WilliamButlerYeatsamostfamousIrishwriterwasborninDublinonJune131865.Hischildhoodlackedtheharmonythatwastypicalofahappyfamily.LaterYeatsshockedhisfamilybysayingthatheremembered"littleofchildhoodbutitspain".Infactheinherited(继承)excellenttasteinartfromhisfamily—bothhisfatherandhisbrotherwerepainters.Buthefinallysettledonliteratureparticularlydramaandpoetry.
Yeatshadstrongfaithinthecomingofnewartisticmovements.HesethimselfthefreshtaskinfoundinganIrishnationaltheatreinthelate1890s.Hisearlytheatricalexperimentshoweverwerenotreceivedfavorablyatthebeginning.Hedidn'tloseheartandfinallyenjoyedsuccessinhispoeticaldrama.
ComparedwithhisdramaticworksYeats'spoemsattractmuchadmiringnotice.Thesubjectmatterincludeslovenaturehistorytimeandaging.ThoughYeatsgenerallyreliedonverytraditionalformshebroughtmodernsensibilitytothem.Ashisliterarylifeprogressedhispoetrygrewfinerandricherwhichledhimtoworldwiderecognition.
HehadnotenjoyedamajorpubliclifesincewinningtheNobelPrizein1923.Yethecontinuedwritingalmosttotheendofhislife.HadYeatsstoppedwritingatage40hewouldprobablynowbevaluedasaminorpoetforthereisnootherexampleinliteraryhistoryofapoetwhoproduceshisgreatestworksbetweentheagesof50and75.AfterYeats'sDeathin1939W.H.Audenwroteamongothersthefollowinglines:
Earthreceiveanhonouredguest:
WilliamYeatsislaidtorest.
LettheIrishvessel(船)lie
Emptiedofitspoetry.
【小题1】WhichofthefollowingcandescribeYeats'sfamily?