William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
Author of Collected Poems
About the Author
William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland on June 13, 1865. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and, along with Lady Gregory, Edward Martyn, and others, founded the Abbey Theatre, where he served as its chief playwright until the movement was joined by John Synge. Yeats' show more plays included The Countess Cathleen, The Land of Heart's Desire, Cathleen ni Houlihan, The King's Threshold, and Deirdre. Although a convinced patriot, Yeats deplored the hatred and the bigotry of the Nationalist movement, and his poetry is full of moving protests against it. He was appointed to the Irish Senate in 1922. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 for what the Nobel Committee described as "inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." He is one of the few writers who completed their greatest works after being awarded the Nobel Prize. His poetry collections include The Wild Swans at Coole, Michael Robartes and the Dancer, The Tower, The Winding Stair and Other Poems, and Last Poems and Plays. He died on January 28, 1939 at the age of 73. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Photograph by George Beresford (1911)
Series
Works by William Butler Yeats
A Treasury of Irish Fairy and Folk Tales (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classic Collection) (1825) 431 copies
The Major Works: Including poems, plays, and critical prose (Oxford World's Classics) (1997) 128 copies
Delphi Collected Poetical Works of W. B. Yeats (Illustrated) (Delphi Poets Series Book 7) (2012) 32 copies
The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats Vol. VI: Prefaces and Introductions (Collected Works of W B Yeats) (1989) 29 copies
The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats, Volume X: Later Articles and Reviews : Uncollected Articles, Reviews, and Radio… (2000) 26 copies
The Collected Works of W.B. Yeats Volume IX: Early Articles and Reviews: Uncollected Articles and Reviews Written… (2004) 19 copies
Collected Letters of W. B. Yeats: Volume II: 1896-1900 (Collected Letters of W B Yeats) (1997) 10 copies
Wheels and butterflies 9 copies
The Wind Among the Reeds 6 copies
"Where There Is Nothing" and "The Unicorn from the Stars": Manuscript Materials (The Cornell Yeats) (1987) 6 copies
The Collected Works of W. B. Yeats 5 copies
The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats( Volume 1( The Poems)[COLL POEMS OF WB YEATS REV/E 2][Paperback] 5 copies
Autobiografieen̈ 1 5 copies
Spiritus Mundi 5 copies
Racconti - Liriche 4 copies
teatro 4 copies
Sailing to Byzantium 4 copies
Yeats: Selected Poems 4 copies
Leda and the Swan 4 copies
Yeats's Vision Papers: Sleep and Dream Notebooks, Vision Notebooks 1 and 2, Card File (1992) 4 copies
The Hour-glass; Cathleen ni Houlihan; the Pot of Broth [vol. 2 of Plays for an Irish theatre] (2012) 4 copies
The Autobiography of William Butler Yeats - Consisting of Reveries Over Childhood and Youth - The Trembling of the Veil… (1953) 4 copies
I magnifici 7 capolavori della letteratura irlandese (eNewton Classici) (Italian Edition) (2013) 3 copies
The Greatest Christmas Stories & Poems in One Volume: 150 Tales, Poems & Carols (Illustrated): Silent Night, Ring Out… (2015) 3 copies
W.B. Yeats : collected poems 3 copies
Cinco poetas contemporáneos 3 copies
Trois Nôs irlandais : A la source du faucon - Ce que rêvent les os - Purgatoire, précédé de "Yeats et le Nô" (1994) 3 copies
T.1 : la comtesse cathleen. la terre. du desir du coeur. cathleen ni houlihan. le pot de bouillon... (1997) 3 copies
