Deciphering a confusing poem

Deciphering “The Second Coming”

            William Butler Yeats first penned “The Second Coming” in 1919. I feel that in order to begin understanding what this poem may have meant to Yeats or even to his readers at the time, one must understand the era in which it was written and must have some insight into the Author as well. This poem was written after World War I. At the end of the war it was commonly called “The Great War” or “The War to End All Wars” (www.worldwar-1.net). It is now simply referred to as World War 1. Coincidentally, this was all after the Easter Rising in Ireland, a brutal uproar that Yeats also penned a poem about called “Easter, 1916” (poetryfoundation.org). Also occurring within this time frame was the Russian Revolution which resulted in the overthrow of Czars and left a lingering chaotic rage in Russia and Europe as a whole.

             Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1865. He was educated in Dublin as well as London. Being that Yeats lived in Ireland at the time of these wars, their impact was strongly felt and no doubt left an impression of dread and gloom among European countries. It would be this mind- set that would set into motion the writing of a poem that would convey images of dread and horror leading to the end of the world.

            “The Second Coming” appears to be a reference to the Book of Revelations in the bible, in which Christian prophecies are revealed. The poem begins with a strong metaphor that refers to the world as a gyre, or a cone shaped spiral of wind. Yates writes “Turning and turning in the widening gyre” (Line 1). This indicates that the world is spinning humankind upward and away, detaching us from the world and reality. Using this specific terminology indicates that the poet may be believe that two forces in the world, good and evil, are intersecting causing up-heave and dissention in the world. The Yates then makes a reference indicating that people are like falcons in this “widening gyre”, and that God is the falconer with “The falcon cannot hear the falconer” (Line 2). This is similar to the biblical reference of people, or Christ church, being His sheep, or flock, and Christ the herder. Is it that the poet believes that Christians have spun so out of control and become so detached from the world, and the church, that they can no longer hear God? People are so caught up in the world around them that we have become detached from the world itself. Yates then describes the world as “falling apart” (Line 3) and that “Mere Anarchy is loosed upon the world” (Line4). This is a description about the world being torn apart by its inhabitants. Yates writes “The blood-dimmed tide is loosed…” (Line5). Another indication of a world wrought with war. Also noted is a world that has experienced innocence’s death and the domination of evil forces, “innocence drowned” (Line6) and “The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity” (Lines 7 and 8). The second part of this poem first indicates that a revelation is about to occur, another direct reference to the bible, indicating prophesy is about to become a reality and that “Surely the Second Coming is at hand” (Line 10). This all does appear to refer to biblical prophecy in the book of revelations, in which Christ returns to the world to reign. Perhaps the poet is referring to another great war soon to come. People in this era had hoped that they had seen the worst that war had to offer but biblical prophecy about the end of times was not yet met either. The reason I mention this is that up until this part of the poem it appears to be referring to the Second Coming of Christ, but the rest of the poem contradicts what traditional beliefs are in regard to the Second Coming. After the poet proclaims “The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out / When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi” (Lines 11and12) a reference to the lost morals of the world. The poet then describes the rising of a sphinx like creature being in the world. “A shape with lion body and the head of a man” (Line 14). This creature is then described as a beast devoid of emotion, with slow, calculated movements that cause even the “indignant desert birds” (Line17) of the land, another reference to people, like the falcons, to show anger towards this unjust, unworthy beast. Also the use of a “desert bird” could be biblical reference towards the Middle Eastern peoples of what was formerly Jerusalem at the time of this poems writing. With that we come to what is the last stanza of the poem in which described is a dark and gloomy world that the poet refers to self the first time stating that “The darkness drops again but now I know / That twenty centuries of stony sleep / Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle”(Lines 18, 19 and 20). Is the poet referring to 2000 years of belief proved wrong by the return of a beast like creature that has brought gloom and despair instead of an angelic Christ figure that brings peace and harmony? Or is this another reference to another global war that makes all of the wars earth has seen appear to be mere child’s play. Yates writes “And what rough beast, its hour come around at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?” (Lines 21, 22) This “rough beast” appears to be a reference to the prophetic end of days that the biblical Book of Revelation refers to. Perhaps a world ending war that eases its way towards the birth place of Christ.

                At first reading I thought this poem to be an easy assignment for me to analyze. It led me to believe that this was purely about what its title implies. Upon analyzing the poem and trying to break down its meaning and language I was then confused by the transition from the biblical references to what I believe is a wrong depiction of what arrives in our world with the Second Coming of Christ. Then as I analyzed the time in which it was created and the history involved, I realized that possibly, to the poet, it was his prophesy about future war. That is also what I feel this poem is about as well. The poet has used biblical prophecy about the Second Coming of Christ and used peoples’ emotions and beliefs to reflect the poets own ideas of how future war may follow biblical prophecy.

Works Cited

www.worldwar-1.net, copyright 2006.

Yates, William Butler “Easter 1916”. Poetry Foundation. 1989. 14 September 2011. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/172061

Yates, William Butler “The Second Coming”. Poetry Foundation. 1989. 14 September 2011. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/search/?q=the+second+coming