Welcome to Poem of the Day – The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats.
William Butler Yeats’ poem The Second Coming is one of the most famous and widely studied poems of the 20th century. Written in 1919, just after World War I, it captures the sense of chaos, uncertainty, and dread that characterized the post-war world. The poem explores themes of disillusionment, societal collapse, and the cyclical nature of history, blending elements of mythology, religion, and prophecy to deliver a powerful vision of a world on the brink of a new, unsettling transformation.
In this essay, I will provide a detailed analysis of The Second Coming, examining its structure, imagery, and themes, and exploring how Yeats uses these elements to convey his vision of a world in crisis. The poem’s complex symbolism and prophetic tone suggest a world teetering on the edge of destruction, awaiting the arrival of an enigmatic and frightening force. By considering the historical and personal context in which Yeats wrote the poem, I will demonstrate how The Second Coming speaks to both the immediate aftermath of the First World War and to broader, more universal concerns about the human condition.
The Second Coming
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The 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 everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A 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 it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were 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 Explanation
The Second Coming is a 22-line poem composed of two stanzas. The poem is often noted for its intense, apocalyptic imagery, which reflects Yeats’ deep sense of despair over the state of the world in the aftermath of World War I. The poem is often interpreted as a meditation on the collapse of civilization and the possibility of a new era rising from the ashes of the old. At its heart, The Second Coming is a vision of impending transformation—a return of some powerful, malevolent force that will bring about both the end of the present world and the birth of something new.
The poem opens with a vivid description of disorder and chaos, with Yeats immediately invoking the sense that the world is out of control. The phrase “Turning and turning in the widening gyre” suggests a world in constant motion, spiraling out of control. This sense of disintegration is further emphasized by the references to “anarchy” and “blood-dimmed tides.” As the poem progresses, Yeats presents the vision of a new force, a “rough beast” that is “slouching towards Bethlehem to be born.” The ambiguous and terrifying nature of this force leads the reader to question whether it will be a force for good or evil, and what the future holds for humanity.
Structure and Form
The Second Coming is a lyric poem, using a combination of iambic pentameter and irregular rhyme schemes to create a sense of instability and unpredictability. The first stanza consists of eight lines, while the second stanza is longer, consisting of fourteen lines. This uneven structure mirrors the themes of chaos and disruption that run throughout the poem, highlighting the breakdown of order and the arrival of something unknown and unsettling.
The irregular rhyme scheme in the poem—ABAB for the first stanza and a more complex ABCB pattern in the second stanza—adds to the sense of unease and instability. The disjointed rhythm and rhyme create a feeling of a world out of balance, further amplifying the poem’s apocalyptic tone. Additionally, the use of enjambment throughout the poem—where a sentence or phrase runs over into the next line—creates a sense of urgency and rapid movement, heightening the reader’s sense of impending catastrophe.
The shift in the length of the stanzas also reflects the growing intensity of the poem’s central vision. The first stanza focuses on the present state of the world, full of disorder and confusion, while the second stanza builds toward the arrival of the “rough beast” and the transformation that is to come. The contrast between the two stanzas serves to emphasize the disjunction between the old world, which is crumbling, and the new world that is emerging, one that is both mysterious and threatening.
Imagery and Symbolism
Yeats’ use of imagery in The Second Coming is one of the key elements that drives the poem’s sense of foreboding and unease. From the very beginning, the poem is filled with powerful and unsettling images, each of which contributes to the overall apocalyptic tone.
The Widening Gyre
The opening image of “Turning and turning in the widening gyre” immediately sets the tone of the poem. The “gyre” is a reference to Yeats’ own philosophical concept of history, in which he believed that history unfolds in a series of cyclical movements, each representing a shift between different ages or periods of time. The “widening gyre” suggests that the current age is spiraling out of control, widening and loosening its grip on order and stability. This image evokes a sense of turbulence, where the world is spinning faster and faster, heading toward a catastrophic endpoint.
The gyre itself is a metaphor for the fracturing of society and the collapse of established structures. Yeats’ use of the word “widening” implies that this chaos is not merely a temporary phenomenon but a growing and inevitable force. The image of the gyre spinning out of control foreshadows the destruction and transformation that the poem predicts.
