William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, born in Dublin in 1865. He grew up listening to folktales told to him by his mother, and being inspired by his artist father. This definitely helped him to develop his creative side, along with growing up in a modest household during a time of political strife.

One of the more touching and sentimental poems from Yeats’ collection was entitled In Memory of Major Robert Gregory. This was a poignant eulogy type piece, meant as a tribute for the son of a close friend of William Butler Yeats, Lady Gregory.

Many of Yeats’ poems have a certain dark quality to them, in that they are expressive and really try to connect to the reader’s most blatant emotions. Of course, something that we all experience is the loss of a loved one, and in the poem In Memory of Major Robert Gregory, this is a chance to honor the life of someone whom he felt was an honest and accomplished young man.

In the first stanza, it is clear that he is still reeling from this painful loss, as he “makes the trek up the stairs in the tower to go to bed” (Washington and Lee University 2007). He defines for the reader how difficult it is to do normal tasks like heading to bed when we are experiencing a great deal of grief. Things that once seemed effortless are now tedious because our emotions are clouding the thought process.

The second stanza is very poignant and bittersweet, because Yeats hopes that, upon arriving in the afterlife, Gregory will be taken in by all of his old friends. What is particularly noticeable is his second use of the word ‘dead’; yet he does not use it to refer to Gregory’s passing. Instead, he attributes it to his own thoughts and feelings, suggesting that his struggle comes from feeling empty and cold inside. Gregory’s body is dead, but Yeat’s thoughts are as well.

Stanzas three through six take the reader on a journey through the many losses that William Butler Yeats has experienced in recent years. The first two mentioned, Lionel Johnson and John Synge, had died in their thirties, and what was of course perceived as well before their time by Yeats. The latter, Yeats felt, was never able to reach his potential,” which is most likely the sentiment he feels about Major Gregory (Washington and Lee University 2007). He is lamenting not only on the death itself, but also how unjust it is when human life is taken from someone who is on the path toward great things and huge success.

The last man mentioned who had passed is George Pollexfen, Yeats’ uncle, who was a strong and well-respected man. This stanza shows the admiration that Yeats had for Gregory, because he is comparing him to someone to whom he was very close. He even mentions in the next stanza that Gregory’s death is a discourtesy, perhaps suggesting that he wishes to believe his passing as more of an abrupt departure, rather than a permanent farewell.

The poem begins to shift in stanzas seven through ten, where Yeats offers more of a tribute, rather than mourning, for Major Gregory. As in a typical elegy, Yeats takes great care in listing all of his attributes and accomplishments, noting him as a “soldier, scholar, horseman” (Yeats 1918). He even sought the help of Lady Gregory to add a stanza so that she, through Yeats, could truly honor the memory of her son.

But, the final two stanzas of the poem take on a rather aggressive tone, as if Yeats begins to forego all he had written in the previous parts, and just write stream of consciousness to show his true feelings. He ponders, “What made us dream that he could comb grey hair,” in a sort of lashing out that laments how such a brave and vibrant soul could be removed from this Earth well before his time. It is almost as though he is suggesting that it was Robert Gregory’s destiny to die young, so that he could combust into the atmosphere, rather than slowly fade away. His legacy was too great not to be noticed, and dying young would certainly help him obtain notoriety in Yeats’ eyes.

Yeats ends by noting that he really has no more words, because what else could be said about such a man taken away so soon? William Butler Yeats’ poem is incredibly well-written, because it is real and takes us on a true journey of what it is like to lose a loved one. Sometimes we become sentimental; others, we become resentful; and still others, there is a lingering sadness. But, this encompasses all the emotions, and delivers as a great speech and tribute to Major Robert Gregory.










References

“Facing the Reality of Death: A Critical Analysis of In Memory of Major Robert
Gregory.” (2007). Washington and Lee University, Irish Studies Department.
Retrieved November 21, 2007 from
http://ireland.wlu.edu/landscape/Group1/index.htm.