Calvary 3 copies
"The Only Jealousy of Emer" and "Fighting the Waves": Manuscript Materials (The Cornell Yeats) (2005) 3 copies
Complete Poetry and Plays 3 copies
The Green Helmet 3 copies
In the Seven Woods 3 copies
The lake isle of Innisfree 3 copies
Theatre Business: Correspondence of the First Abbey Theatre Directors, William Butler Yeats, Lady Gregory and J.M.Synge (1982) 3 copies
The Collected Letters of W. B. Yeats: Volume V: 1908-1910: 5 (Yeats Collected Letters Series) (2018) 3 copies
A little garland of Celtic verse 3 copies
A Full Moon In March 2 copies
Autobiografieën 2 2 copies
On Baile’s Strand 2 copies
William Butller Yeats Versei 2 copies
The Hour Glass 2 copies
I racconti di Hanrahan il Rosso 2 copies
The Shadowy Waters 2 copies
The secret rose ; RosaAlchemica ; The tables of the law ; The adoration of the Magi ; John Sherman ; and Dhoya : being… (1908) 2 copies
ESTRANGEMENT: BEING SOME FIFTY THOUGHTS FROM A DIARY KEPT BY WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS IN THE YEAR NINETEEN HUNDRED AND… (1926) 2 copies
The King’s Threshold 2 copies
Poems of Yeats 2 copies
The Municipal Gallery revisited 2 copies
Works of William Butler Yeats 2 copies
On Magic & The Occult 2 copies
Théâtre 2 copies
Fairy Tales of Ireland 2 copies
Nine poems 2 copies
Werke V : Essays und Einführungen 2 copies
Dreams That Have No Moral 2 copies
Irländska Dramer 2 copies
30poemas 2 copies
The Wisdom of the King 2 copies
Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1918 & The Oxford Book of Modern Verse 1892-1935, The, — Editor — 2 copies
Letters to Katharine Tynan 2 copies
Collaborative One-Act Plays, 1901-1903: Cathleen ni Houlihan, The Pot Of Broth, The Country Of The Young, Heads or… (2007) 2 copies
The collected poems of W.B. Yeats. [Lyrical: Crossways (1889) ; The rose (1893) ; The wind among the reeds (1899) ; In… (1956) 2 copies
Is the order of R.R. & A.C. to remain a magical order? : written in March, 1901, and given to the adepti of the Order… (1901) 2 copies
Poems of Place 2 copies
Easter 1916 {poem} 2 copies
The Wild Swans at Coole {poem} 2 copies
In the Twilight {poem} 2 copies
The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats. Definitive Edition, With the Author's Final Revisions. (1962) 1 copy
The Poems of Yeats 1 copy
William Butler Yeats Poetry 1 copy
The Collected Poems of W.B.Yeats Definitive Edition With the Authors Final Revision Hardcover 1 copy
DIARMUID & GRANIA 1 copy
Plays for an Irish theatre 1 copy
Divining Poets: Yeats: A Quotable Deck from Turtle Point Press (Divining Poets: A Quotable Deck from Turtle Point… (2021) 1 copy
W.B. Yeats MYTHOLOGIES 1 copy
On Kısa Oyun 1 copy
W. B. Yeats and Japan 1 copy
Yeats, W. B. 1 copy
Quaranta poesie 1 copy
Discoveries ; Edmund Spencer ; Poetry and traditions ; and other essays : being the eighth volume of The collected… (1908) 1 copy
W. B. Yeats Selected Poetry 1 copy
Literatim Transcription of the Manuscripts of William Butler Yeats's the Speckled Bird (Fictional Works By One Author) (1976) 1 copy
Μυθολογίες και… 1 copy
The Ten Principal Upanishads 1 copy
On Magic & The Occult 1 copy
The Complete Works of William Butler Yeats (Vol. 1-8): Complete Edition of Works in Verse and Prose 1 copy
The Poems of W. B. Yeats. 1 copy
The Collected Works of W. B. Yeats: The Complete Works PergamonMedia (Highlights of World Literature) (2015) 1 copy
Izbor iz djela 1 copy
W.B. Yeats - The Short Stories: “Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.” (2013) 1 copy
Tre atti unici 1 copy
AS TÁBUAS DA LEI 1 copy
Théâtre (1923) 1 copy
"The Consulation" 1 copy
Il figlio di Cuchulain 1 copy
