W. B. Yeats has created beat in his verse form “When You Are Old” by utilizing a familiar metre. simple rhyme strategy and by heightening these signifiers with effectual poetic devices and permutations.
About everyone who has studied English has read a drama written by William Shakespeare. Yeats uses the same signifier. iambic pentameter. to make a steady beat that is familiar to many readers. He uses permutation pess to divert from the regular metre and stress the parts of the verse form he feels are of import. For illustration. he uses a spondaic pes to do the initial rhyme “glad grace” base out. To keep his steady beat he besides uses phyrric pess to quickly flux through little words and prepositions. The 2nd portion of the line. “…and of their shadows deep ; ” uses one of these pess to maintain ‘of’ from being stressed. adding to the consequence of the imagination of the eyes in the yesteryear.
The usage of a simplistic rime strategy does non intend the verse form is simple by any agencies. In fact. it is merely the antonym. The usage of an ABBA CDDC EFFE rime strategy is a strategic determination by the writer to assist make changeless beat and repeat. Each stanza is one long poetic sentence that is held together with rime. The riming pairs in the 2nd and 3rd lines make the beat flow. The last word of the 4th line enhances the lyricality. finishing the thought by linking the 1st line with rime.
Along with his expert cognition of poetic signifier Yeats uses a broad scope of poetic devices to make beat. In this line he uses a permutation pes with initial rhyme to heighten his subject and do the happy memories more memorable to the reader: “How many loved your minutes of glad grace. ” The subjects of love affair and loss are of import and are elaborated on with the personification of Love: “Murmur. a small unhappily. how Love fled and paced upon the mountains overhead and conceal his face amid a crowd of stars. ” These devices are used suitably because they stay within the steady beat that has already been created. adding to its overall effectivity.
In summarisation. W. B. Yeats experimented with many signifiers of poesy in his calling and has a deep apprehension for the presentation of the capable affair. He demonstrates this by making a ageless beat that when varied can be analytically recognized. He uses the familiar iambic pentameter ; ABBA rhyme strategy ; and broad scope of literary devices to show his verse form with a stable beat and smooth flow.
Bibliography
Yeats. William Butler. “When You’re Old. ” 1865.
