'Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake' by William Butler Yeats


AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay



I
My Paistin Finn is my sole desire,
And I am shrunken to skin and bone,
For all my heart has had for its hire
Is what I can whistle alone and alone.
i{Oro, oro.!}
i{Tomorrow night I will break down the door.}
What is the good of a man and he
Alone and alone, with a speckled shin?
I would that I drank with my love on my knee
Between two barrels at the inn.
Oro, oro.!>1
i{To-morrow night I will break down the door.}
Alone and alone nine nights I lay
Between two bushes under the rain;
I thought to have whistled her down that
I whistled and whistled and whistled in vain.
i{Oro, oro!}
i{To-morrow night I will break down the door.}

II
I would that I were an old beggar
Rolling a blind pearl eye,
For he cannot see my lady
Go gallivanting by;
A dreary, dreepy beggar
Without a friend on the earth
But a thieving rascally cur --
O a beggar blind from his birth;
Or anything else but a rhymer
Without a thing in his head
But rhymes for a beautiful lady,
He rhyming alone in his bed.


Editor 1 Interpretation

Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake by W.B. Yeats: A Literary Criticism and Interpretation

William Butler Yeats, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, is known for his complex and multifaceted works that explore themes of love, death, religion, and politics. In his poem "Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake," Yeats showcases his mastery of language and his ability to create a musical and lyrical masterpiece that is both haunting and captivating.

Background

"Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake" was first published in Yeats' 1895 collection of poems, "The Rose." The poem is a reworking of two traditional Irish songs, "Down by the Salley Gardens" and "The Maids of Mourne Shore." Yeats was known for his appreciation of Irish folk culture and often drew inspiration from traditional songs, legends, and myths in his works.

The poem consists of two stanzas, each focusing on one of the songs. In the first stanza, Yeats rewrites "Down by the Salley Gardens," a song about lost love and regret. In the second stanza, he rewrites "The Maids of Mourne Shore," a song about a sailor's love for a woman he cannot have.

Literary Criticism

Yeats' "Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake" is a masterpiece of poetry that showcases his mastery of language and his unique ability to blend traditional Irish folk songs with his own lyrical style. The poem is a reworking of two traditional songs, but Yeats' unique style and interpretation take the songs to a new level of beauty and complexity.

The first stanza of the poem, which focuses on the song "Down by the Salley Gardens," is a poignant exploration of lost love and regret. Yeats' use of language is particularly striking in this stanza, with his choice of words and phrasing contributing to the overall musicality and melancholy of the poem. The opening lines, "She passed the salley gardens with little snow-white feet," immediately convey a sense of innocence and purity, setting the tone for the rest of the stanza.

Yeats' use of repetition in this stanza is particularly effective, with the repeated lines "But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears" emphasizing the narrator's regret and sadness. The final lines of the stanza, "But I was young and foolish, and now am full of tears," are particularly haunting, leaving the reader with a sense of melancholy and a longing for what could have been.

The second stanza, which focuses on the song "The Maids of Mourne Shore," is a more uplifting and hopeful exploration of love and longing. Yeats' use of language in this stanza is no less striking than in the first, with his choice of words and phrasing contributing to the overall musicality and joyfulness of the poem. The opening lines, "I heard the old, old men say, 'Everything alters, And one by one we drop away,'" immediately convey a sense of the passage of time and the impermanence of life.

Yeats' use of repetition in this stanza is also effective, with the repeated lines "But O, light-winged ships, and joy to all who sail with you!" emphasizing the hopeful and joyous nature of the sailor's love for the woman he cannot have. The final lines of the stanza, "But O, light-winged ships, and joy to all who sail with you!" are particularly uplifting, leaving the reader with a sense of hope and a longing for what could be.

Interpretation

Yeats' "Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake" is a beautiful and complex exploration of love, loss, and longing. The poem is a reworking of two traditional Irish songs, but Yeats' unique interpretation and style make the songs his own, blending tradition with modernity in a way that is both haunting and beautiful.

The first stanza of the poem, which focuses on the song "Down by the Salley Gardens," is a poignant exploration of lost love and regret. The narrator of the poem looks back on a past love with sadness and regret, lamenting the foolishness of youth and the pain of lost love. The imagery in this stanza is particularly striking, with the mention of the "salley gardens" and the "little snow-white feet" adding to the overall melancholy and haunting nature of the poem.

