lesspoems, because every one of them has immortal qualities. His poem, TheSecond Coming, not only embraces eternal relevance and a deepunderstanding of humanitys history, but also the fruits of prophesy!Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear thefalconer; Things fall apart; the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy isloosed upon the world (Lines 1 - 4) With respect to the two major topicsdiscussed before (mans inhumanity and disrespect for nature), this stanzaoffers much insight into the progression of humanity. The state of declinethat was described in poems written over one hundred years ago described ahuman cultural trend that is to continue on an intensifying cycle, likethe widening gyre. Today, we are approaching a state of completedetachment from our origin, our nature and our God: The falcon cannothear the falconer, as insightfully described by Yeats. This stanza i!s so very relevant to us, because it symbolically describes every aspectof the progression of humanity! Yeats poetry transcends immortality, andbecomes prophetic! His widening gyre symbolizes the climactic end, untilanarchy is upon us. Every word of his poem creates a deep fear ofhumanitys downward spiral. The relevance of poetry is undeniable. AsPercy Bysshe Shelley admits, A poem is the very image of life expressedin its eternal truth. It is an eternal truth that can offer wisdom forhundreds of years after the poems birth. A prophet or a mystic mayattempt to tell ones future; but, the poet approaches from a verydifferent angle. The poet becomes intimate with the nature of humanity,and its timeless characteristics. In this way, the poet surrounds himselfin a divine sort of wisdom. Truly, poetry is immortal. To explore thewisdom and symbolic message of poetry is an exciting journey for me. As achild, I was never introduced to poetry, and certainly never wa!s exposed to its importance. To study the deeper meaning of poetry hasbeen a challenge and an a...
