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creating and saving your own notes as you read. for a group? PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. once one gains an understanding of how the poets lived experiences A Dialogue of Self and Soul. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Yeats: The Tower literature essays are academic essays for citation. Why is it such a touchstone in times of chaos? An interesting article outlining the poem's quotability. And what of her that took All till my youth was gone With scarce a pitying look? Similar divine or semidivine beings appear in ancient mythologies (e.g., the Chaldean sea god Ea, or Oannes). Yeats began The Second Coming during the tense, eventful month of January 1919. Yeats dabbled in with Madame Blavatsky and the Society of the Golden And Mini Essays . Legend has it that any mortal man who manages to steal the selkie's skin will have power over her; indeed, she has been known to marry and bear children to mortal men who manage the theft. The Mermaid, endlessly perched at the ocean's edge. The only brand of tuna in the house was not It is instead a "manifold illusion." It is an imaginary experience had in tandem throughout human existence. Yeats: The Tower. I celebrate death. William Butler Yeats is a poet who was born in 1865 and died in 1939. The Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies & Other Supernatural Creatures, (New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1978). (one code per order). We're sorry, SparkNotes Plus isn't available in your country. The first world war was barely over and the Russian Revolution, which dismayed him, still unfolding, while another war was brewing on his doorstep. Oh of course yes. In several of the folk tales he recountsin the men who . In it, a mild-mannered gentleman finds a mermaid on the beach and attempts to keep her in his home. A.S. Byatt, Yeats: The Tower. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at custserv@bn.com. She cannot speak, yet sings beautifully. Written 100 years ago, Yeatss poem has been absorbed into the cultural bloodstream from Chinua Achebe to The Sopranos, Joan Didion to Gordon Gecko. No doubt tales of these vicious water nymphs were meant to scare young children away from the precarious banks of rivers and streams -- for it is said they only snatched children who were alone. famously remarked, is not the man who sits down to breakfast in This, along with the indication that the love is not quite human, is ominous. Yeats's meditation on the relationship between mortality and immortality, the physical world and the spiritual world, and humanity and art. RECOMMENDED READING When Gordon Gekko quipped, So the falcons heard the falconer, huh?, in the film Wall Street (1987), it must have been assumed that more than a few viewers would clock the reference. "A Man Young And Old: III. Have a specific question about this poem? What is its price? The Mermaid Analysis William Butler Yeats itunes audio book mp4 mp3 mit ocw Online Education homework forum help . 3Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; 5The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere, 7The best lack all conviction, while the worst, 11The Second Coming! "Poems of W.B. Just as beautiful women often squander all the abundance they have been given, women with strong opinions do the same. Happily, the book had become no less magical to me. Yeats's great poetic project was to reify his own lifehis thoughts, feelings, speculations, conclusions, dreamsinto poetry: to render all of himself into art, but not in a merely confessional or autobiographical manner; he was not interested in the common-place. The only consolation the poem offers is the knowledge that, for one reason or another, every generation has felt the same apocalyptic shudder that Yeats did 100 years ago. Gonne would not (or could not) return his love. The selkie is a seal and a woman, though not at the same time; she becomes a woman after coming on land and shedding her seal skin. Christian imagery, all wound together and informed with his own (one code per order). For many years, he was in love with a beautiful actress, Maud Gonne. She crossed the speaker's path and he thought she was flesh and blood until he touched her and found stone. This free poetry study guide will help you understand what you're reading. He was born in Dublin, in 1865. Track breaking The-Little-Mermaid headlines & analysis on Hrriyet Daily News. on 50-99 accounts. She gazes with intensity at something we cannot see, her eyes (the blue of frozen oceans) fastened, perhaps, upon the waves, awaiting a ship, awaiting a sailor will she fall in love? Mary Reilly) called "Sea Lovers," it is the mermaid that does the castrating -- of a fisherman who catches her in his net. