theceltictwilightw.b.yeats

1、1THETHECELTICCELTICTWILIGHTTWILIGHTWilliamButlerYeats(18651939)NobelPrizewinningIrishdramatistauthpoetwroteTheCelticTwilight(1893)PaddyFlynnisdead....Hewasagreattelleroftalesunlikeourcommonromancersknewhowtoemptyheavenhe

2、llpurgatyfaerylearthtopeoplehissties.HedidnotliveinashrunkenwldbutknewofnolessamplecircumstancethandidHomerhimself.PerhapstheGaelicpeopleshallbyhislikebringbackagaintheancientsimplicityamplitudeofimagination.....Letusgof

3、ththetellersoftalesseizewhateverpreytheheartlongfhavenofear.Everythingexistseverythingistruetheearthisonlyalittledustunderourfeet.—ch.1“ATellerofTales”.AsoneofthefoundersoftheIrishLiteraryRevivalalongwithJ.M.Synge(187119

4、09)[whomhemetin1896]SeanO’Casey(18801964)Padraig(Padraic)Colum(18811972)Yeats’wksdrawheavilyonIrishmythologyhisty.HeneverfullyembracedhisProtestantpastnjoinedthemajityofIrel’sRomanCatholicsbuthedevotedmuchofhislifetostud

5、yinmyriadothersubjectsincludingtheosophymysticismspiritualismtheKabbalah.AtayoungagehewasreadingDanteAlighieriWilliamShakespeareJohnDonnethewksofWilliamBlakePercyByssheShelleyrecommendedbyhisfatherinspirationfhisowncreat

6、ivitybutfellowIrishpoetsStishJamesO’Grady(18461928)SirWilliamFerguson(18181886)wereperhapsthemostinfluential.AdevotedpatriotYeatsfoundhisvoicetospeakoutagainsttheharshNationalistpoliciesofthetime.Hisearlydramaticwksconve

7、yhisrespectfIrishlegendfinationwiththeoccultwhilehislaterplaystakeonamepoeticalexperimentalaspect:JapaneseNohplaysmodernismbeingmajinfluences.Whilehiswksexplethegreaterthemesoflifeincontrasttoartfindingbeautyinthemundane

8、healsoproducedmanywksofanintimatequalityespeciallyinhislateryearsasfatheragingmanofletters.Wemakeoutofthequarrelwithothersrheticbutofthequarrelwithourselvespoetry—“AnimaHominis”Essays(1924).Yeatsspentmostofhislifebetween

9、SligoDublinLondonbuthisprofoundinfluencetofuturepoetsplaywrightstheatremusicfilmcanbeseenthewldover.3HopeMemyhaveonedaughterhernameisArtshehasbuiltherdwellingfarfromthedesperatefieldwheremenhangouttheirgarmentsuponfkedbo

10、ughstobebannersofbattle.ObeloveddaughterofHopeMemybewithmefalittle.1893.IIIhaveaddedafewmechaptersinthemanneroftheoldoneswouldhaveaddedothersbutonelosesasonegrowsoldersomethingofthelightnessofone’sdreamsonebeginstotakeli

11、feupinbothhstocaremefthefruitthantheflowerthatisnogreatlossperhaps.InthesenewchaptersasintheoldonesIhaveinventednothingbutmycommentsonetwodeceitfulsentencesthatmaykeepsomepostyteller’scommercewiththedevilhisangelsthelike

12、frombeingknownamonghisneighbours.Ishallpublishinalittlewhileabigbookaboutthecommonwealthoffaeryshalltrytomakeitsystematicallearnedenoughtobuypardonfthishfulofdreams.1902.W.B.YEATS.ATELLEROFTALESManyofthetalesinthisbookwe

13、retoldmebyonePaddyFlynnalittlebrighteyedoldmanwholivedinaleakyoneroomedcabininthevillageofBallisodarewhichishewaswonttosay“themostgentle”—wherebyhemeantfaery—“placeinthewholeofCountySligo.”O(jiān)thersholdithoweverbutsecondtoD

14、rumcliffDrumahair.ThefirsttimeIsawhimhewascookingmushroomsfhimselfthenexttimehewasasleepunderahedgesmilinginhissleep.HewasindeedalwayscheerfulthoughIthoughtIcouldseeinhiseyes(swiftastheeyesofarabbitwhentheypeeredoutofthe

15、irwrinkledholes)amelancholywhichwaswellnighaptionoftheirjoythevisionarymelancholyofpurelyinstinctivenaturesofallanimals.yettherewasmuchinhislifetodepresshimfinthetriplesolitudeofageeccentricitydeafnesshewentaboutmuchpest

16、eredbychildren.Itwasfthisveryreasonperhapsthatheeverrecommendedmirthhopefulness.HewasfondfinstanceoftellinghowCollumcillecheereduphismother.“Howareyoutodaymother”saidthesaint.“Wse”repliedthemother.“Mayyoubewsetomrow”said

17、thesaint.ThenextdayCollumcillecameagainexactlythesameconversationtookplacebutthethirddaythemothersaid“BetterthankGod.”thesaintreplied“Mayyoubebettertomrow.”HewasfondtoooftellinghowtheJudgesmilesatthelastdayalikewhenherew

18、ardsthegoodcondemnsthelosttounceasingflames.Hehadmanystrangesightstokeephimcheerfultomakehimsad.Iaskedhimhadheeverseenthefaeriesgotthereply“AmInotannoyedwiththem”Iaskedtooifhehadeverseenthebanshee.“Ihaveseenit”hesaid“dow