Yeats, "Easter 1916"

that woman’s — Yeats is referring to his close friend, Countess Constance (Con) Markievicz, born Constance Gore-Booth (1868-1927). Constance and her sister Eva Gore-Booth owned an estate called Lissadell House, where Yeats often visited. Both women were highly educated, but Con was the more politically active; she had joined the nationalist cause, founded a nationalist organization for boys called Fianna, and become an officer in the Irish Citizen Army — which later combined with the Irish Volunteers to become the I.R.A. At this point, however, the I.C.A had not more than 250 members and fought mostly to defend workers’ rights. (The I.C.A.’s leader was James Connolly, who was one of the fifteen executed.) Con Markiewicz was sentenced to death for her part in the Easter 1916 uprising, but her sentence was commuted to life in prison because the British rightly thought that executing a woman of her standing would have been a public relations disaster. She was granted amnesty in 1917, but arrested again in 1918. She was elected to the English Parliament in 1918 (becoming the first woman ever to be elected to that body) but did not serve. She accepted a Ministerial position in the Irish shadow government in 1919. She went to prison again in 1919, 1920, and 1923 for having opposed the treaty with England. In 1923 and 1927 she was elected to the Irish Dail (their parliament).

this man — Patrick Pearse (1879-1916). Pearse was a nationalist poet and teacher who had founded a school called St. Enda’s that taught in both English and Gaelic. Given how the British had repressed Gaelic, this was itself enough to mark him as a radical. Pearse joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood, by 1914 had become Commander of Military Organization, and by 1915 was a member of the Supreme Council, which planned a rebellion while England was involved in World War I. Pearse was considered an outstanding orator (his speech at the funeral of O’Donovan Riossa is one of the most famous speeches of the Irish Independence movement) and was chosen to be the spokesman for the Easter 1916 uprising. He proclaimed an Irish Republic from the steps of the Dublin post office. He surrendered on 29 April and was one of the first four men executed by firing squad on 3 May. His younger brother Willie was also one of the fifteen executed.

this other — Thomas MacDonagh (1878-1916). A friend of Pearse, and a poet, playwright, and critic who taught at University College, Dublin.

this other man — John MacBride (1865-1916). Another Republican leader, he had been a major in the Boer army fighting against England in the so-called Boer War in South Africa in the 1890s. He had married Maud Gonne in 1903, but by the time of the uprising they had long been separated (there was no divorce in Ireland at this time, or indeed until quite recently). Reportedly he was a violent and abusive alcoholic. Yeats detested him, and claimed he had sexually assaulted Gonne’s daughter, Iseult.

some who are near my heart — Yeats is referring to Maud and Iseult.

Easter 1916
by W. B. Yeats

I have met them at close of day
Coming with vivid faces
From counter or desk among grey
Eighteenth-century houses.
I have passed with a nod of the head	5
Or polite meaningless words,
Or have lingered awhile and said
Polite meaningless words,
And thought before I had done
Of a mocking tale or a gibe	10
To please a companion
Around the fire at the club,
Being certain that they and I
But lived where motley is worn:
All changed, changed utterly:	15
A terrible beauty is born.

That woman’s days were spent
In ignorant good-will,
Her nights in argument
Until her voice grew shrill.	20
What voice more sweet than hers
When, young and beautiful,
She rode to harriers?
This man had kept a school
And rode our winged horse;	25
This other his helper and friend
Was coming into his force;
He might have won fame in the end,
So sensitive his nature seemed,
So daring and sweet his thought.	30
This other man I had dreamed
A drunken, vainglorious lout.
He had done most bitter wrong
To some who are near my heart,
Yet I number him in the song;	35
He, too, has resigned his part
In the casual comedy;
He, too, has been changed in his turn,
Transformed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.	40

Hearts with one purpose alone
Through summer and winter seem
Enchanted to a stone
To trouble the living stream.
The horse that comes from the road.	45
The rider, the birds that range
From cloud to tumbling cloud,
Minute by minute they change;
A shadow of cloud on the stream
Changes minute by minute;	50
A horse-hoof slides on the brim,
And a horse plashes within it;
The long-legged moor-hens dive,
And hens to moor-cocks call;
Minute by minute they live:	55
The stone’s in the midst of all.

Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven’s part, our part	60
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.
What is it but nightfall?	65
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough	70
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse —
MacDonagh and MacBride	75
And Connolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born.	80



Easter 1916 — In April of 1916, approximately 700 members of the I.R.A. (Irish Republican Army) occupied the central part of Dublin, holding out from the 24th until the 29th against British forces. After the rebellion was crushed, the English executed fifteen of the leaders between 3 May and 12 May; obviously the courtmartials were perfunctory. The level of popular support for the uprising is debatable, but the execution of its leaders made them martyrs to the Irish cause and led to much more popular support for rebellion.

the club — the Arts Club, of which Yeats was a member

motley — the particolored clothing of a jester or fool

that woman’s — Yeats is referring to his close friend, Countess Constance (Con) Markievicz, born Constance Gore-Booth (1868-1927). Constance and her sister Eva Gore-Booth owned an estate called Lissadell House, where Yeats often visited. Both women were highly educated, but Con was the more politically active; she had joined the nationalist cause, founded a nationalist organization for boys called Fianna, and become an officer in the Irish Citizen Army — which later combined with the Irish Volunteers to become the I.R.A. At this point, however, the I.C.A had not more than 250 members and fought mostly to defend workers’ rights. (The I.C.A.’s leader was James Connolly, who was one of the fifteen executed.) Con Markiewicz was sentenced to death for her part in the Easter 1916 uprising, but her sentence was commuted to life in prison because the British rightly thought that executing a woman of her standing would have been a public relations disaster. She was granted amnesty in 1917, but arrested again in 1918. She was elected to the English Parliament in 1918 (becoming the first woman ever to be elected to that body) but did not serve. She accepted a Ministerial position in the Irish shadow government in 1919. She went to prison again in 1919, 1920, and 1923 for having opposed the treaty with England. In 1923 and 1927 she was elected to the Irish Dail (their parliament).

harriers — literally hounds used in rabbit-hunting; people would ride after the dogs on horseback. The verb harry is also etymologically linked to harrass.

this man — Patrick Pearse (1879-1916). Pearse was a nationalist poet and teacher who had founded a school called St. Enda’s that taught in both English and Gaelic. Given how the British had repressed Gaelic, this was itself enough to mark him as a radical. Pearse joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood, by 1914 had become Commander of Military Organization, and by 1915 was a member of the Supreme Council, which planned a rebellion while England was involved in World War I. Pearse was considered an outstanding orator (his speech at the funeral of O’Donovan Riossa is one of the most famous speeches of the Irish Independence movement) and was chosen to be the spokesman for the Easter 1916 uprising. He proclaimed an Irish Republic from the steps of the Dublin post office. He surrendered on 29 April and was one of the first four men executed by firing squad on 3 May. His younger brother Willie was also one of the fifteen executed.

this other — Thomas MacDonagh (1878-1916). A friend of Pearse, and a poet, playwright, and critic who taught at University College, Dublin.

this other man — John MacBride (1865-1916). Another Republican leader, he had been a major in the Boer army fighting against England in the so-called Boer War in South Africa in the 1890s. He had married Maud Gonne in 1903, but by the time of the uprising they had long been separated (there was no divorce in Ireland at this time, or indeed until quite recently). Reportedly he was a violent and abusive alcoholic. Yeats detested him, and claimed he had sexually assaulted Gonne’s daughter, Iseult.

some who are near my heart — Yeats is referring to Maud and Iseult.

England may keep faith — In 1913, the British Parliament had passed a bill allowing Irish Home Rule — which is not full independence but a kind of secondary parliament that would preside over most Irish affairs but be ultimately answerable to the British Parliament. It was suspended in 1914 before it was even enacted due to World War I, but British leaders had promised the issue would be brought up again and Home Rule enacted when the war ended. This is what Yeats refers to. In fact, another Home Rule bill was passed in 1920, creating separate parliaments for both Northern and Southern Ireland, but only the Northern Ireland parliament functioned; the main part of Ireland would have to wait for the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 for self-rule.