‘The Cold Heaven’ by W.B Yeats was published in 1914 at the beginning of World War One. It describes remorse over failure in love and the fear that this remorse will continue after death as a purgatorial punishment. Consequently, this poem is a dramatic metaphor for Yeats’ emotions after realising that he cannot be with the love of his life (Maud Gonne).
The poem is in first person narrative as it describes Yeats’ personal feelings towards the failed relationship. The poem itself is a single stanza of free verse. The poem is written in a romantic style and it tries to transcend reason in order to focus on emotion. It is a very short poem with enjambment throughout. This indicates that Yeats believes that life is short as his life has ended now he no longer has Maud Gonne. It is one long sentence as it is Yeats looking at the sky and questioning this life and his own feelings.
Yeats seems to mostly describe their love like ‘ice‘. Before water takes the form of ‘ice’ it is an ever flowing substance thus this represents his love for Gonne as his love is ever-flowing. However, when water is frozen it stays in the same place therefore hinting that Yeats’ love for Gonne is still there regardless of the remorse he feels that his love will never be addressed. Also by referring to their love as ‘ice’ this portrays that Gonne’s love for Yeats is cold.
This poem seems to include many erotic and sexual associations “rocked to and fro“. This is due to the lack of a sexual relationship with Gonne now that he has ‘lost’ her.
At the very start of the poem he jumps straight into the action, “Suddenly”. This explains how instant it was when he lost all hope on heaven and most of all lost his love. He also states, “rook-delighting heaven” which refers to an omen of death. This therefore questions the afterlife with whether it is in fact good or bad.
He refers back to the many happy times he has experienced with Gonne, the “memories” they have shared. He also refers to “love crossed long ago” which could refer to the fact that his love for her was there, but she did not notice it. However it could also be referring to the ‘star crossed lovers’ of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
The title is a paradox as heaven should be seen as a pleasant place to be. However, with the use of the adjective “cold” it makes it seem unwelcoming and harsh. This is due to him being unable to spend his eternity with Gonne and therefore heaven would no longer be heaven without her. Also the title is stating the complete opposite of hell in terms of temperature.
Lastly, Yeats questions his faith in the ending lines that hint that people are initially just accepting things “as the books say” -referring to the Holy Bible. Then he questions God himself, referring to the “injustice of the skies” – which completely questions Gods judgement just as he questions his own. Moreover, the poem concludes with the use of a rhetorical question. To end with a rhetorical question seems to be a Yeatsian technique as he does do this in other poems such as: Leda and the Swan; Among School Children and The second coming. However, in Yeats’ poetry he never seems to give us answers but more questions – like life itself.
The Room of Requirement. 