Political Origins of ‘Easter, 1916’ by William Butler

Yeats
The poem “Easter 1916” has its base in politics. In his poem, William Butler Yeats is referring to the
Easter Rising (also called the Easter Rebellion), which was a series of events that took place in
Ireland in 1916. The political uprising was planned by Irish republicans whose goal was to take over
British rule in the area. The uprising officially began on April 24, 1916, and it lasted just under a
week. Unfortunately, many revolutionaries were killed for their efforts.

While the uprising proved unsuccessful, it did inspire Yeats to write “Easter, 1916,” which was first
published in 1921. It is ones of his most well-known works today and said to be a major
breakthrough for his career. Originally, “Easter, 1916” was published in the book Michael Robartes
and the Dancer.

First Stanza Analysis of ‘Easter, 1916’ by William

Butler Yeats
The Yeats poem „Easter, 1916‟ begins with the lines:

I have met them at close of day

Coming with vivid faces
From counter or desk among grey

These lines evoke in the reader thoughts of a person walking the streets of Ireland, taking in the
atmosphere and being one with their region. The poetic words “desk among grey” refer to the city life
and hint of a lack of enthusiasm for the work life. Yeats uses the “I” perspective to be able to provide
his own perspectives on what was happening in Ireland and provide an intimate feeling to the
troubled times. He wrote the poem shortly after the Easter Uprising was brought to its end.

The “vivid” faces are described as lively in “Easter, 1916” as they were likely youths who want to
take over the British rule to gain independence for their homeland. The first stanza then moves from
empowerment to a more somber tone with its last line, which is:

A terrible beauty is born.

This line holds a lot of meaning. It is a reference to the Easter Rising, where many Irish people died
as they tried to overcome British rule. The words “terrible beauty” are opposites, just as the goal of
the rising was to create peaceful rule yet instead brought about the opposite effect, which was
bloodshed and death by violent means. The phrase “terrible beauty” is an oxymoron.

Ah yes, poet William Butler Yeats. Photo via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Second Stanza of ‘Easter, 1916’ Poetry Analysis

The second stanza then describes the revolting Irish people who ended up losing their lives. The
lady described in the stanza was Countess Constance Markievicz, who is described by the BBCas
the “Larkinite rebel countess.” She was a politician and socialist who participated in the uprising,
later being forced into surrender and sentenced to prison.

Also referenced later in the second stanza is Patrick Henry Pearse, a writer and revolutionary who
helped plan the Easter Rising. Like Markievicz, he was forced to surrender. His death came soon
after, by a firing squad. The line “a terrible beauty is born” then repeats, providing a powerful end to
the stanza with the use of repetition.

On the Third Stanza of Poetry Written by William

Butler Yeats
Poet William Butler Yeats. Photo via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

In the third stanza, the reader is taken to images of a stream, a road, a horse and birds. These
things all symbolize parts of the uprising. Poet William Butler Yeatstried to make sense of the deaths
and the revolt that did not go as the Irish people had planned.

He explains in the poem that the Irish “hearts with one purpose alone” were “enchanted” by a stone
to drop it in a “living stream.” In other words, they wanted to change the structure of the ruling
system in Ireland or change the way the stream‟s current ran.

The birds Yeats described are flying along in the sky, just as the days continued to pass after the
revolutionaries were arrested or killed.

‘Easter, 1916’: The Final Stanza by William Butler

Yeats
In the fourth and final stanza, William Butler Yeats began with the lines:

Too long a sacrifice

Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
And, so, the stone becomes linked to the heart. In this reference, the reader is led to think of the
stone heart as encompassing all of Ireland. Indeed, there was much unrest amongst the people
there, as proven by the existence of the Easter Rising.

The tone was sorrowful in as William Butler Yeats wrote:

We know their dream; enough

To know they dreamed and are dead

This harsh image is a tough one, even today, to digest. That the Irish people fought for
independence, their shared dream, and yet many were killed in the end is a tragic notion to digest. It
is obvious that Yeats felt Ireland was in a state of chaos and he was sending the message that
things needed to change. He was also expressing pain about the passing of many well-known
revolutionaries.

And tragic too is the way “Easter, 1916” ends, with the powerful line echoed again:

A terrible beauty is born.

Quote by William Butler Yeats. Photo: QuotesEverlasting, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

Personal Reflections on ‘Easter, 1916’
On a personal note, I find this poetry by William Butler Yeats is quite fascinating because it is so
different from the traditional images of Easter. There is no mention of bunnies or chocolate, and
happiness is overridden by the later “stones” in the poem. Looking back in history, we see the battles
many places such as Ireland have had. We see also that people tried to reach for a better life, but
did not get the ends they sought, at that time.

As we head into Easter, I send you a kind wave and remind you that freedom is never something to
be taken for granted.