Introduction
W. B. Yeats was a renowned Irish poet, and “Meru” was among his best poems. This literary piece was published in 1938 and focused on Hindu mythology, which interested Yeats significantly. The author created this short work to comment on a few essential topics, including time, transcendence, and the cyclical nature of life. Thus, further analysis of the poem reveals that “Meru” is a notable literary piece with distinctive features regarding its literary context, content, themes, style, sonnet form, language, imagery, and symbolism.
Literary Context
To begin with, one should comment on the literary context of the selected poem. Yeats was interested in mysticism, Eastern philosophy, the occult, and mythology (Piasecki, 2019). These thoughts and beliefs were manifested in Yeats’s works, and these ideas were not rare in literature in the early 20th century. That is why one can state that “Meru” was aligned with the broader literary context of that time.
Content
The selected poem additionally deserves attention because of its content and themes discussed. The author states that civilization is an imaginary experience that is constantly changing. This statement shows that life is more challenging and complicated than its physical aspects.
The writer indicates that civilizations come and go, a normal state of affairs (Varma & Pradhan, 2019). Furthermore, the poem introduces the concepts of Meru and Everest and contrasts them as spiritual and physical objects, respectively (Yeats, 1934). The author discusses a few important themes, including mortality, the cyclical nature of life, and existence, all of which fit the broader context.
Style, Form, and Structure
The following analysis point refers to the poem’s style, form, and structure. This literary work consists of two stanzas, divided into eight and six lines. According to this division and a particular rhyme scheme, “Meru” is deservedly considered a Shakespearean sonnet. Fourteen lines are organized per the following rhyming pattern: ABABCDCD EFEFGG. This information demonstrates that the poem is a sonnet, which introduces appropriate style and format peculiarities.
Language
One should additionally engage in the analysis of the language used. In general, the poem is figurative and descriptive because it uses many expressive means: “manifold illusion,” “drifted snow,” and “snow and winter’s dreadful blast” (Yeats, 1934). In addition to that, the author relies on alliteration and repetition. These phenomena are found in the first stanza and help unify the text. With that, the language is relatively clear to ensure all readers understand the message.
Imagery and Symbolism
Finally, focusing on the imagery and symbolism in the selected poem is reasonable. Meru and Everest are the leading images in the sonnet, while Meru is considered the center of the world in Hinduism (Piasecki, 2019). That is why this mountain represents a spiritual aspect of life, while Everest personifies a physical realm. The author mentions hermits who live on the peaks to show that people’s lives consist of spiritual and physical components and follow a cyclical pattern.
Conclusion
Thus, the analysis of “Meru” by Yeats has demonstrated that this literary work is deservedly considered notable. The poem follows the pattern of a Shakespearean sonnet and comments on important themes. The author relies on figurative language and introduces vivid and bright images to comment on the spiritual and physical aspects of life. That is why the poem is worth reading: it makes readers think about essential concepts.
References
Piasecki, S. (2019). A mountain as multiverse: Circumnavigating the realities and meta-realities of a Kailas pilgrim. Performance Research, 24(2), 16-23. Web.
Varma, P., & Pradhan, A. (2019). Kipling and Yeats at 150: Retrospectives/perspectives. Taylor & Francis.
Yeats, W. B. (1934). Meru. Poetry Foundation. Web.