September 1913

“September 1913” is one of Yeats’s most passionate political poems. Written in response to the Dublin Lockout of 1913, it attacks the Irish middle class for their materialism and lack of idealism. Yeats felt that the merchant class had betrayed the spirit of Irish nationalism by caring more about money than about culture, freedom, or sacrifice.

For exams, this poem is essential when discussing Yeats’s views on Irish nationalism, his sense of disillusionment, and his tendency to idealise the heroic past. It pairs well with “Easter 1916,” where his attitude to Irish sacrifice shifts dramatically.

Context

The poem was prompted by the controversy over the Hugh Lane Gallery. Sir Hugh Lane offered his collection of Impressionist paintings to Dublin, but the city corporation refused to fund a suitable gallery. Yeats saw this as proof that Ireland’s new middle class had no interest in art or beauty. The 1913 Dublin Lockout, where employers led by William Martin Murphy locked out striking workers, deepened his anger. Murphy, a wealthy newspaper owner, became the symbol of everything Yeats despised about modern Ireland.

Line-by-Line Analysis

Stanza 1 (Lines 1-8)

Analysis: Yeats opens with a scathing attack on the Dublin middle class. They “fumble in a greasy till” and add “the halfpence to the pence.” The language is deliberately ugly and reductive. These people measure everything in money. They “dried the marrow from the bone” of Irish life, sucking out its vitality and spirit. The stanza ends with the devastating refrain that introduces the heroes of the past.

• Quote: “What need you, being come to sense, / But fumble in a greasy till” (ll.1-2) – Explanation: The sarcastic “come to sense” suggests that being sensible means being small-minded. “Greasy till” is a viscerally unpleasant image of petty commerce.
• Quote: “Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, / It’s with O’Leary in the grave” (ll.7-8) – Explanation: This famous refrain mourns the death of Irish idealism. John O’Leary was a Fenian leader Yeats admired. By placing Romantic Ireland in his grave, Yeats suggests that the heroic spirit died with the older generation.

Stanza 2 (Lines 9-16)

Analysis: Yeats contrasts the present generation with the heroes of the past. He invokes those who were “born to pray and save” but instead chose to give everything, including their lives, for Ireland. The question “Was it for this?” hangs over the stanza. The sacrifices of previous generations now seem wasted, because the people they fought for care only about money. The stanza builds emotional pressure by listing what the heroes gave up.

• Quote: “Was it for this the wild geese spread / The grey wing upon every tide” (ll.9-10) – Explanation: The “wild geese” refers to Irish soldiers who fled abroad after the Treaty of Limerick (1691). This beautiful image contrasts sharply with the “greasy till” of the opening, highlighting the gap between past heroism and present greed.

Stanza 3 (Lines 17-24)

Analysis: Yeats names specific heroes: Edward Fitzgerald, Robert Emmet, and Wolfe Tone. All three died for Irish freedom. Yeats presents them as men who “weighed so lightly what they gave,” meaning they sacrificed everything without hesitation. The speaker’s tone is both admiring and bitter. He admires these men but is angry that their sacrifice has been forgotten by a generation obsessed with money.

• Quote: “They weighed so lightly what they gave” (l.20) – Explanation: “Lightly” captures the selflessness of the heroes. They did not calculate the cost of their sacrifice, unlike the merchants who count every halfpenny.

Stanza 4 (Lines 25-32)

Analysis: The final stanza reaches its emotional peak. Yeats challenges the modern Irish to “let them be” if they truly believe the old ideals are worthless. But the sarcasm is thick. He knows they cannot match the heroes. The poem ends with the refrain, now carrying even more weight after three stanzas of evidence. Romantic Ireland is not just dead; it has been killed by greed.

• Quote: “But let them be, they’re dead and gone, / They’re with O’Leary in the grave” (ll.31-32) – Explanation: The shift from “Romantic Ireland’s dead” to “let them be” is resigned and bitter. Yeats seems to give up on the present generation entirely.

Literary Devices

• Refrain: “Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, / It’s with O’Leary in the grave” is repeated at the end of each stanza. This hammers home the central message and gives the poem a ballad-like, musical quality.
• Contrast: The poem is built on the contrast between the greedy present (“greasy till,” “halfpence”) and the heroic past (“wild geese,” Fitzgerald, Emmet, Tone).
• Rhetorical Questions: “Was it for this…?” forces the reader to confront the gap between sacrifice and its outcome.
• Allusion: References to real historical figures (O’Leary, Fitzgerald, Emmet, Tone) ground the poem in Irish history and give Yeats’s argument authority.

Mood

The mood is angry, bitter, and contemptuous. Yeats is not gently disappointed; he is furious. The tight rhythm and regular rhyme scheme give the poem a marching, insistent quality, as though Yeats is prosecuting a case against modern Ireland. Underneath the anger, there is genuine grief for what has been lost.

Themes

• Irish Nationalism and Sacrifice: The poem celebrates those who gave their lives for Ireland and condemns those who have forgotten them.
• Materialism vs Idealism: Money and commerce have replaced heroism and cultural values in modern Ireland.
• The Heroic Past: Yeats idealises the past as a time of courage and selflessness, contrasting it with present mediocrity.
• Disillusionment: The poet’s faith in his own country has been shaken by what he sees as moral decline.

Pitfalls

• Do not take the refrain entirely at face value. Yeats wrote this in anger, and “Easter 1916” three years later shows he was wrong to think Irish idealism was dead.
• Do not ignore the historical context. The Dublin Lockout and the Hugh Lane Gallery controversy are essential to understanding the poem’s fury.
• Do not describe the tone as simply “sad.” It is biting, sarcastic, and deliberately provocative.

Rapid Revision Drills

• How does Yeats use contrast to criticise modern Ireland in “September 1913”?
• What effect does the refrain have on the poem’s tone and meaning?
• Compare Yeats’s attitude to Irish nationalism in “September 1913” with “Easter 1916.”

Conclusion

“September 1913” is one of Yeats’s most powerful political poems. It channels his frustration at a materialistic Ireland into a passionate defence of the heroic past. The poem’s strength lies in its sharp contrasts, its devastating refrain, and its willingness to name names. For exams, it is invaluable when discussing Yeats’s political views, his relationship with Irish history, and how his attitude to nationalism evolved over time.

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