September 1913 by W.B. Yeats
Context
Written in September 1913 and published in “Responsibilities” the following year, this poem responds directly to the Lockout of 1913, a major industrial dispute in Dublin. The poem was provoked by the actions of William Martin Murphy, a wealthy newspaper owner and businessman who broke the 1913 strike, causing mass unemployment and hardship for working-class Dubliners. Yeats’s poem is an angry condemnation of the Irish middle class for their lack of political courage and their indifference to social suffering. For Leaving Cert study, this poem marks Yeats’s shift from apolitical romanticism to engaged commentary on Irish politics and morality.
Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Stanzas One and Two: The Question and the Accusation
The poem opens with one of Yeats’s most famous lines: “What need you, being come of age, / In your old age to rake up your past?” He’s asking the Irish middle class why they’re dredging up grievances and old resentments instead of moving forward and building something. But read this carefully. The rhetorical question is hostile. The phrase “being come of age” is sarcastic. He’s suggesting they’re old enough to know better, yet they’re behaving like children, obsessing over slights.
Then the poem shifts. The second stanza moves from question to statement: “But think what was the game / They played who made the laws”. Here Yeats names the historical figures (the rebels and patriots of previous generations) who actually fought for Ireland. He’s invoking Edmund Burke, Henry Grattan, Oliver Plunkett, and others. These men had courage. They acted. What, Yeats asks implicitly, are the current generation doing? Playing games, protecting their money, avoiding moral commitment.
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Stanzas Three and Four: The Refrain and the Sting
The refrain appears here: “But let them be, be, be”. It’s repeated three times, the repetition creates a tone of frustrated dismissal. Yeats is saying: fine, let the past go, stop obsessing about it. But the permission he’s giving is contemptuous. He’s not being generous. He’s saying their obsession is worthless, contemptible.
Stanza four delivers the real blow: “The unpurged images of day recede / The Emperor’s drunken soldiery are abed”. This is a celebrated moment of technique. The shift to elevated, almost apocalyptic language creates tonal whiplash. Yeats moves from the mundane Irish middle class to something mythic and vast. The reference to “Emperor’s drunken soldiery” evokes Byzantine or Roman decadence. By comparison, the Irish bourgeoisie are not just failing, they’re small, petty, unworthy even of notice.
Stanza Five: The Heart of the Accusation
Here the poem reaches its accusatory climax: “We, too, had goodly themes once / Like the craftsmen of Japan”. Yeats is saying: we Irish once had worthy subjects to write about, worthy causes to pursue. But now what do we have? A bourgeoisie interested only in profit and status. And notice the self-inclusion: “We too”. Yeats is not exempt from his own criticism. He’s part of this culture even as he condemns it.
The invocation of Japanese craftsmen is crucial. These were artisans who understood beauty, mastery, and dedication to craft above mere profit. It’s a reproach. The poem asks: what happened to Irish culture that it became mercenary, small-minded, materialistic?
Final Stanza: The Verdict
The final stanza returns to the accusation: “What could have made us happy in the old time? / O but that some new history should begin”. Yeats is saying: you want to be happy? You want to feel alive? You need a cause that matters, a new history to make. But you don’t have the courage. You choose comfort. You choose safety. And that choice is its own death.
Key Themes
- Political Courage and Moral Failure: The poem contrasts historical figures who fought for Ireland with the contemporary middle class who protect their interests. Courage isn’t physical bravery; it’s moral commitment despite risk.
- The Death of Culture: Yeats argues that Ireland has abandoned higher purposes (art, beauty, spiritual meaning) in pursuit of wealth and respectability. The poem treats this as a cultural catastrophe.
- Class and Responsibility: The “you” of the poem addresses the educated, propertied class. Yeats suggests their inaction has consequences for everyone, particularly the working class (the Lockout was a direct result of Murphy’s wealth and power).
- The Emptiness of Comfort: The poem asks what happiness means. Comfort without purpose? Money without meaning? Yeats suggests these are not enough. Human flourishing requires participation in something greater than oneself.
Key Quotes for Essays
- “What need you, being come of age, / In your old age to rake up your past?” – The opening questions set up the poem’s accusatory tone. Use this when discussing how Yeats establishes his critical perspective or when analysing tone and address.
- “But think what was the game / They played who made the laws” – Invokes historical figures and their moral commitment. Perfect for essays about how Yeats uses history or contrasts past and present.
- “The unpurged images of day recede / The Emperor’s drunken soldiery are abed” – A key moment of elevated, mythic language that contrasts with the mundane present. Use this for questions about diction, tone shift, or how Yeats creates distance from his subject.
- “We, too, had goodly themes once” – The self-inclusion here is important. Use this when discussing Yeats’s perspective or his relationship to his subject matter.
- “O but that some new history should begin” – The poem’s final cry. Essential for essays about what Yeats believes is necessary for cultural and moral regeneration.
Exam Tips
- Know the Lockout context: The poem’s power depends on knowing what happened in 1913. A brief sentence in your answer (“In response to the Lockout, when working-class Dubliners were left destitute”) shows examiners you understand the occasion that provoked the poem.
- Analyse the tone shift: The poem moves from direct address to mythic elevation. Name this movement and explain why it works. It’s contempt through contrast, by invoking the vast and eternal, Yeats makes the present seem petty.
- Notice the refrain: “Let them be, be, be” is Yeats dismissing the Irish middle class. In an exam answer, this shows how Yeats uses repetition for effect, not to emphasise something important, but to create a tone of exasperation and contempt.
- Use it for questions about engagement: If asked how Yeats uses poetry for social or political purposes, this is your strongest poem. It’s direct, occasional, and unambiguous about its target.
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