The Cat and the Moon – W.B Yeats.

This poem by W.B Yeats explores a cat dancing in the moonlight which indicates very childlike images. The cat in the poem (Minnaloushe) allegedly belonged to Maude Gonne, who was in fact a lifelong obsession for Yeats.

The poem is one long, continuous, stanza where Yeats uses enjambment to give it a mysterious flow. There is regular rhythm throughout – this makes the poem sound like a song which reflects the dance element of the poem, as if the poem is in fact the song Minnaloushe is dancing to. Also, the assonance and alliteration are used in the poem to create an atmosphere. “wander and wail” help to show the cat’s soft but also swift movement.

This is a delightful, playful and also symbolic poem that can be seen as simplistic, and yet it draws similarities and distinctions between the Cat and the Moon. Also, there seems to be a delight about the poem in it’s conception of a mysterious symmetry between two things in nature that seem so different. There’s a kind of childlike appreciation of the moods of the Cat and it’s energies in a way that is pleasingly magical and mysterious, however, there is also a much more deeper meaning in the poem which it suggests forces at work in life, such as: instinctual, mystical, and spiritual forces that exist beyond many simple and rational views.

However, this is also a poem of juxtaposed contrasts with similarities. Firstly, the most obvious of these contrasts is that of the colours of both objects – the cat and of course the moon. The cat is “Black”, whilst the moon is white. The colours of Black and White are a natural and obvious opposite, which therefore highlight the distance between the two, which could also be highlighting the distance between himself and Gonne. Another contrast between both is whilst the cat playfully jumps and dives about, the moon must follow a set path in a somewhat “courtly fashion”. Here, Yeats may be comparing himself to the moon, while he sees Maud Gonne, his unrequited love as the cat.

However, as well as Yeats representing the Moon it can also be argued that Minnaloushe represents Yeats due to Yeats wanting to belong to Gonne, and the Moon represents Gonne. Consequently, Yeats is therefore dancing childishly around Gonne, trying to attract her attention. The Moon throughout literature is a traditional symbol for women, the phases of the moon have long been associated with the menstrual cycle. The Moon is behind Minnaloushe, which could suggest that Gonne is behind all of Yeat’s poetic inspirations.

The poem hints at the inability for the moon to learn “a new dance turn” and be just like the cat. If the idea of the cat and moon signifying Gonne and Yeats is right, it can be believed that this is hinting at the reason she would not in fact accept his proposal– his refusal to convert to Catholicism for her. This would make him the moon, who could join the cat in dance, if only it learnt to change its ways. It now becomes obvious that this poem, was intended for Maud Gonne’s reading not only because the majority of his poems were, but rather because the cat in the poem, ‘Minnaloushe’  was Gonne’s, cat.

However, there are also many similarities shown between the cat and the moon in this poem. As the moon is on its own in the sky, the cat is also noted as “alone, important and wise”.  Another similarity between the two is that of their changing. The moon changes shape throughout its phases from circular to crescent, just as the cat’s eyes will change “from round to crescent, From crescent to round”. This in itself can be interpreted as some sort of a dance. This shows that although the two are different in so many ways, they are still ‘close kindred’ and can change with each other. The changes in the cat’s eyes could be its eyes dilating, or could be the reflections of the moon in its eyes, seeming to change as the moon does. However, more importantly, the changing of the cat’s eyes could also link with Gonne’s changing relationships with various other men.

Overall, it is made obvious in other Yeats’ poems of the time that he is unfortunately unhappy with the fact that he is not a “man of action”, and possible believed himself as predictable, whilst Maud Gonne was the opposite, a traveller, and of course a revolutionary. However, through this poem, he may have been intending to convey to Gonne that, although they are different in many respects, the cat and the moon (him and her) are in fact “close kindred” and “nearest kin”.

Broken Dreams – W.B Yeats.

‘Broken Dreams’ by W.B Yeats is a poem which discusses the abstract themes of time, afterlife, ageing, death, and unrequited love. This poem has no stanzas and therefore is deemed as a long monologue where Yeats discusses Maud Gonne using past, present, idealised and transient images of her to highlight his different feelings for her. He discusses her perfections and even her imperfections being perfect he does this by adapting to the romantic way of writing and therefore see Gonne transformed to something like a myth.

The varying length of this single stanza helps contribute to the unplanned feeling, and the shifting focus of the rhyme scheme gives an almost stream-of-consciousness feel to the poem, which could also link to ‘The Cold Heaven‘. The rhyme at the start of the poem is tight,  it then becomes more ranged, distant and weak. This may suggest the drama of ageing and being vulnerable, however, love makes one stronger again therefore towards the end of the poem the rhyme becomes tight again. Also, the enjambment which is used throughout highlights this idea as it creates a fast-paced recollection of his memories. When recalling Gonne’s youthful beauty it is most prominent as this conjures the idea that he is excited and yearning to again see her beauty.

Throughout this specific poem, Maud Gonne is the main symbol. You can compare her to such symbols as the fisherman, and the Irish airman as she too is a symbol of the ideal, romantic individual and also of creativity and art. She reflects the ideal due to her being Yeats’ ideal individual just as the other symbols stated previously are, she is also his ideal love. She represents a romantic individual as he describes her as one using old pastoral language and therefore he immortalises her.  Lastly, she symbolises both creativity and art due to her being one of the main inspirations for Yeats’ poetry in general.

The very first line in the poem states “There is grey in your hair.” This highlights the unflattering truth of ageing and also presenting the idea of death and decay. Also he dramatically introduces her as negative as he then gives him self the ability to flatter her later on. He also refers to himself as an “old gaffer” who was “recovered” by Gonne. The statement “old gaffer” shows the personal and conversational tone.

However, throughout he presents alliteration and sibilance this could be to present a dream-like quality to the poem, “sole sake” and “Burdensome beauty”. The phrase “for your sole sake” is a pun. He also includes repetition of words such as “dream to dream” and “rhyme to rhyme”. He repeats both letters and words twice to perhaps highlight the desperation he feels to be with someone as even his words seem to be in a pair.

After stating “muttering like a fool” the rest of the poem reflects upon this.Yeats makes a reference to the “always brimming lake” – most possibly referring to the fountain of youth, which conjures the image of a gyre. The image of the gyre is also shown in the phrase “stroke of midnight”, which also highlights the cycle of life and therefore highlights the end of life which Yeats is also near.

An important aspect of this poem is the repetition of the line “Vague memories, nothing but memories.” which highlights that he has finally accepted Gonne’s rejection and is no longer tormented by it. He seems much more at peace writing ‘Broken Dreams’ than with his other poems describing Maud Gonne. However, although he still finds his life understandably melancholic, he no longer expects her to change her mind and, consequently does not write a depressingly bitter poem. However, the repetition of the line could also be seen as reassurance.

The title ‘Broken Dreams’ is an emotive melancholic title. This highlights the imperfection of Yeats’ life without Gonne. The adjective “Broken” suggests that he has given up all hope on his dreams. “Broken” also suggests that his dreams to not fit together just like him and Maud Gonne. However, lastly, it could be deemed that throughout this poem he accepts the fact that their relationship was something of the past and realises there is no point in pursuing something that is already lost or even “broken”.