William Butler Yeats

As stated by critic, M.L. Rosenthal, on page 1115, “virtually every poem celebrating a woman’s beauty or addressing a beloved woman has to do with her.” I gained this perspective in his poem, “A Prayer for my Daughter” Yeats states on page 1123, “And for an hour I have walked and prayed Because of the great gloom that is in my mind.” All kids are special but I feel that mothers and fathers tend to want to protect little girls more than boys. I can support this with my own personal experience. I have two girls and one boy. My little boy tends to take care of himself, but I have to watch over my girls more than him. Let me justify the fact that I pray for all of them on a daily basis. I was guess that the “great gloom” involved the little girl dating and finding a mate. Well I haven’t gotten to the point just yet but I can only imagine!

Yeats proceeds on Line 17 talking about the daughter’s beauty. “May she be granted beauty and yet not Beauty to make a stranger’s eye distraught” In the 1900s, Yeats like any loving father or parent wanted his daughter to have the best. He wanted her to find the best man that would take care of his daughter. He surely did not want her to end up like Helen. I found a little humor in Line 25 when he spoke of Helen because I do the same thing with my 11 year old daughter. I constantly tell her that I do not want her to end up like another child that is going down the wrong road. I like Yeats want the best for my children.

When ending this poem, Yeats talks about marriage. On page 1124 starting at line 73, “And may her bridegroom bring her to a house Where all’s accustomed, ceremonious; …Ceremony’s a name for the rich horn, And custom for the spreading laurel tree.” Within this section of the poem, he is clearly stating that he wants his daughter to have the best. He wants his daughter to be with the “Joneses”. A laurel tree is an evergreen shrub or tree with shiny, fragrant leaves. Laurel also means honor. Therefore he wanted his daughter to prosper and what parent would not want that for their daughter or son. My philosophy is that I want my children to have more than I did. I want them to prosper spiritually, financially, educationally, and in every area of their life!

I know that Yeats had a painful childhood, but maybe the pain helped to motivate his writings. I know that when I am going through pain, it helps me to write my expressions and feelings in my journal. I am far from a poet, but I do keep a daily journal to reflect my life’s journey. My poetry, journal entries, will be read by my kids and their kids and maybe generations to follow!