William Butler Yeats

While I was reading William Butler Yeats poem “A prayer for my Daughter”, I could not help but think of the similarities it had with Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s work. These men actually had similarities in their own childhood and wrote poems revealing their hopes for the way their children would be raised. While I noticed many similarities, I also thought that there were a number of differences for what the men believed the ideal childhood. I thought that each poem was a very adequate reflection for life during that time. Coleridge was a romantic writer and we saw him hope that his son would be raised around nature with emphasis on his son’s spiritual growth. Yeats was considered a more modern writer and his hopes for his daughter’s future are appropriately suited for his time as well. I found it interesting to see how Yeats though directing the poem toward his daughter’s future was able to make political and cultural references.
The poem opens with a howling a storm, I was able to interpret this meaning in two ways. The first time I read the poem I understood this stanza to refer to his protecting his daughter from the evils of the world. Once I reread the poem, I began to wonder if this stanza was more of a political metaphor.

“My child sleeps on. There is no obstacle
But Gregory’s wood and one bare hill
Whereby the haystack-and rook-levelling wind,
Bred on the Atlantic, can be stayed;” (3-6)

I wonder if this is referring to the political turmoil occurring in Europe at the time. Perhaps what Yeats was trying to express was how hard it was to raise and protect your child during the current time, and how he feared losing his daughter to immorality.
The poem displays throughout several stanzas traits which Yeats wants his daughter to develop. I think this could be a reflection of the morals and cultural expectations of women. He wishes her to be beautiful, but cautions that he does not want her to be so beautiful that it takes away from her character or causes conceit. He worries if she is too beautiful it will ruin not only her character (perhaps by going to her head and causing her to “lose natural kindness”) but also her love life.

“In courtesy I’d have her chiefly learned;
Hearts are not had as a gift but hearts are earned
By those that are not entirely beautiful:” (33-35)

Men at this time were weary to marry women who were too beautiful because they worried that they may not be faithful and that they would have competition among other men.
I thought it was interesting that he wished her to become a “flourishing hidden tree”. While he wished her to have intelligence, beauty, and strong moral standing, he seemed to want this “hidden” from others. Yeats possibly may have feared others exploiting her and wanted her to prize intimacy. This also suggested to me that he did not want his daughter to be proud or boastful. He instead wanted her to be more humble and modest. I found his desire for her happiness even when things were not going right the most moving lines of the poem.

“She can, though every face should scowl
And every windy quarter howl
Or every bellows burst, be happy still.” (70-72)

Life during Yeats time was very chaotic. During the time of the war, there was constant political mayhem and it was a dangerous time. Most European citizens experienced great suffering during their life. Yeats wanted his daughter to be happy despite this. This optimism is a very important characteristic that I admired Yeats for acknowledging.
I really enjoyed reading this poem and thinking how life had changed so dramatically since Coleridge wrote “Frost at Midnight”. I loved how two men could share so many similarities and yet desire such different things. I think comparing these two poems is a great way to realize how much life changed for the western world in such a short period of time.