La Rose secrète, suivie de "Les Histoires de Hanrahan le Roux" et de "Rosa alchemica, Les Tables de la loi et… (1995) 1 copy
Ideas of Good and Evil 1 copy
Yeats's vision papers. 3, Sleep and Dream notebooks, Vision notebooks 1 and 2, card file / ed. by Robert Anthony… (1992) 1 copy
"The Stolen Child" 1 copy
Selected Poems and Plays 1 copy
W. B. Yeats: Short Fiction 1 copy
Teatro - - Volume 23 1 copy
W. B. Yeats - Spiritus Mundi 1 copy
The Wild Swans at Coole, Michael Robartes and the Dancer, the Tower (Three Collections of Yeats' Poems) (2011) 1 copy
The Poems of W.B Yeats 1 copy
In the Deep Hearts Core 1 copy
Poems. Second series 1 copy
[No title] 1 copy
Book of Story Poems, A 1 copy
On Magic and the Occult 1 copy
The Lake Isle of Innisfree 1 copy
Poesía escogida 1 copy
The Celtic Twilight by W.B.Yeats, Fiction, Fantasy, Literary, Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology (2005) 1 copy
Il vento tra le canne 1 copy
Pesmi / Poetry 1 copy
Quaranta poesie 1 copy
Poemas 1 copy
Poems of W. B. Yeats, The 1 copy
poesia 1 copy
Werke [1] 2 Dramen [...] 1 copy
Werke [1] 1 Dramen [...] 1 copy
A Teller Of Tales 1 copy
Belief And Unbelief 1 copy
Mortal Help 1 copy
The Adoration Of The Magi 1 copy
A Visionary 1 copy
Village Ghosts 1 copy
A Knight Of The Sheep 1 copy
The Death Of Hanrahan 1 copy
When You Are Old {poem} 1 copy
The Rose of the World {poem} 1 copy
The Stolen Child {poem] 1 copy
Werke 2 @Erzählungen 1 copy
Eight poems 1 copy
Le più belle fiabe irlandesi 1 copy
Yeats and Auden 1 copy
W.B. Yeats - The Trembling Of The Veil: "To long a sacrifice can make a stone of a heart" (2013) 1 copy
La poverella 1 copy
Visioni di maggio 1 copy
Sull'acque tenebrose 1 copy
The Arrow 1 copy
An Enduring Heart 1 copy
A Coward 1 copy
By The Roadside 1 copy
Kidnappers 1 copy
The Untiring Ones 1 copy
Earth, Fire And Water 1 copy
The Old Town 1 copy
The Queen And The Fool 1 copy
The Man And His Boots 1 copy
The Swine Of the Gods 1 copy
Drumcliff And Rosses 1 copy
War 1 copy
The Religion Of A Sailor 1 copy
The Golden Age 1 copy
A Voice 1 copy
Aristotle Of The Books 1 copy
On Being Asked for a War Poem (included in The Norton Introduction to Literature - 5th Edition) 1 copy
The Twisting Of The Rope 1 copy
Hanrahan's Vision 1 copy
Red Hanrahan's Curse 1 copy
Pems of Yeats 1 copy
The Devil 1 copy
The Last Gleeman 1 copy
Miraculous Creatures 1 copy
The Old Men Of The Twilight 1 copy
The Heart Of the Spring 1 copy
'And Fair, Fierce Women' 1 copy
Out Of The Rose 1 copy
Enchanted Woods 1 copy
Poems : Second Series 1 copy
No Second Troy {poem} 1 copy
Yeats Selected Poetry 1 copy
Poems lyrical and narrative : being the first volume of The collected works in verse and prose of William Butler Yeats.… (1908) 1 copy
Long-legged Fly {poem} 1 copy
Poesie / Poems 1 copy
Give up Paris 1 copy
Poesìa 1 copy
Irish Peasantry 1 copy
Tribute to Thomas Davis 1 copy
The hour-glass ; Cathleen Ni Houlihan ; The golden helmet ; The Irish dramatic movement : being the fourth volume of… (1908) 1 copy
Our Lady Of The Hills 1 copy
The Short Plays Vol 2: “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.” (2013) 1 copy
The king's threshold ; On Baile's strand ; Deirdre ; Shadowy waters : being the second volume of The collected works in… (1908) 1 copy
Μια γυναίκα νέα και γραία 1 copy
The Countess Cathleen ; The land of heart's desire ; The unicorn from the stars : being the third volume of The… (1908) 1 copy
IDEAS SOBRE EL BIEN Y EL MAL 1 copy
September 1913 {poem} 1 copy
The Dreaming Of The Bones 1 copy
The only Jealousy of ever 1 copy
Literary Ideas in Ireland 1 copy
The Only Jealousy Of Emer 1 copy
Ah, Sweet Dancer 1 copy
Under Ben Bulben {poem} 1 copy
