5. Order and Disorder • The main theme of “The Second Coming” is of a flood of disorder that drowns existing world order. One central image that conveys this theme is the falcon, a bird that flies in ever-widening circles away from its trainer and can no longer hear the falconer’s cry. The loss of communication and lack of control are symptoms of the disorder that the poem describes.

9. When You Are Old • To gather the full meaning of ