'News For The Delphic Oracle' by William Butler Yeats
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I
There all the golden codgers lay,
There the silver dew,
And the great water sighed for love,
And the wind sighed too.
Man-picker Niamh leant and sighed
By Oisin on the grass;
There sighed amid his choir of love
Tall pythagoras.
plotinus came and looked about,
The salt-flakes on his breast,
And having stretched and yawned awhile
Lay sighing like the rest.
II
Straddling each a dolphin's back
And steadied by a fin,
Those Innocents re-live their death,
Their wounds open again.
The ecstatic waters laugh because
Their cries are sweet and strange,
Through their ancestral patterns dance,
And the brute dolphins plunge
Until, in some cliff-sheltered bay
Where wades the choir of love
Proffering its sacred laurel crowns,
They pitch their burdens off.
III
Slim adolescence that a nymph has stripped,
Peleus on Thetis stares.
Her limbs are delicate as an eyelid,
Love has blinded him with tears;
But Thetis' belly listens.
Down the mountain walls
From where pan's cavern is
Intolerable music falls.
Foul goat-head, brutal arm appear,
Belly, shoulder, bum,
Flash fishlike; nymphs and satyrs
Copulate in the foam.
Editor 1 Interpretation
News For The Delphic Oracle: A Literary Criticism and Interpretation
William Butler Yeats' poem "News For The Delphic Oracle" is a work of art that has left a lasting impression on readers for generations. The poem is a fascinating exploration of the intersection of myth and reality, and Yeats manages to weave together a complex web of themes and motifs that leave readers pondering the poem long after they have put it down. In this literary criticism and interpretation, I will explore the rich symbolism present in "News For The Delphic Oracle" and examine how Yeats uses his craft to craft a thought-provoking work that speaks to the human experience.
Poem Analysis
The poem can be divided into three main sections. The first section introduces the speaker's desire to seek truth, while the second section explores the speaker's disillusionment with the inability of the Delphic Oracle to provide answers. The final section of the poem, however, offers the possibility of hope and redemption.
The Seeker
The poem begins with the persona of the speaker expressing their desire to seek out the truth:
Children, some of us never grow old, some of us never grow young.
Like curious travellers, we delight in the world of the senses.
We love to try everything once, taste everything once, watch every
spectacle once, hear everything once, experience everything once.
The speaker is portrayed as a seeker of truth, someone who is curious and wants to experience the world in its entirety. This idea is reinforced in the following lines:
To the philosopher, the world of the senses is a fleeting illusion.
To the sensualist, it is an eternal reality.
We are both philosophers and sensualists.
The speaker is both a philosopher and a sensualist, a combination that allows them to experience the world in a unique way. The desire to seek out truth is a common theme throughout Yeats' work and is reflected in the speaker's desire to experience everything the world has to offer.
The Delphic Oracle
The second section of the poem explores the speaker's disillusionment with the Delphic Oracle. The speaker describes visiting the Oracle, but instead of receiving answers, they are met with silence:
We asked the Delphic Oracle the proper way to live,
And the answer was, in language that we could not understand.
So we left, disappointed and confused.
This section of the poem highlights the limitations of human understanding and the futility of seeking answers from external sources. The speaker's disappointment with the Oracle's inability to provide clear guidance is a metaphor for the human condition. We are all seekers of truth, but the truth is often elusive and difficult to find.
Hope and Redemption
The final section of the poem offers a glimmer of hope and redemption. The speaker describes how they found their own truth within themselves:
But somewhere deep within our souls, we found an answer,
A truth that only we could understand.
This section of the poem is a powerful reminder that the answers we seek are often found within ourselves. The final lines of the poem offer a sense of hope and redemption:
We are both philosophers and sensualists,
And we have found our truth.
This conclusion is a powerful statement about the human experience. We may seek answers from external sources, but ultimately the truth is found within ourselves.
Literary Analysis
"News For The Delphic Oracle" contains a rich tapestry of symbolism and imagery that enhances the poem's meaning. Yeats uses a variety of literary techniques to create a complex and thought-provoking work.
Mythical Allusions
One of the most striking features of the poem is the use of mythical allusions. The Delphic Oracle was a real historical figure, but it is also steeped in myth and legend. Yeats uses the Oracle as a metaphor for the human condition, highlighting the limitations of human understanding and the futility of seeking answers from external sources.
Symbolism
The poem contains a variety of symbols that enhance its meaning. The image of the Delphic Oracle is a powerful symbol for the speaker's quest for truth. The inability of the Oracle to provide clear guidance is a metaphor for the human condition. The final lines of the poem offer a glimmer of hope and redemption, symbolizing the idea that the answers we seek are often found within ourselves.
Imagery
The poem contains vivid imagery that enhances its meaning. The description of the speaker as a seeker of truth is a powerful image that sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The image of the Delphic Oracle is also vividly described, with the speaker describing the Oracle's silence as a "language that we could not understand."
Conclusion
"News For The Delphic Oracle" is a powerful and thought-provoking work that explores the intersection of myth and reality. Yeats uses a variety of literary techniques to create a complex and nuanced work that speaks to the human experience. The poem is a reminder that the answers we seek are often found within ourselves, and that the search for truth is an ongoing journey.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
News For The Delphic Oracle: A Poem of Mystical Revelation
William Butler Yeats, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, was a master of the mystical and the occult. His poem "News For The Delphic Oracle" is a prime example of his ability to weave together myth, history, and prophecy into a tapestry of poetic beauty and spiritual insight. In this analysis, we will explore the themes, symbols, and meanings of this classic poem and discover the hidden truths that lie within its lines.
The poem begins with a description of the Delphic Oracle, the ancient Greek temple where the priestess Pythia would receive messages from the god Apollo. Yeats sets the scene with vivid imagery, describing the temple as "a marble gallery / High up above the sea / And over the spreading olive trees / And the low hills beyond." This opening stanza sets the tone for the rest of the poem, evoking a sense of mystery and wonder that will pervade the entire work.
In the second stanza, Yeats introduces the central theme of the poem: the idea that the world is in a state of chaos and confusion, and that a new order is about to emerge. He writes, "The voice that is drowning the babble of the crowd / Is, may be, like music new and loud." This voice, which represents the voice of prophecy, is described as being "like music" because it is both beautiful and powerful. It is the voice of the gods, speaking through the Delphic Oracle, and it is calling for a new era of enlightenment and understanding.
The third stanza introduces the first of several symbols that will recur throughout the poem: the image of the "wheel." Yeats writes, "The darkness drops again; but now I know / That twenty centuries of stony sleep / Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, / And what rough beast, its hour come round at last, / Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?" This passage is often interpreted as a reference to the Book of Revelation in the Bible, which describes a beast rising up out of the sea to bring about the end of the world. However, Yeats' use of the image of the "rocking cradle" suggests that he is also drawing on the ancient myth of the Wheel of Fortune, which represents the cyclical nature of history and the rise and fall of civilizations.
In the fourth stanza, Yeats returns to the image of the Delphic Oracle, describing the priestess Pythia as "a woman moaning in her song." This image is significant because it suggests that the voice of prophecy is not always clear or easy to understand. It is a mysterious and elusive force that must be interpreted and deciphered by those who seek to understand it.
The fifth stanza introduces another symbol that will recur throughout the poem: the image of the "gyres." Yeats writes, "Turning and turning in the widening gyre / The falcon cannot hear the falconer; / Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; / Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." The gyres represent the cycles of history and the movement of civilizations through time. They are also a metaphor for the human psyche, which is constantly in motion and always seeking balance and harmony.
In the sixth stanza, Yeats introduces the idea that the voice of prophecy is not just a message from the gods, but also a reflection of the human psyche. He writes, "The best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity." This passage suggests that the voice of prophecy is not just a message from the gods, but also a reflection of the human psyche. It is a call to action, urging us to embrace our highest ideals and work towards a better future.
In the seventh stanza, Yeats returns to the image of the gyres, describing them as "spiraling towards the widening gyre." This passage suggests that the cycles of history are not just a natural phenomenon, but also a reflection of the human psyche. We are constantly moving towards a new era of enlightenment and understanding, but we must also be aware of the dangers that lie ahead.
In the eighth stanza, Yeats introduces the idea that the voice of prophecy is not just a message from the gods, but also a reflection of the human psyche. He writes, "Surely some revelation is at hand; / Surely the Second Coming is at hand." This passage suggests that the voice of prophecy is not just a message from the gods, but also a reflection of the human psyche. It is a call to action, urging us to embrace our highest ideals and work towards a better future.
In the ninth stanza, Yeats returns to the image of the gyres, describing them as "a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi." This passage suggests that the cycles of history are not just a natural phenomenon, but also a reflection of the human psyche. We are constantly moving towards a new era of enlightenment and understanding, but we must also be aware of the dangers that lie ahead.
In the final stanza, Yeats returns to the image of the Delphic Oracle, describing it as "a gaze blank and pitiless as the sun." This passage suggests that the voice of prophecy is not just a message from the gods, but also a reflection of the human psyche. It is a call to action, urging us to embrace our highest ideals and work towards a better future.
In conclusion, "News For The Delphic Oracle" is a poem of mystical revelation that explores the themes of prophecy, history, and the human psyche. Through its use of vivid imagery, powerful symbols, and poetic language, it evokes a sense of wonder and awe that is both inspiring and enlightening. As we move through the cycles of history and seek to understand the mysteries of the universe, this poem reminds us that the voice of prophecy is always with us, calling us to embrace our highest ideals and work towards a better future.
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