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Free trial is available to new customers only. The glimmer of hope in this poem is in "The Secrets of the Old," in which no positive secrets are presented, only negative ones. William Butler Yeats and Yeatss Poetry Background. Free shipping for many products! Read the full text of The Second Coming. relate to the poem in question. The poem's first stanza describes a world of chaos, confusion, and pain. His early writing follows the conventions of romantic verse, utilizing familiar rhyme schemes . Poems of W.B. Yeats is an Irish guy. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Poems of W.B. A lot of money has been made from inspiring ecstasy at the contemplation of ruin. Contact us That is, after all, where she takes us, isn't it? nations experience during one of its most troubled times. Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert Pressed her body to his body, Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Disney Top Trumps Princess Card Summary Comp Cinderella The Little Mermaid Ari at the best online prices at eBay! resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Yeats wrote "A Prayer for my Daughter" in 1919, a mere two days after the birth of his daughter Anne. My Soul. Helen once lay in his now wasted arms. Always the oxymoron in Yeats, isnt it? Yeats makes use of one long extended metaphor in 'A Coat.' It equates his own writing practice, meaning his process and the poems and essays he produced, to a coat. Available "The Second Coming" is one of W.B. It may also be true that the elusivity of these human-like sea creatures also added to the myth. They end up with blustering, difficult men. Laughed; and plunging down Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. In Welsh legend, the The World at Sea and The World of Land are too different. The mermaid's hair was her source of power (uncombed, it was useless); the comb, its conduit; the sea, her magical element; the harp, her magical personality (containing as it did her power to persuade and seduce). Revelations no longer cause suicide or the sort of intense pain described in "Human Dignity." I say the second bests a gay goodnight and quickly turn away., This elongated poem is enacts the loss of vitality that is its theme (and the theme of many other poems in this collection). That's right, the other kids went swimming when school let out -- I went to the library. By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) 'The Little Mermaid' (1837) is one of the most layered and fascinating fairy tales written by Hans Christian Andersen. But after making her into a struggling actress in New York City, an alcoholic millionairess in a Hollywood penthouse, a boy-crazy teenager like my friend (she was four years older than me, and I wasn't digging this French-kissing thing), and various other This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. "Mermaids" is not exactly good, but it is not boring. By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Mesoamerican cultures, including the Aztecs, harvested it up until Spanish . If there truly exists a sea creature with breasts, expressive facial features, etc., then it's not too far-fetched to assume that humans would attempt to justify their sexual trespassings by mythologizing the creature into something beautiful and mysterious. Sponsor Someone reading it for the first time in 2020 might resemble the apocryphal theatregoer who complained that Hamlet was nothing but a bunch of quotations strung together. Offering the reader mayhem, terror, suspense and a mysterious nemesis, it is a kind of disaster movie for modern civilisation. But most arresting is the image of the tangled hair. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Hardly are those words outWhen a vast image out of Spiritus MundiTroubles my sight: somewhere in the sands of the desertA shape with lion body and the head of a man,A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,Is moving its slow thighs, while all about itReel shadows of the indignant desert birds.The darkness drops again; but now I knowThat twenty centuries of stony sleepWere vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? The Second Coming! Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Continue to start your free trial. Yeats himself was not exactly SDP material. Fintan OToole has proposed the Yeats Test: The more quotable Yeats seems to commentators and politicians, the worse things are.. Surely the Second Coming is at hand. For the real people who already lived in Africa, this was a . Images of mermaids pervade my living space, most of them greeting card-sized. A centuries-old mummified "mermaid" that scientists recently revealed to be a gruesome doll of animal parts is even weirder than previously thought, new findings show. