| When I read this poem, it becomes evident that Yeats is describing his grandfather who lived in County Sligo, Ireland. What tipped me off the first time I read through it was the reference to a fisherman through out, not just the title. His grandfather had been a shipmaster who decided to stop and retire in Sligo as a fisherman. Because he lived is a portion of Ireland that was populated by peasants and the like, he would be dressed in the typical garb fit for a fisherman who is out working all day, as Yeats described as a grey Connemara. The lack of money would therefore result in a lack of color at that time. When Yeats hets to the part where he says, "to call up to the eyes," it appears that he is recalling back to when he was a child and used to go and visit Sligo, for then he would have to look up at his grandfathers eyes. He then syas that he was looking to him "to write for my own race" which would correspond with his desire to learn the tales of Ireland which England had all but blotted out. The poem must have been written after his death, (the grandfathers, which is sited a number of times throughout the poem, causing Yeats to actually stop and think about his grandfather, something that he had wanted to do for a while, as the last four lines entail. Obviously Yeats had a deep and profound respect for this man and loved visiting with him and watching his daily routine, filled with admiration. Skipping vack into the peom a bit, the whole middle of the poem defines the purpose of the poem in concrete. What Yeats really wanted to do was preserve the man that had been so important in his life. Since he saw evidence all around him that the memory was not the most sufficient, he knew that to document this family member it would have to be on paper. I'm sure his grandfather was very proud of him and would feel honored to know that time was spent on him and that such a tribute was risen for such a 'small' and seemingly 'insignificant' individual. Just seeing his grandson raise to a position so far above his own, as a fisherman, must have been exhilerating for him. |