Showing results for "William Butler Yeats" in Science & Engineering

A collection of poems from the mid-career of this renowned Irish poet, the title poem referring to the estate of his friend and mentor, Lady Gregory. The poems display Yeats' use of symbols (cat, hare, moon, etc), his attachment to the supernatural and Irish folklore, and his recourse to alter egos (Aherne and Robartes). They also exemplify his distinctive style of expression. (Summary by Peter Tucker)

The first two tales involve the persona's relationship with a certain Aherne, who has come into possession of a beautiful book by Joachim of Flora, a book deemed so heretical that Pope Alexander IV had all known copies burnt. This one overlooked copy, Aherne now cherishes, apparently influenced by a sect directed by a Michael Robartes. (Both Robartes and Aherne appear in other works of Yeats.) A decade after this introduction, Michael Robartes having suffered some "terrible destiny," part 2 opens with the persona catching sight of a much changed Aherne, convinced that he cannot be saved. After...