The “Blood-Dimmed Tide”
Another striking image in the first stanza is the “blood-dimmed tide,” which evokes a sense of violence, suffering, and destruction. The phrase suggests not only physical bloodshed but also the metaphorical “blood” of human conflict, cruelty, and moral decay. Yeats portrays a world in which violence is unrestrained, with the tides—symbolizing the passage of time and the movement of history—becoming stained with blood, as if the very flow of history is tainted by war and destruction.
This image also points to the breakdown of morality and the erosion of any sense of justice or order. The “blood-dimmed tide” suggests a world where chaos reigns, and human suffering is the inevitable result. It is a powerful symbol of the destruction and upheaval that Yeats saw in the aftermath of World War I, as well as a broader reflection on the darker aspects of human history.
The “Rough Beast”
In the second stanza, Yeats introduces the “rough beast,” a symbol of a new force that is emerging from the chaos. The “beast” is described as “slouching towards Bethlehem to be born,” a reference that evokes both the biblical Nativity and a dark inversion of it. While the Nativity symbolizes the birth of a divine figure who brings hope and salvation, the “rough beast” represents a more sinister force, one that will bring about a new era, but one that is ominous and terrifying.
The “rough beast” is often interpreted as a symbol of the rising forces of totalitarianism and authoritarianism, which were gaining ground in the early 20th century, particularly in the aftermath of the war. Some critics argue that the beast symbolizes the rise of figures like Adolf Hitler or the spread of fascism. However, Yeats’ language is vague and ambiguous, leaving the precise nature of the beast open to interpretation. This ambiguity allows the poem to remain a powerful and flexible symbol of any destructive force that threatens to reshape the world.
The “slouching” nature of the beast suggests that it is not a force of immediate, explosive violence but one that is creeping slowly into power, building its strength over time. The image of the beast “slouching” also evokes a sense of inevitability, as though this new force is predestined or fated to arrive.
Themes in The Second Coming
The Collapse of Civilization
One of the central themes of The Second Coming is the collapse of civilization. The imagery of the “widening gyre” and the “blood-dimmed tide” suggests a world in disarray, where traditional structures and values are crumbling. Yeats was writing at a time when Europe had just experienced the devastation of World War I, and the poem reflects his sense that the old world order was coming to an end. The war had shattered the idea of progress and stability, and the aftermath seemed to herald a new era that was uncertain, violent, and unpredictable.
Yeats’ vision of a collapsing civilization is both personal and political. He was deeply disillusioned with the political and social upheavals of his time, and the poem expresses a sense of profound uncertainty about the future. The arrival of the “rough beast” symbolizes the emergence of new, dark forces that will shape the world in ways that are both terrifying and inevitable.
The Cyclical Nature of History
Yeats believed in a cyclical view of history, where periods of order and stability are followed by times of chaos and destruction, only to be replaced by a new order. This idea is reflected in the imagery of the “widening gyre,” which suggests that history is spiraling out of control and heading toward a new, unknown phase. The “rough beast” is the harbinger of this new age, a symbol of the transformation that is about to take place.
However, the cyclical nature of history is not necessarily optimistic. The new world that is coming is not one of redemption or renewal but one of darkness and fear. Yeats’ vision suggests that the cycle of history is not necessarily a progression toward improvement but rather a series of shifts between different forms of disorder and destruction.
The Unknown Future
The final theme in The Second Coming is the uncertainty and fear of the future. The arrival of the “rough beast” symbolizes the unknown, the terrifying forces that are rising to power in a world that is no longer stable. Yeats’ use of religious imagery, such as the reference to Bethlehem, evokes a sense of prophetic expectation, but this expectation is not one of hope or salvation. Instead, it is one of fear and dread, as the speaker anticipates the coming of something dangerous and uncontrollable.
Conclusion
In conclusion, William Butler Yeats’ The Second Coming is a powerful meditation on the disillusionment and fear that characterized the aftermath of World War I. Through vivid imagery, unsettling symbolism, and a sense of impending doom, Yeats paints a picture of a world in crisis, poised on the brink of a new and uncertain era. The poem’s themes of societal collapse, the cyclical nature of history, and the fear of the unknown resonate not only with the events of Yeats’ time but also with broader, timeless concerns about the human condition.
By examining the poem’s structure, imagery, and themes, we can see how Yeats uses these elements to create a vision of a world in turmoil, awaiting the arrival of a dark and powerful force. The Second Coming remains a haunting and prophetic work, offering a stark vision of the future that continues to captivate readers and provoke reflection on the nature of history, society, and the human experience.
