Table of contents Symbolism of Yeats's rose in the poemA level of intimacy with the rose through the personification of the symbolConclusionIn “At Rose on the Rood of Time", the speaker asks the Rose to come near him while he sings old Irish tales, such as Cuchulain's fight against the sea, the Druid and Fergus, and one's own sadness of the Rose. He invites the Rose near him again but asks her to keep a certain distance so as not to lose sight of the real world. Intending to sing of times gone by, he addresses the Rose again in the last verse. In this poem, William Butler Yeats affirms the importance of finding beauty without illusions; its message is retrospective in some of its references and allusions, but it is also informed by a timeless but tempered optimism.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Symbolism of Yeats's Rose in the Poem Through the symbol of the rose, Yeats conveys the beauty of ancient Ireland. He begins the poem by proclaiming: “Red rose, Proud rose, Sad rose of all my days! » (Yes 1). As a traditional symbol of love and beauty, the rose evokes Yeats' nationalist view of Ireland's past to associate with its homeland the same beauty that the flower represents. The Roses' red, proud qualities also express the pride Yeats himself takes in Irish history. However, by calling it "sad", Yeats also evokes the idea of ​​the duality of the rose's beauty: the flower represents eternal beauty with its symbolic meaning remaining constant and unwavering, but it also alludes to the ephemeral nature of its beauty due to the short lifespan of individual roses. Therefore, the rose represents both constancy and impermanence. This reflects Yeats's view of Irish culture, whose beauty transcends time as its physical existence draws to a close. It therefore celebrates the history of Ireland but also mourns its disappearance, speaking of the sadness of the end of ancient Ireland. The pessimistic view of the present thus shows its contempt for the current state of Ireland, in contrast to the perfection of the past. Yeats connects the Rose to Irish mythology to emphasize the symbol's role in embodying Ireland's past. It refers to the legends of the mythological hero Cuchulain, the Druid and Fergus. The mythological figures allude to the Irish history and culture that the speaker wishes to recall. By expanding the symbol of the Rose with these allusions, Yeats creates a clear association between ancient Ireland and eternal beauty. This connection demonstrates the characteristic power and strength of Cuchulain and Fergus that Yeats finds in Ireland, but it also recalls their tragic ends which mirror that of Ireland. Cuchulain accidentally kills his son and, distraught at learning of his mistake, tries in vain to fight the sea; Fergus, having made a deal with his brother's widow allowing her son to rule for a year in exchange for her hand in marriage, finds himself betrayed and ultimately exiled. Recalling not only the greatness of these characters but also their disappearance, the allusions develop a duality similar to that of the Rose: Yeats perceives the greatness of Ireland's past as well as the tragic state of its present. Euphony in the phrases associated with the Rose creates a pleasant and lyrical feeling around the Rose. The first line of the poem contains almost entirely soft sounds, notably with the repeated euphonious consonant r. The only hard consonant comes from “proud”, and yet an r followsimmediately the p to soften it. This establishes from the start the harmonious sounds associated with the Rose. The alliteration of the first stanza creates even more euphony, as Yeats describes the “stars…dancing with silver sandals on the sea” (6-7). Not only are all the words in this sentence euphonious, but the repeated sound also contributes to the overall pleasant sound of the poem. The first stanza also ends with the Rose “wandering on the way” (12). The alliteration of "wander" and "path" creates a euphony through both the consonant w and the vowels in the phrase, developing the beauty of the Rose and ancient Ireland to convey Yeats' affectionate tone towards the history of Ireland. Additionally, the structure of the poem, written in heroic couplets with exact rhymes, also creates euphony. The rhythm and rhyme of this structure provide a pleasing regularity that remains consistent throughout the poem. Through euphony, Yeats continues to create a pleasant, even nostalgic, effect in relation to the Rose and Ireland's past. A level of intimacy with the Rose through the personification of the symbol He continually asks the Rose to approach him and he describes her as "wandering". (12). By attributing human qualities to the flower, Yeats emphasizes the reality of its beauty. In this way, it connects the speaker of the poem to the Rose, bringing them together to reveal the strength of the Rose's beauty. Personification therefore emphasizes Yeats's nationalist perception of Ireland's beautiful past. Through the motif of time, Yeats creates a tone that is both proud and melancholy towards the past. He declares that the Rose lasts “all my days” and that he finds “in all the poor follies that live one day / Eternal beauty” (1, 11-12). This indicates the enduring significance of the Rose, which serves as a perpetual symbol throughout one's life and will continue to have meaning until the end of one's days. These references to such a duration reflect the enduring significance of the rose as a symbol of beauty to demonstrate Yeats' abiding love of ancient Ireland. The optimistic tone in speaking of the ability to find this type of "eternal beauty" also conveys Yeats's hopeful tone regarding attempting to manifest the past in present-day Ireland. It continues to describe the "ancient ways" of Ireland, with the colon pointing to Cuchulain, Fergus and the Druid. This modifies "old ways" to mean Ireland's heroic mythological tradition, which Yeats views with pride, but also with despondency, knowing that he cannot recreate Ireland's past as he wishes. The repetition of the phrase "Come hither" expresses the speaker's desire to be close to the Rose. He states this twice in the first stanza, and the repetition emphasizes his earlier feeling to affirm his desire for closeness to the Rose. However, at the beginning of the second stanza, he repeats the phrase three times in a row, contrasting with the other repetitions of "come near" that occur in isolation. In this line, the phrase signifies a significant change in the poem that directly follows, and its repetition creates a build-up of intensity in his desire for the Rose, until the hyphen and the exclamation "Ah" clash at the initial request, causing this passion which quickly dissipates. The speaker realizes that he cannot afford such closeness to the Rose, that he can no longer delude himself with such an idealistic desire to fully immerse himself in the past. This development within a single line reflects the shift of the entire poem, from the previous stanza exploring the beauty of the past to the second examining human mortality. Yeats moves from a joyful to a more solemn attitude when he understands that the Rose cannot come too close.