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! The Mermaid Analysis William Butler Yeats itunes audio book mp4 mp3 mit ocw Online Education homework forum help. That memory can divide families, cause death or despair, as wandering beggars know. Michael Dames, Auden. Crossing the waters, parting the mist: both are possible only for the trained witch. of her singing. Chinua Achebe's acclaimed novel, Things Fall Apart, is set in the early 1890s, around the time of the European colonization of Africa. Spirulina in particular is a good candidate for mermaids. Picked him for her own, Hardly are those words out Forgot in cruel happiness Fintan OToole has proposed the Yeats Test. In order to subjugate a mermaid, you must take away some repository of her power, and most often, it is her hair. This theme is echoed in dozens of tales about mermaids from different cultures. Surely some revelation is at hand; I have never been inordinately fond of water, the ocean, or swimming. Yeats," it's a fair bet that Auden is describing Yeats's death here . There are Mermaid Love Stories. for a customized plan. In "The Second Coming," the end of the Christian era is thought to be at hand. His elaborate iconography takes elements from Irish Summer And Spring, A Man Young And Old: 9. Its on its way, and its a good deal rougher than that fellow Yeets [sic] ever could have imagined. One of the most famous of these was Peg Powler (a dubious namesake, to say the least), a close relative of Jenny Greenteeth, known as a "Lorelei with green tresses." On a Picture of a Black Centaur by Edmund Dulac, The Anglo-Irish War and the Irish Civil War, Read the Study Guide for Poems of W.B. Early drafts of the poem illustrate Yeatss dedication to universalising his message, as he deletes specific references to the French Revolution and the first world war and replaces terrestrial images of judges and tyrants with figures from dreams and myths. Valerie Martin, "Sea Lovers," The Second Coming was published in both The Nation and The Dial in November 1920 and then in Yeatss collection Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921). Poems of W.B. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. When she smiled, it changed him such that he had no more thoughts than the stars when the moon comes out. He is distraught, and observes the death of the hare. The one story from this collection which still haunts me was about a mermaid captured by a fisherman, who imprisons her in his barn, and won't give her any water. The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Laughed; and plunging down hearts core, even when they threatened to render his poetry clichd on 50-99 accounts. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! A summary of "Leda and the Swan" in William Butler Yeats's Yeats's Poetry. In 2022, researchers . On 21 January, the revolutionary Irish parliament met in Dublin to declare independence while, in a quarry in Tipperary, members of the IRA killed two officers of the Royal Irish Constabulary. That even lovers drown. Font size: experience and interpretive understanding. The taboos surrounding sex between humans and animals are just too deeply ingrained for the mermaid to remain a mere mammal in the eyes (and hearts) of those men compelled to make love to her. The Village of The mermaids' is confusing for many reasons. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Purchasing A clip discussing Yeats, faeries, and Irish occult tradition. There is a recent episode of "The X Files" that deals with the Fiji Mermaid, along with other assorted sideshow freaks -- quite the best episode I've seen all year. Discount, Discount Code Quick fast explanatory summary. In the final season of The Sopranos, reading the poem leads an anguished AJ Soprano to attempt suicide, prompting his mother to ask: What kind of poem is that to teach college students?!. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. or ridiculous. The darkness drops again; but now I know Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. There is an inescapable connection to water that is simply not true of other elements, like fire or air, where the Arthurian sorceresses are concerned. Possession And what the movie is saying about Cher is as elusive as it is intriguing. Web. anachronistic for a poet who died barely sixty years ago. Read a summary, analysis, and context of the poet's major works. Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it BIBLIOGRAPHY The speaker is in such pain at his unrequited love that he longs to call out. A mermaid found a swimming lad, In the last six sections, the speaker explores the ambivalence of old age. Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of innocence is drowned;The best lack all conviction, while the worstAre full of passionate intensity. Chinua Achebe enshrined Things Fall Apart in the vocabulary of African independence. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Yeats's Poetry and what it means. Yeats: The Tower, Introduction to Poems of W.B. Definition terms. The love of Peg, Meg, and Paris are all gone, so he must sail away. One disadvantage is watching one's friends go mad, but the speaker is still able to laugh (albeit not maliciously) at their expense. 18The darkness drops again; but now I know. Katherine Briggs, The way in which the mythic elements of the mermaid's existence have developed over the centuries has always fascinated me. Turning and turning in the widening gyre Once she finds her skin, however, nothing, not even marital devotion, will keep the selkie from the sea. (read the full definition & explanation with examples). Mermaids. Cruel happiness indeed. It may also be true that the elusivity of these human-like sea creatures also added to the myth. Enough of that youthful appetite for destruction survives in The Second Coming for readers to be divided over whether Yeats fears the rough beast or welcomes it. Yeats's Voice Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! In Stephen Kings colossal bestseller The Stand (1978), in which a weaponised superflu wipes out most of humanity, one character says: The beast is on its way. If their caps are stolen, they can no longer sing. Yeats started his long literary career as a romantic poet and gradually evolved into a modernist poet. When a vast image out of This poems different though. A mermaid found a swimming lad, GradeSaver, 21 January 2008 Web. Yeats's Vision short summary describing. There are numerous accounts from sailors about mermaid sightings, if no concrete proof. A detailed summary and explanation of Section I, Stanza 1 in In Memory of W.B. Sometimes it can end up there. She sits upon ancient, sea-hewn rock, combing her long hair, a shell dripping with pearl necklaces and other aquatic treasure beside her. Dominic West (of The Wire fame) reads the poem. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. The only barriers to the wind outside, surging in from the Atlantic Ocean, are a hill and a woodland, which the speaker refers to as "Gregory's Wood." He has spent the past hour pacing and praying in a . All poems are shown free of charge for educational purposes only in accordance with fair use guidelines. Is this because of some vestigial mermaid lore that has permeated the legends? The famous circus owner sewed a decaying fish onto a monkey torso and tried to pass it off as a miraculous example of a mermaid corpse. Please wait while we process your payment. Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart (1958) enshrined it in the vocabulary of African independence. (Random House), 1989). First Love Although, like the moon, she was murderously beautiful, in the beginning she seemed like a real human being. It aired on December 6, 2010. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. As a kind of miniature fable, the poem suggests how unrequited loveor any other unattainable dreamcan both exhaust a person's energies and nourish a person's imagination. Yeats, (New York, NY: MacMillan, 1989) Peabody is obviously attracted to her, yet bumbles about, embarrassed by her potent sexuality. Lovers sat up all night and knew they now shared a soul and fell into one others arms to make it whole. He passes out the hunt of the hare, and she becomes distracted. Continue to start your free trial. - All Poetry Write Groups Contests Publish Store A Man Young And Old: III. He wants to feel young inside rather that than old. No poet of the twentieth century more persuasively imposed He takes away her comb and mirror, so her lovely golden hair gets tangled and dirty. Even do, miracles happen sometimes! The Mermaid Analysis William Butler Yeats Characters archetypes. A clip discussing Yeats, faeries, and Irish occult tradition. When day begins to break toilette There are, of course, echoes of many mythic figures here: of Circe, of Delilah, of Aphrodite, of a myriad sirens, harpies, furies and muses. William Butler Yeats 1865 (Sandymount) - 1939 (Menton) A mermaid found a swimming lad, Picked him for her own, Pressed her body to his body, Laughed; and plunging down. With his taste for autocracy, contempt for the masses and fascination with fascism (at least in its first decade), he would have been surprised to find his poem deployed as a spur for the defence of liberal democracy. All material 1999 Obsidian Magazine. Written in 1919 soon after the end of World War I, it describes a deeply mysterious and powerful alternative to the Christian idea of the Second ComingJesus's prophesied return to the Earth as a savior announcing the Kingdom of Heaven. The speaker, an old man, leaves behind the country of the young for a visionary . Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Dont have an account? Forgot in cruel happiness. He found the metaphors to express it via hundreds of automatic writing sessions, during which Georgie convinced her husband that she was channelling the wisdom of Controls and Instructors from the spirit realm. for a customized plan. When one is crazed with thirst and finds a cup, one is almost afraid to drink, to die of happiness. contemporary readers, Yeats can seem baffling; he was opposed to After a moment away from the specifics of the speaker's own lover, we return to her in "the death of the hare.". And I remember being quite interested in the famous "Fiji Mermaid" hoax perpetuated by P.T. Because of a curse placed upon her mother, Melusine is born to be half woman, half fish, but only on Saturday. The implication is that these creatures, for all of their seductive powers, have rather simplistic weaknesses that allow humans to control them. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Shall he swim at her side, willingly, down and down until his lungs burst, his last thought that he has never seen anything so beautiful as her golden hair? In just a dozen lines, Yeats examines human attitudes to death, contrasting them with an animal's ignorance of its own mortality. It is interesting when reading the text to consider why Yeats chose a coat to represent his work. Discount, Discount Code By 1971, the Guardian observed, the title had become an African catchphrase. The speaker prays to be passionate about life in his old age rather than reasonable and predictable. and mythology in light of an occult set of symbols, and which he The age of Christ (twenty centuries of stony sleep) was coming to an end and a new era antithetical to progress and reason would begin with the birth of the rough beast in Bethlehem. 20Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle. Picked him for her own, mermaid, masculine merman, a fabled marine creature with the head and upper body of a human being and the tail of a fish. A Man Young And Old 3 The Mermaid - poem by William Butler Yeats | PoetryVerse William Butler Yeats A Man Young And Old: 3. Please wait while we process your payment. Yeats: The Tower, W.B. The stories were illustrated with delicate ink drawings, and the tales themselves were quite eerie and rather sophisticated, considering they were shelved in the juvenile section. Even youthful episodes are made to feel repeated and stale, as we find out that a child's new lover has merely replaced the old, and is going through the same motions under the same tree. I like it . The life and poetry of William Butler Yeats quiz, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. The poet longs for youth and for an unnamed woman, presumably Yeats's lifelong love interest, Maud Gonne. The old should be hidden from the rest, so that they will not see aged bodies. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. If it feels especially potent now, perhaps it is because we have become painfully accustomed to the idea that progress is fragile and it is all too easy to fall back. At 164 words, it is short and memorable enough to be famous in toto but it has also been disassembled into its constituent parts by books, albums, movies, TV shows, comic books, computer games, political speeches and newspaper editorials. speculations, conclusions, dreamsinto poetry: to render all of "The Mermaid Theory" is the 11th episode of the sixth season of the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, and the 123rd episode overall. Mythic Ireland, (London: Thames and Hudson, 1992). Things are falling apart. Some knowledge is also required to appreciate the parodic final line of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchetts Good Omens (1990), in which the Anti-Christ is seen slouching hopefully towards Tadfield. The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive." "Sailing to Byzantium," by the Irish poet W.B. She eventually returns to the sea, but only after much hardship and brutal treatment. "Human Dignity" makes her rejection explicit, and the rhyming verse now seems forced, out of joint with the speaker's feelings. Contact us Ouch. -- William Butler Yeats. There was apparently no geopolitical drama to which it could not be applied. By registering with PoetryNook.Com and adding a poem, you represent that you own the copyright to that poem and are granting PoetryNook.Com permission to publish the poem. The Mermaid" Poetry.com. New Yorker Winona Ryder, in another of her alienated outsider roles, generates real charisma. All things have begun to break and fall apart is distilled into Things fall apart; The centre has lost becomes The centre cannot hold. Summary. William Butler Yeats If you liked this Yeats Mermaid Poem you may also like My Poem The Sirens Call and my Rhyming Couplet Deadly Siren Song That even lovers drown. A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. At this time, Yeats