Lapis Lazuli {poem} 1 copy
Letters 1 copy
The Cat And The Moon 1 copy
The Resurrection 1 copy
Stories of Michael Robartes and his friends: An extract from a record made by his pupils: and a play in prose (1931) 1 copy
Yeats 30 poemas 1 copy
Prose inédite de W.B. Yeats: Vol. 4 : Critique théâtrale, comptes rendus et articles rassemblés et publiés (1998) 1 copy
Stories from Carleton — Introduction — 1 copy
W. B. Yeats 1 copy
Selected Poems by WB Yeats 1 copy
W.B. Yeats: Selected Plays 1 copy
Works of William Butler Yeats (60 works). Inclds. The Celtic Twilight, Four Years, The Hour Glass, Rosa Alchemica,… (2009) 1 copy
Opere 1 copy
Poèmes choisis 1 copy
Associated Works
Gitanjali (1910) — Introduction, some editions; Introduction, some editions; Introduction, some editions; Introduction, some editions; Translator, some editions; Translator, some editions — 1,310 copies
The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer Through Robert Frost (2004) — Contributor — 1,058 copies
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1995) — Contributor, some editions — 928 copies
Spells of Enchantment: The Wondrous Fairy Tales of Western Culture (1991) — Contributor — 570 copies
Aesthetes and Decadents of the 1890s: An Anthology of British Poetry and Prose (1981) — Contributor — 173 copies
Poetry Speaks Expanded: Hear Poets Read Their Own Work from Tennyson to Plath (2007) — Contributor — 152 copies
The Graphic Canon, Vol. 3: From Heart of Darkness to Hemingway to Infinite Jest (2013) — Contributor — 148 copies
The Classic Noh Theatre of Japan (New Directions Paperbook) (1916) — Introduction, some editions — 113 copies
Playwrights on Playwriting: The Meaning and Making of Modern Drama from Ibsen to Ionesco (1960) — Contributor — 110 copies
The Sophisticated Cat: A Gathering of Stories, Poems, and Miscellaneous Writings About Cats (1992) — Contributor — 100 copies
The Book of Irish Weirdness: A Treasury of Classic Tales of the Supernatural, Spooky and Strange (1994) — Contributor — 96 copies
From Isles of Dream: Visionary Stories and Poems of the Celtic Renaissance (1993) — Contributor — 41 copies
Out of the Best Books: An Anthology of Literature, Vol. 2: Love, Marriage, and the Family (1966) — Contributor — 39 copies
Out of the Best Books: An Anthology of Literature, Vol. 3: Intelligent Family Living (1967) — Contributor — 33 copies
Out of the Best Books: An Anthology of Literature, Vol. 4: The World Around Us (1968) — Contributor — 29 copies
Fairies, Pookas, and Changelings: A Complete Guide to the Wild and Wicked Enchanted Realm (2017) — Contributor — 23 copies
Terrifying Transformations: An Anthology of Victorian Werewolf Fiction, 1838-1896 (2012) — Contributor — 18 copies
Oogst der tijden : keur uit de werken van schrijvers en dichters aller volken en eeuwen (1940) — Contributor — 10 copies
Poems of William Blake (ed. Yeats) — Editor — 5 copies
The Bibelot, Volume XVIII: A Reprint of Poetry and Prose for Book Lovers, Chosen in Part from Scarce Editions and… (1912) — Contributor — 4 copies
The Bibelot, Volume IX: A Reprint of Poetry and Prose for Book Lovers, Chosen in Part from Scarce Editions and Sources… (1903) — Contributor — 4 copies
Fantastic Imaginings: A Journey Through 3500 Years of Imaginative Writing, Comprising Fantasy, Horror, and Science… (2012) — Contributor — 4 copies
Poems of Spenser; Selected and With an Introd. by W.B. Yeats — Editor — 2 copies
The Dial, Vol LXXVII No 3, September 1924 — Contributor, some editions — 1 copy
Wakacje Wśród Duchów — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- W.B. Yeats
- Legal name
- Yeats, William Butler
- Other names
- Yeats, W. B.
