Words for Music Surely (2).mp3
William Butler Yeats ( 1865-1939 ) was one of the foremost literary figures of the 20th century both in the British and Irish establishments. Much of his childhood was spent in Sligo (Ireland) often referred to as the Yeats country. His work however extends well beyond Co Sligo and he was the driving force behind the Irish literary revival. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1923 "for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation".
Yeats did not write music but his very strong sense of rythm is quite noticeable in his poetry and it is quite understandable that his poems have inspired songwriters. References to music are quite common in his works. One can mention the trumpet in The Happy Townland, the drums, the kettledrums, the pipers, the trombone and the fiddlers in I am of ireland, or the dancing in The Stolen Child and The Fiddler of Dooney. Many of his poetical works instead of being described as poems are referred to as ''songs'' ( The Song of Wandering Aengus, The Song of the Happy Shepherd, Red Hanrahan's Song about Ireland ...). Finally, it is probably no coincidence that one of his collection of poems published in 1933 was entitled Words for Music Perhaps.
Whether you are a Yeats enthusiast or his work is new to you, enjoy the album Words for Music Surely.