Summary and Analysis of W.B Yeats No Second Troy

Poem

Why should I blame her that she filled my days
With misery, or that she would of late
Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways,
Or hurled the little streets upon the great,
Had they but courage equal to desire?
What could have made her peaceful with a mind
That nobleness made simple as a fire,
With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind
That is not natural in an age like this,
Being high and solitary and most stern?
Why, what could she have done, being what she is?
Was there another Troy for her to burn?

Paraphrase/ Summary of the Poem

Why blame her for the misery she brought upon my days or for teaching ignorant men violent ways? She would have unleashed chaos upon the great if only they had the courage to match their desires. What could have made her peaceful with a mind so noble, simple as a fire, with beauty like a tightened bow? Her kind is not natural in this age, being high, solitary, and stern. What could she have done, being who she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn?

Analysis of the Poem

“No Second Troy” by Yeats is a captivating poem that delves into the tumultuous relationship between Maud Gonne, a prominent Irish revolutionary, and the poet himself. Yeats uses vivid imagery and powerful language to express his feelings of love, longing, and ultimately, disappointment. One notable line from the poem is “Why, what could she have done, being what she is?” which reflects Yeats’ struggle to reconcile his idealized image of Maud Gonne with the reality of their relationship. It’s a thought-provoking piece that delves into the complexities of love and the impact it can have on one’s life.

The poem opens with “Why should I blame her because she filled my days with misery?” is a rhetorical question that appears in the poem’s opening lines , and the query itself contains an implicit response. Due to his lover’s repeated rejections, the poet is in a miserable and painful situation. In his poem, ‘her’ refers to a woman who has not returned Yeats’ love. He has been rejected by her on multiple occasions, and several of his poems are addressed to her. The poem’s opening lines express the suffering and sorrow he is experiencing as a result of this woman’s participation in his life.

The opening words of the poem express Yeats’s conflicting feelings toward the woman he loves, revealing the volatile presence of the woman in his life. The poet complains that she hasn’t reciprocated his love, but he counters that he won’t hold her responsible for her suffering. He has done a fantastic job of condensing his emotion in these lines, and in the ones that follow, he describes political passion related to the lady.

The third line of the poem, “Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways,” expresses the poet’s political fervor. The lady is criticized by the poet for teaching the average man various violent behaviors. He moves the conversation from the anguish the woman has caused her to the harm he believes she has done to those defenseless guys. He begins commenting on the political issues that she has taught the revolutionary tactics to solve in order to gain independence for a certain item, such as a country, after addressing personal issues with the woman.

Yeats despises the small-scale violence of individuals who would “hurl the little streets upon the great,” that is, incite the defenseless to escalate violence against the lady’s worthless regulations. He initially finds it difficult to comprehend the woman’s political stance after accusing her of hurting him personally out of love.

The author’s tone of voice is sarcastic in response to the lady’s deed of indoctrinating “little street” residents with violence against “great street” residents. The author contrasts the difference between those two streets using a different set of phrases. Before entering a battle of independence, Yeats believed that those people needed courage, asking, “Had they but courage equal to desire?” This statement also shows that a lady is a subject of accusations regarding social unrest. When the author describes the lady as a destructive character, he is demonstrating a mix of personal and political passion.

He calls the woman a societal wrecker and says that because of the violence she has inflicted on others, she is unable to live in peace. He is attempting to demonstrate that the woman’s soul is at odds with her social milieu by contrasting her with her personality. She is therefore the cause of the ruin because her personality and attractiveness are not characteristic of the civilization of the past.

The simile “That nobleness made simple as a fire/With beauty like a tightened bow”  describes the lady’s heroic beauty as a tightened bow and her mind as a fire of nobleness. Yeats’ sarcasm toward her attractiveness is so strong. As a metaphor, the constricted bow indicates a tension in her heroic beauty that leads to the annihilation of others. She possesses the qualities of a strong and powerful lady, including unmatched bravery, stern commitment, and striking beauty. Her heroic masks stand in stark contrast to a modern outlook. The poet highlights the unpleasant aspects of the lady’s attractiveness in both personal and political contexts, but he doesn’t hold her beauty responsible for her problems.

Finally, the poet’s memory of Helen comes to him and provides the answers to all the issues raised in the poem “Was there another Troy for her to burn?”.The poem refers to Helen, the most beautiful woman in ancient Greek mythology, as being answerable for Troy’s ruin and bloodshed, and the woman in Yeats’ poem also bears some of the blame. Helen’s attractiveness is said to be persuasive over men in any situation. The destructiveness of a woman’s attractiveness, however, has unknowable long-term effects for men. The struggle between two of Helen’s intricate love triangles is what set off the Trojan War. Due to her beauty, many Greeks and Trojans from various engagements in the Trojan War perished in misery and sorrow.