- Birthdate
- 1865-06-13
- Date of death
- 1939-01-28
- Burial location
- Drumcliffe, County Sligo, Ireland
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
Ireland - Country (for map)
- Ireland
- Birthplace
- Sandymount, County Dublin, Ireland
- Place of death
- Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France
- Places of residence
- Dublin, Ireland (birth)
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France (death)
London, England, UK - Education
- Metropolitan School of Art
- Occupations
- poet
dramatist - Relationships
- Yeats, John Butler (father)
Yeats, Jack Butler (brother)
Yeats, Elizabeth Corbet (sister)
Yeats, Michael Butler (son)
Gregory, Lady (friend)
Mannin, Ethel (friend) (show all 18)
Martyn, Edward (friend)
Moore, Thomas Sturge (friend)
Yeats, Susan Mary (sister)
Gonne, Maud (friend)
Shakespear, Olivia (friend)
Synge, J. M. (friend)
Pound, Ezra (friend)
Eliot, T. S. (friend)
Hemingway, Ernest (friend)
Pollexfen, Claire D. (cousin)
Pollexfen, Muriel A. (cousin)
Hyde-Lees, Georgiana (wife) - Organizations
- Seanad Éireann
Rhymers' Club
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Abbey Theatre
Irish Literary Theatre - Awards and honors
- Nobel Prize (Literature ∙ 1923)
Fellow, Royal Society of Literature (1910)
Members
Reviews
Sailing to Byzantium by W B Yeats
One thing this little book proved - poetry is not for bedtime reading. I stopped that idea after the first night of my having this little book by my bedside and left the book by my desk. There, I read aloud to myself a couple of poems a day - that's the way to read poetry!
Nobody writes like Yeats:
A woman’s beauty is a storm-tossed banner;
Under it wisdom stands, and I alone —
Of all Arabia’s lovers I alone —
Nor dazzled by the embroidery, nor lost
In the confusion of its night-dark folds,
Can hear the armed man speak.
A woman’s beauty is a storm-tossed banner;
Under it wisdom stands, and I alone —
Of all Arabia’s lovers I alone —
Nor dazzled by the embroidery, nor lost
In the confusion of its night-dark folds,
Can hear the armed man speak.
Only read 18 selected poems (via TWEM). Many of Yeats' poems were about nature, history, and old age.
My favorite was The Lake of Isle of Innisfree, and this was my little review:
Oh, I just love this poem, though I do not know the Lake Isle of Innisfree...(it is in Ireland, and must be beautiful).
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
What wonderful imagery, especially standing on the roadway or some grey pavement. Yeats can imagine this peaceful place deep in his heart. It reminds me so much of Walden and his cabin in Concord, MA. Who doesn't want peace in his life? Who doesn't find it in nature and alone with nature.
I love his declaration in the middle of the roadway, "I will go now!" Maybe he means to escape NOW or maybe he means he will disappear into his imagination NOW.
He knows exactly what he will have when he gets there: a fence, nine rows of beans, and a hive for the honey bees. It will be just him and the bees.
It's a beautiful, peaceful poem. I give it an A plus!… (more)
My favorite was The Lake of Isle of Innisfree, and this was my little review:
Oh, I just love this poem, though I do not know the Lake Isle of Innisfree...(it is in Ireland, and must be beautiful).
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
What wonderful imagery, especially standing on the roadway or some grey pavement. Yeats can imagine this peaceful place deep in his heart. It reminds me so much of Walden and his cabin in Concord, MA. Who doesn't want peace in his life? Who doesn't find it in nature and alone with nature.
I love his declaration in the middle of the roadway, "I will go now!" Maybe he means to escape NOW or maybe he means he will disappear into his imagination NOW.
He knows exactly what he will have when he gets there: a fence, nine rows of beans, and a hive for the honey bees. It will be just him and the bees.
It's a beautiful, peaceful poem. I give it an A plus!… (more)
1 
GRLopez | Dec 3, 2023 |
GRLopez | Dec 3, 2023 | Lists
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Statistics
- Works
- 756
- Also by
- 131
- Members
- 21,847
- Popularity
- #984
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 184
- ISBNs
- 1,109
- Languages
- 21
- Favorited
- 169
