On Being Asked For a War Poem | W. B. Yeats

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            This blog will showcase analysis of W. B. Yeats's poem 'On Being Asked For a War Poem'. 

W. B. Yeast 

William Butler Yeats was born on June 13, 1865, in Sandymount, Dublin, Ireland, and he passed away on January 28, 1939, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France. He was an Irish poet, playwright, and writer of prose, widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century who wrote in English. In 1923, he was honored with the Nobel Prize for Literature. Yeats was a modernist poet and a staunch supporter of Irish Republicanism during a period when Irish Nationalism was particularly strong. Despite being a Protestant Christian, he also held mystical and spiritual beliefs. Similar to other modernists, he was avant-garde in his artistic approach but had conservative political views, maintaining that politics, art, and war were not easily compatible. Yeats wrote several poems about the Irish rebellion during the First World War because he strongly supported the cause of Irish nationalism.

 On Being Asked For a War Poem

I think it better that in times like these

A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth

We have no gift to set a statesman right;

He has had enough of meddling who can please

A young girl in the indolence of her youth,

Or an old man upon a winter’s night.

 

'On Being Asked for a War Poem' is a brief poem by W. B. Yeats, created in 1915 and released the next year. Among Yeats's well-known poems, it is exceptionally short, consisting of only six lines.

Analysis of Poem

This poem stands out in a collection of war poetry because it chooses not to talk about war. It suggests that poets shouldn't delve into political topics and should focus on making their friends happy instead of getting involved in worldly matters.

W. B. Yeast was an Irish republican leader and played a major role in Irish nationalism, P. B. Shelley was one of the Yeats's inspiration during these times. During the the time of First World War, Yeats was asked to write a poem for a political purpose, Edith Wharton asked a poem from W.B. Yeats for a book aimed at raising funds for Belgian war victims during the First World War. Yeats responded with a poem, which was printed and successfully fulfilled its charitable purpose, and that poem was On Being Asked For a War Poem. 

The poem also thinks about an age-old question: what should poets do in society, and what's the point of poetry? Shelley, a famous Romantic poet, once described poets as "Unacknowledged legislator of the world". Here, poet is at contrast with this maxim and, do not want to talk but poet wants to remain silent. "A poet's mouth be silent" actually means agreeing by refusing, but it is here used in ironic way. Yeats is talking about the idea that poets should stay quiet during tough times, like war. He gives a clear opinion on this debate. The way he structures his sentences is like how people talk every day. When he says "a poet’s mouth" staying silent, he's using a fancy word trick called metonymy. 

The line "He has had enough of meddling who can please" means that the speaker is annoyed or not happy with individuals who get involved in things that are unnecessary or nonsensical. Furthermore, speaker uses examples of two different stages of life, when you're young and full of energy, and when you're old and thoughtful, maybe feeling a bit fragile. By bringing up these specific situations, Yeats is showing that the speaker is tired not just from one aspect of life but from various stages, from the lively times of youth to the more reflective moments of old age.

For further understanding, watch this you-tube video.

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