The Shadowy Waters

by W.B. Yeats

The Shadowy Waters is a play written by the famous Irish poet and playwright, William Butler Yeats. The play is set in ancient Ireland and tells the story of a young prince named Oisin, who embarks on a journey to the Otherworld, a mystical realm inhabited by supernatural beings. Oisin is accompanied on his journey by a group of warriors and a beautiful princess named Niamh.As they journey deeper into the Otherworld, Oisin and his companions encounter a series of challenges and obstacles, including battles with fierce monsters and treacherous spirits. Along the way, Oisin also learns about the nature of love, loyalty, and sacrifice, as he struggles to navigate the complex and mysterious world of the Otherworld.The Shadowy Waters is a haunting and poetic play that explores themes of mythology, spirituality, and the human condition. It is a powerful work of literature that showcases Yeats' masterful use of language and his deep understanding of Irish folklore and mythology. The play has been widely acclaimed for its lyrical beauty, its vivid imagery, and its profound insights into the nature of life, death, and the afterlife.Edain came out of Midhir's hill, and lay Beside young Aengus in his tower of glass, Where time is drowned in odour-laden winds And Druid moons, and murmuring of boughs, And sleepy boughs, and boughs where apples made Of opal and ruhy and pale chrysolite Awake unsleeping fires; and wove seven strings.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Poetry, Plays, Classics

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1900

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

[Melanie Bonnici]

“We have fallen in the dreams the Ever-Living breathe
On the tarnished mirror of the world
And then smooth out with ivory hands and sigh”

I first discovered this excerpt as a prologue to Wilfred Owen’s poem “The Show” while studying war poetry at school, and finally got the opportunity to find and read the whole poem. It’s easy to see how the dreamlike narration inspired this and many other of Owen’s writings.

[Joel Van Valin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This dramatic poem about a man (Forgael) sailing off the edge of the world to meet the gods is romantically metaphorical. I feel Shakespeare is the main influence of Yeats here, but his own vision of Celtic deities sets it apart. The narrative is too dreamy to ever really gather tension, but it is an interesting drama to read, and probably would work well as a short play.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Why are you standing with your eyes upon me?
You are not the world’s core. O no, no, no!
That cannot be the meaning of the birds.
You are not its core. My teeth are in the world,
But have not bitten yet.”

Yeats is certainly beckoning me to a deeper dive into Éirinn

[Enrique Escalona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustaría ver series de televisión, claro. Pero hay que elegir. Yeats me está dando buenas temporadas en casa obra...

[Jörg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klasse Geschichte, spannend

[Stefan A. Andersson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This did not age well. Stiff, and rather ridiculous. Just compare it to "The secret rose". There you will find tales of quality.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

men women the irish
it really is a fun play all around