The second stanza, which focuses on the song "The Maids of Mourne Shore," is a more hopeful exploration of love and longing. The sailor in the song loves a woman he cannot have, but his love is pure and joyful, represented by the image of the "light-winged ships." The repetition of the phrase "joy to all who sail with you!" emphasizes the uplifting and hopeful nature of the sailor's love, leaving the reader with a sense of hope and longing.

Overall, Yeats' "Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake" is a beautiful and complex exploration of love, loss, and longing. The poem is a testament to Yeats' mastery of language and his unique ability to blend tradition with modernity in a way that is both haunting and beautiful.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

William Butler Yeats is a name that is synonymous with poetry. He is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, and his works have been studied and analyzed by scholars and enthusiasts alike. Among his many works, "Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake" stands out as a unique and intriguing piece of poetry.

The poem was written in 1899 and was published in Yeats' collection "The Wind Among the Reeds" in 1899. The poem is a reworking of two traditional Irish songs, "The Twisting of the Rope" and "The Last Rose of Summer." Yeats took the lyrics of these two songs and rewrote them to fit a new tune, creating a new poem that is both familiar and fresh.

The poem is divided into two parts, each corresponding to one of the original songs. The first part, "The Twisting of the Rope," tells the story of a young man who is in love with a woman who is promised to another. The young man is heartbroken and laments his fate, but he is determined to win the woman's love despite the obstacles in his way.

The second part, "The Last Rose of Summer," is a melancholy reflection on the passing of time and the fleeting nature of beauty. The speaker of the poem mourns the loss of a beautiful rose, which he sees as a symbol of the transience of all things.

What makes "Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake" so interesting is the way that Yeats has taken these two traditional songs and transformed them into something new. By changing the lyrics to fit a new tune, Yeats has created a poem that is both familiar and fresh. The themes of love and loss that are present in the original songs are still present in Yeats' poem, but they are presented in a new and unique way.

One of the most striking aspects of the poem is the way that Yeats uses language to create a sense of atmosphere and mood. In the first part of the poem, the language is full of longing and desire. The young man's love for the woman is expressed in vivid and passionate language, and the reader can feel the intensity of his emotions.

In the second part of the poem, the language is more subdued and melancholy. The speaker's reflection on the passing of time is expressed in language that is full of sadness and regret. The reader can feel the weight of the speaker's sorrow as he mourns the loss of the beautiful rose.

Another interesting aspect of the poem is the way that Yeats uses repetition to create a sense of rhythm and musicality. The repeated phrases "twisting of the rope" and "last rose of summer" create a sense of continuity and unity throughout the poem. The repetition of these phrases also serves to emphasize the central themes of the poem, namely love and loss.

Overall, "Two Songs Rewritten For The Tune's Sake" is a remarkable piece of poetry that showcases Yeats' skill as a writer. By taking two traditional Irish songs and transforming them into something new, Yeats has created a poem that is both familiar and fresh. The themes of love and loss that are present in the original songs are still present in Yeats' poem, but they are presented in a new and unique way. The language and repetition used in the poem create a sense of atmosphere and mood that draws the reader in and makes them feel the emotions of the speaker. It is a poem that is both beautiful and haunting, and it is a testament to Yeats' talent as a poet.

Editor Recommended Sites

Rules Engines: Business rules engines best practice. Discussions on clips, drools, rete algorith, datalog incremental processing
Jupyter App: Jupyter applications
Web LLM: Run Large language models from your browser. Browser llama / alpaca, chatgpt open source models
Kids Learning Games: Kids learning games for software engineering, programming, computer science
Python 3 Book: Learn to program python3 from our top rated online book

Recommended Similar Analysis

Awed by her splendor by Sappho analysis
Thoughts by Sarah Teasdale analysis
Leaves Compared With Flowers by Robert Frost analysis
A Last Confession by William Butler Yeats analysis
Ask Me by William Stafford analysis
Considering The Snail by Thom Gunn analysis
My Lost Youth by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow analysis
"What Do I Care?" by Sarah Teasdale analysis
Our journey had advanced by Emily Dickinson analysis
Recollections Of Love by Samuel Taylor Coleridge analysis