It was the eminent poet William Butler Yeats who wrote the poem Adam’s Curse which was (first) published in his poetic volume In the Seven Woods (1904). The poet, through this poem, describes poetry, love as well as beauty in general as hard work.
- It is a late summer evening when the speaker of Adam’s Curse talks about the aforementioned subjects with a woman he loves, along with her intimate friend
- He is enchanted with both (I) Art and (II) Romance, as well as concludes that his painstaking pursuit of beauty has not left him but just “weary-hearted”
- It seems that not only the woman but also the particular scenery mirror the speaker’s feelings
- W. B. Yeats wrote Adam’s Curse during a period of time in his life that was very influential. The poet had attempted to court as well as woo Maud Gonne (a woman he loved), but his efforts became unsuccessful as she ended up marrying some other person. In the present time, not only many scholars but many readers also consider some of the rejections in this poem
Adam’s Curse Summary
Table of Contents
William Butler Yeats‘ poem Adam’s Curse takes place on a summer’s day, towards the end of the season. The speaker and his two (other) friends are outside discussing three things:
- Poetry
- Hard Work
- Beauty
He says how as a poet no person understands that it is very hard/difficult to write. The speaker regards/considers that it would in fact be easier to be a laborer. After that, at least the schoolmasters, as well as the bankers, would not have to call him “idle”.
As the poem Adam’s Curse by W. B. Yeats progresses one of the speaker’s companions says that it is (also) very hard work to be:
- A woman, as well as
- Beautiful
This is the thing that brings the speaker of this poem to consider love as well as the way it (means love) has transformed over the centuries. W. B. Yeats concludes this poetic piece on a solemn note as the poem’s speaker reveals his love for its intended listener.
Adam’s Curse Themes
William Butler Yeats introduces many significant themes in his poem Adam’s Curse. As it has been discussed earlier as well that a(ny) reader is free to enjoy exploring those of:
- Time
- Love
- Writing
As far as the latter is concerned; it starts out as the most obvious in this poem’s text. W. B. Yeats spends the most time in this poem
- Exploring writing
- Other person’s perceptions of writers
- How much easier it would be to only do physically hard work
As the poem, Adam’s Curse continues Yeats incorporates the themes of Love and Time as well. He, at the last of the poem, focuses on:
- How time transforms the way relationships are established as well as maintained; is something that the poet desires to change
Adam’s Curse Form and Structure
W. B. Yeats’s poem Adam’s Curse is made of 3 stanzas. They are separated into uneven sets of lines. On the one hand, stanzas one and two are 14 lines long. On the other hand, stanza three has just eleven lines. The poet uses a quite simple, as well as almost entirely consistent rhyme scheme of AABBCC; he changes end sounds from line to line – heroic couplets.
Some of the rhymes in the first stanza of the poem Adam’s Curse, for instance, “school” as well as “beautiful” are half-rhymes (they are not full/perfect rhymes).
u003cstrongu003eQues:u003c/strongu003e What literary devices does W. B. Yeats use in his u003cemu003eAdam’s Curseu003c/emu003e ?
u003cstrongu003eAns:u003c/strongu003e Yeats uses u003cstrongu003e(a) u003c/strongu003eAlliteration u003cstrongu003e(b)u003c/strongu003e Enjambment u003cstrongu003e(c)u003c/strongu003e Imagery u003cstrongu003e(d) u003c/strongu003eMetaphor etc. as literary devices.
u003cstrongu003eQues:u003c/strongu003e What about the poem u003cemu003eAdam’s Curseu003c/emu003e isu003cemu003e?u003c/emu003e
u003cstrongu003eAns:u003c/strongu003e W. B. Yeats’ poem u003cemu003eAdam’s Curse u003c/emu003eis about love. Moreover, the poem is even about growing older as well as being more skeptical of love in the first place.
u003cstrongu003eQues:u003c/strongu003e In what form did Yeats write the poem u003cemu003eAdam’s Curseu003c/emu003e?
u003cstrongu003eAns:u003c/strongu003e William Butler Yeats wrote u003cemu003eAdam’s Curse u003c/emu003ein heroic couplets. It is a name used for describing rhyming couplets in iambic pentameter. As far as the rhymes are concerned; some of them are full such as u0022yearsu0022 and u0022earsu0022. Whereas some of them are just partial or half-rhymes, for example, u0022Clergymanu0022 and u0022Thereuponu0022.
