"Under Ben Bulben" is a poem written by
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
poet
W. B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish liter ...
.
Composition
It is believed to be one of the last poems he wrote, being drafted when he was 73, in August 1938 when his health was already poor (he died in January 1939).
Publication
"Under Ben Bulben" was first published in July 1939, six months after Yeats' death, as the first poem in the collection ''Last Poems and Two Plays'' in a limited edition released by his sister. The trade edition ''Last Poems & Plays'', published in 1940, added the content of ''New Poems'' and three poems printed in ''On the Boiler''. It also made "Under Ben Bulben" the final poem, a convention followed until the 1980s when it became clear that the original arrangement better reflected the poet's intentions.
References
Ben Bulben
Benbulbin ( ga, Binn Ghulbain), sometimes Benbulben or Ben Bulben, is a large flat-topped nunatak rock formation in County Sligo, Ireland. It is part of the Dartry Mountains, in an area sometimes called " Yeats Country".
Benbulbin is a prote ...
is a large flat-topped rock formation in
County Sligo
County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...
, Ireland. It is famous in
Irish legend
Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later Early Irish ...
, appearing in ''
The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne
''The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne'' ( ga, Tóraigheacht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne or in modern spelling) is an Irish prose narrative surviving in many variants. A tale from the Fianna Cycle of Irish mythology, it concerns a love triangle b ...
'', and was the site of a military confrontation during the
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...
.
The phrase "Mareotic Lake", which appears in the second line of the poem, is used in the classical religious work ''
De Vita Contemplativa'' to refer to
Lake Mariout
Lake Mariout ( ar, بحيرة مريوط ', , also spelled Maryut or Mariut), is a brackish lake in northern Egypt near the city of Alexandria. The lake area covered and had a navigable canal at the beginning of the 20th century, but at the begin ...
in Egypt which was the location of the
Therapeutae
The Therapeutae were a religious sect which existed in Alexandria and other parts of the ancient Greek world. The primary source concerning the Therapeutae is the ''De vita contemplativa'' ("The Contemplative Life"), traditionally ascribed to the ...
, a community of religious hermits.
Phidias
Phidias or Pheidias (; grc, Φειδίας, ''Pheidias''; 480 – 430 BC) was a Greek sculptor, painter, and architect. His Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Phidias also designed the stat ...
, mentioned in part IV of the poem, was one of the most influential sculptors in classical Athens. The
Parthenon Frieze
The Parthenon frieze is the high-relief Pentelic marble sculpture created to adorn the upper part of the Parthenon’s naos. It was sculpted between c. 443 and 437 BC, most likely under the direction of Pheidias. Of the 160 meters (524 ft) ...
was probably sculpted under his direction.
Yeats's gravestone
Yeats is buried in the churchyard of
Drumcliff
Drumcliff or Drumcliffe () is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. It is 8 km (5 miles) north of Sligo town on the N15 road on a low gravel ridge between the mountain of Ben Bulben and Drumcliff bay. It is on the Drumcliff river, original ...
e church in Sligo, which stands at the foot of Ben Bulben. The last three lines of the poem are used as the epitaph on Yeats' gravestone, and they were composed with that intention:
Cast a cold eye
On life, on death
Horseman, pass by!
Readings
The poem, read by actor
Richard Harris
Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in ''This Sporting ...
, opens and closes an album of Yeats's poems set to music, entitled ''Now And In A Time To Be''.
Related
The title of
Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Larry McMurtry's first novel
A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...
, ''
Horseman, Pass By
''Horseman, Pass By'' is a 1961 Western novel by American writer Larry McMurtry. McMurtry's debut novel, it portrays life on a cattle ranch from the perspective of young narrator Lonnie Bannon. Set in Texas in 1954, the Bannon ranch is owned by L ...
,'' is derived from the last three lines of this poem. The same is true about the French writer
Michel Déon
Michel Déon (; 4 August 1919 – 28 December 2016) was a French novelist and literary columnist. He published over 50 works and was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Prix Interallié for his 1970 novel, '' Les Poneys sauvages'' (Th ...
's book ''
Horseman, Pass By!
''Horseman, Pass By!'' () is a 2005 book by the French writer Michel Déon. It recounts Déon's memories and impressions from Ireland and Irish culture.
Origin
Michel Déon visited Ireland for the first time in 1956, invited by his friend Chris ...
''
References
External links
Under Ben Bulben Summaryat eNotes
{{W. B. Yeats
Poetry by W. B. Yeats