In the January 1939 edition of The Atlantic Monthly, three of Yeats’ poems were published alongside one other poem and about 20 different essays and articles. The poems of Yeats included “Politics,” “The Circus Animal’s Desertion,” and “Man and the Echo.” These poems each seem to express Yeats’ reflection upon the actions he took in his younger years, and the decisions he made to pursue politics and Irish nationalism. There seems to be an air of regret, and of longing, in each poem, especially in his poem “The Circus Animal’s Desertion.” He states that “I sought a theme and sought for it in vain” (Anthology pg. 142, line 1), and this statement underlines his regrets and his wish that he had done things differently in the past, and not allowed himself to get so caught up in the fervor of Ireland’s revolt against British rule. He says that “It was the dream itself enchanted me” (pg. 143, line 28), and now it seems that the dream has faded, and reality has crashed down upon him. “Politics” also supports this regret and distraction, especially where he says “But O that I were young again / And held her in my arms” (143, lines 11-12). This particular line probably refers to Yeats’ unrequited love for the actress Maud Gonne, as well as his desire for love over focusing “On Roman or on Russian / Or on Spanish politics” (143, lines 3-4). There is similarity in the themes of “Man and the Echo” as well, where he laments:
“All that I have said and done,
Now that I am old and ill,
Turns into a question till
I lie awake night after night
And never get the answers right” (141, lines 6-10)
Here the speaker expresses a restlessness and self-doubt, brought upon him by the weariness of age and the constant wondering of “what might be different if I had done this instead?” In the context of the magazine, it is interesting to view these three poems together, especially considering the fact that Yeats died not long after this issue was published, on January 28th, 1939. It provides an intriguing viewpoint on the author’s final works, and the regrets of his career.
Also, alongside Yeats’ poems, there was one other poem published, which has somewhat disappeared in contemporary anthologies. This poem, “Triumvirate,” was written by Florence Converse, a staff member of The Atlantic Monthly. While I was unable to access the poem itself, and very little is known about the author, it is interesting to note the name of the poem, which means, in Latin, “three men.” A triumvirate was a political regime consisting of three leaders, and this is weirdly reflective of the three poems by Yeats. Yeats was considered an important political figure at the time, and to publish three of his poems alongside a single poem about a tri-governed political system is hardly coincidental. The magazine itself was highly political, and deeply concerned with the cultural and literary discourses of the era. I wish I were able to read Florence’s poem, because I imagine it would have an extremely intriguing reflection on the politics of 1939 as well as some insight into Yeats’ final works and his political standing.