Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Has to be one of the greatest poems of the 20th century. So many immortal lines! Thanks for posting it, Tanya.
Hi Dave, certainly it is the greatest poem of all times . W. B Yeats along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge are my favorite poets both tried to bridge the gap between eastern mysticism and western pragmatism. Poems with classical allegory and reference interest me a lot. “ Things Fall Apart….” such prophetic lines. Thanks for your insight. Regards.
One of my favourite poems. 🙂
Mine too Drac, such a prophetic poem. Each line holds so much meaning. W. B Yeats along with Eliot are the most prolific poets of twentieth century. When in distress I always go back to Yeats’ poems.
love this, love Yeats 👍👍
I love Yeats too ❤️ esp. Sailing to Byzantium
yes, good one