Easter, 1916 - A terrible beauty is born

Oct 19, 2026

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Easter, 1916 by William Butler Yeats recounts encounters with Irish figures and reflects on how ordinary words and days are transformed by political upheaval. The poem moves from early politeness and lived routines into sharper recognition of voices, purposes, and sacrifices. It contrasts love’s possible excess with the inevitability of death, asking whether the cost was needless, and finally frames the rebellion’s leaders as permanently changed—beauty born from destruction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Easter, 1916

Encounters and polite words

Transformation and rising beauty

Sacrifice, death, and remembrance

Easter, 1916 William Butler Yeats (1 865-1939) I have met them at close of day Coming with vivid faces From counter or desk among grey Eighteenth-century houses . I have passed with a nod of the head Or polite meaningless words, Or have lingered awhile and said Polite meaningless words, And thought before I had done Of a mocking tale or a gibe To please a companion Around the fire at the club, Being certain that they and I But lived where motley is worn: All changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born . That woman's days were spent In ignorant good-will, Her nights in argument Until her voice grew shrill. What voice more sweet than hers When , young and beautiful, She rode to harriers? This man had kept a school And rode our winged horse; This other his helper and friend Was coming into his force; He might have won fame in the end, So sensitive his nature seemed, So daring and sweet his thought. This other man I had dreamed A drunken , vainglorious lout. He had done most bitter wrong To some who are near my heart, Yet I number him in the song; He, too , has resigned his part In the casual comedy; He, too, has been changed in his turn , Transformed utterly: A terrible beauty is born . Hearts with one purpose alone Through summer and winter seem Enchanted to a stone To trouble the living stream . The horse that comes from the road. The rider, the birds that range From cloud to tumbling cloud, Minute by minute they change; A shadow of cloud on the stream Changes minute by minute; A horse-hoof slides on the brim , And a horse plashes within it; The long-legged moor-hens dive, And hens to moor-cocks call; Minute by minute they live: The stone's in the midst of all. Too long a sacrifice Can make a stone of the heart. O when may it suffice? That is Heaven's part, our part To murmur name upon name, As a mother names her child When sleep at last has come On limbs that had run wild. What is it but nightfall? No , no , not night but death; Was it needless death after all? For England may keep faith For all that is done and said. We know their dream; enough To know they dreamed and are dead; And what if excess of love Bewildered them till they died? I write it out in a verse – MacDonagh and MacBride And Connolly and Pearse Now and in time to be, Wherever green is worn , Are changed, changed utterly: A terrible beauty is born .

FAQs

What does Yeats emphasize about the early encounters in the poem?

He emphasizes the surface of everyday politeness—brief nods, desk or counter encounters, and seemingly meaningless words—before deeper understanding emerges.

How does the poem describe the transformation of the people involved?

It repeats the idea that everything changes utterly, presenting their shift from ordinary lives into a new, intense purpose and a lasting beauty born from it.

What questions does the poem raise about death and its meaning?

It asks whether death was needless after all and whether excess of love bewildered them until they died, while still acknowledging their dream and remembrance.

Oct 19, 2026

Upload by Putri