| I THINK it better that in times like these | |
| A poet keep his mouth shut, 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, | 5 |
| Or an old man upon a winter’s night. |
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
"On being asked for a War Poem," W.B. Yeats
On being asked for a War Poem
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I find this poem rather humorous. The title itself makes the rest of the poem seem even funnier.... The all caps in the word "think" and his feeling that a poet "should keep his mouth shut" expresses the poets frustration... It is apparent that the speaker feels as though it is not necessary for there to be a poem about everything and there are subjects and times when things need to be left alone... that is why the title "on being asked for a war poem" seems humorous to me...
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with sourpatch. The poem is quite humorous. The author is basically saying that there don't need to be poems about everything that happens in a poet's life. Some things need to be kept private, not open to the public. It's good that poets have different varieties of subjects because they make good descusion topics, but too many different subjects is hard to handle. The author's unusal wording stating, "for in truth/We have no gift to set a statesman right;" is basically saying not every situation can be put into words.
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