2025/08/20 Curious little things : William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats, born on June 13, 1865, in Sandymount, Ireland, remains one of the most significant Irish literary figures of the 20th century. He was instrumental in the Irish Literary Revival, a movement that aimed to promote Irish literature and celebrate the country’s cultural heritage against the backdrop of political struggles for independence. Yeats’s life was as rich and fascinating as his poetry. Here are some intriguing facets of his life that paint a picture of the man behind the words.
Yeats’s father, John Butler Yeats was a well-known portrait painter. This profoundly shaped Yeats’s appreciation for art and later played a crucial role in his poetic imagery and symbolism.
Throughout his life, Yeats had quite an interest in mysticism and the occult. He was an active member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret society that practiced ritual magic. This fascination with the mystical world deeply influenced his poetry, imbuing it with an exploration of the intersection between reality and the spiritual world.
Yeats was deeply involved in politics. He served as a senator for the Irish Free State soon after its establishment and was significantly engaged in debates over the new nation’s cultural and political identity. His poems often reflected his nationalist sentiments and his disillusionment with the political changes and violence he witnessed.
In 1923, Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first Irishman to receive the honor. This accolade cemented his place in the literary world and acknowledged his role in the Irish cultural renaissance.
Yeats had a complicated love life, most famously with Irish actress Maud Gonne, whom he met in 1889 and proposed to multiple times. Maud inspired his various works including “No Second Troy.” After Gonne repeatedly refused his proposals, it is said he also proposed to her adult daughter years later, who also declined him. Finally, Yeats married 25-year-old Georgie Hyde-Lees at the age of 51, with whom he had two children. They both shared the passions of occult and supernatural studies. Georgie also introduced him to automatic writing, a practice that resulted in a rich seam of philosophical and esoteric poetry in his later works.
Yeats died on January 28, 1939, in Menton, France. His epitaph in Drumcliffe, Ireland, taken from one of his last poems, reads: “Cast a cold Eye / On Life, on Death. / Horseman, pass by!” This reflects his lifelong fascination with the supernatural and the afterlife, themes that pervade much of his poetry.
W.B. Yeats’s life and work are a testament to his profound dedication to literary and nationalistic visions. His poetry, characterized by imagery, lyrical beauty, and intense symbolism, continues to be read by readers around the world.
Researched and written by Pragati Singh