmund Spenser and Percy Bysshe Shelley, as well as to the Pre-Raphaelite poets. From 1900, Yeats' poetry grew more physical and realistic. He largely renounced the transcendental beliefs of his youth, though he remained preoccupied with physical and spiritual masks, as well as with cyclical theories of life.
--from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant stuff - I can only recommend to you highly and let the words of W B Yeats do the talking:

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan's poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, W.B Yeats is one of my favourite poets out there! I would highly recommend this book, as it shows the poetry written by a very inspirational poet!

[Vanessa Yeazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read this whole thing - I had to read some Yeats poems for my English class and wanted to include it here on Goodreads but wasn't sure exactly how, so this will have to do. I really enjoyed the Yeats poems that I read. I enjoyed them far more once the professor explained them a little more, and the backstory of Yeats' life and how each specific poem came to be. All of it is so fascinating to me. I liked his first poems - the romantic, languid feel - and his more direct, rhetorical poems surrounding Irish nationalism. I really respect him writing poems about the politics of his time. "The Second Coming" is really reminiscent of the world today, and definitely hit when I read it. "When You Are Old" is so cute; that's definitely my favorite of all the ones I read. I love the imagery in that one. I really feel Yeats in "No Second Troy", dealing with the sting of rejection, and love the imagery used. "Easter 1916" is a great elegy for those who died in the violence of the civil war, it's incredibly well-written and I really respect Yeats for writing it. I could go on and on, I really enjoyed all of them. I'm definitely interested in reading more of his works!!

[Ceil]

There ought to be a button for "you don't ever finish some books; you dip into them forever."

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always loved Yeats since being introduced to his work in university (in fact, I have "No Second Troy" framed on my wall in my guestroom, along with some of my other favorite poems by other poets). As I was heading to Ireland on the 20th I decided to read a collection of his works before I left. Ireland was amazing, by the way, and it was wonderful to see the countryside Yeats often wrote about in his poems. In fact, I stopped by Sligo while on vacation and visited Yeats grave, which was both cool and a little weird. I don't know, what was I supposed to do while there? Take a photo of his tombstone? I thought that was really weird and I'm not sure why I even bothered to go there, as I'm not one for visiting the graves of loved ones, let alone a guy I never met. Anyway, Yeats is a wonderful poet, creating beautiful and evocative images as well as metaphors and political allegories. He's an essential poet to read if you're into poetry and language as an art form.

My favorite Yeats poems:
No Second Troy
To a Friend Whose Work has come to Nothing
A Memory of Youth
The Magi
The Second Coming

[Araxi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeats has always been my Muse, but every time I re-read his work I am nourished completely.
Let's face it, poetry is gay. But Yeats is a distictly modern poet (if you don't know his work) whose words are drenched in intelligence, passion, and a distictly Irish sense of humour.
The intro in this collection is barely annoying. The bibliography is very handy.
Big faves: (if you're hearty) "The Song of the Wandering Aengus", and "He Wishes For the Cloths of Heaven".
Read this to someone and you will get laid.
A.

[Sherri]

Yeats being one of my favourite poets/writers, I will always find something hauntingly beautiful in his work. Especially his poetry, I find it has a gentle quality-even poems that are not necessarily overtly positive or light-hearted.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not entirely sure about the more "narrative" works at the end.

[Fiensh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been in love with Yeats's diction and imageries. His works are just brilliant! Some of his poems really speak to me, especially "When You Are Old", and "His Dream".

[Mii · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great read!