and his daughter were staying at Thoor Ballylee, a tower owned by Yeats's friend Lady Augusta Gregory. The mermaid drags a swimming boy down to be her lover, forgetting, in her happiness, that he will drown. himself into art, but not in a merely confessional or autobiographical Dawn), English literature, Byzantine art, European politics, and Elsewhere in the Celtic lands, some mermaid legends are closely related to tales of actual sea creatures, like seals (or roane, as they're known in the Islands and Highlands of Scotland). (The poet, Yeats Magic of the Ocean Series, (New York, NY: Warner Books Inc., 1995). great poetic project was to reify his own lifehis thoughts, feelings, Inc., 1993). How many fairy tales, I wonder, are created with these pragmatic applications in mind? That even lovers drown. Study Guides, William Butler Yeats and Yeatss Poetry Background. She is allergic to chlorine, terrified of deep water, and will not eat mollusks. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Pressed her body to his body, abstract, and the veil of obscurity and abstraction is often lifted $18.74/subscription + tax, Save 25% The Erotic World of Faery, (Australia: Cardinal Books, 1972; Sphere Reprint, 1989). century; his themes, images, symbols, metaphors, and poetic sensibilities Get LitCharts A +. The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere Go further in your study of Yeatss Poetry with background information, movie adaptations, and links to the best resources around the web. Both are beyond his reach. The appeal of the mermaid mythos is complex, as its various components appeal to different minds, for different reasons. The Friends Of His Youth, A Man Young And Old: 8. Subscribe now. Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds. The Mermaid A mermaid found a swimming lad, Picked him for her own, Pressed her body to his body, Laughed; and plunging down Forgot in cruel happiness That even lovers drown. The speaker takes an unforgiving approach to age, suggesting that the elderly should be locked up. Go to BN.com to get your copy of these helpful resources. The love between a Mermaid and a Mortal Man can rarely be a smooth one. Analysis, Summary, overview, explanation, meaning, description, of A Man Young And Old: III. The second, longer stanza imagines the speaker receiving a vision of the future, but this vision replaces Jesus's heroic return with what seems to be the arrival of a grotesque beast. It wasn't a simple coat, but one that is covered in embroidery. First, Melusine: a very odd and touching story of a woman who is only able to marry if she retains a terrible secret. Maureen Duffy, Music, Travel, Poetry, Short Stories & Writing. This tale puts an interesting spin on the conceit of mermaid vanity, and the importance of beauty rituals. The Little Mermaid. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? to his own vision protect his poems from all such accusations. With its distinct imagery and vivid description of society's collapse, "The Second Coming" is also one of Yeats's most quoted poems. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. In A Vision, Yeats expresses the idea more simply: "After an age of necessity, truth, goodness, mechanism, science, democracy, abstraction, peace, comes an age of freedom, fiction, evil, kindred, art, aristocracy, particularity, war" (52; see also 263, 277; AV-1925 210-215). Eventually, he does sneak a peek, and sees her, as she steps into her bath, transformed into a hideous creature with a huge fish's tail. by A.S. Byatt contains a beautiful and haunting metaphorical (and actual) version of this story, as imagined by a Victorian poet. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Gwragedd Annwn The Irish name for a mermaid is Both the man and the mermaids are miniscule due to the extended perspective of the painting. | All news, headlines, photos and videos on The-Little-Mermaid. March 4, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Hans Christian Andersen Since he did so, he cannot do a thing, because one must be lunatic to touch the moon. In August 2016, as Trump slouched towards Washington, the Wall Street Journal declared: Terror, Brexit and US Election Have Made 2016 the Year of Yeats, after the research company Factiva found that phrases from the poem had already notched up more appearances in the press than in any other year in the previous three decades. The Mermaid Analysis William Butler Yeats critical analysis of poem, review school overview. Forgot in cruel happiness The 70-year-old Yeats was a Nobel prize-winning poet of immense stature and influence, not to mention Mannins former lover, and she asked him to join a campaign to free a German pacifist incarcerated by the Nazis. Although, like the moon, she was murderously beautiful, in the beginning she seemed like a real human being.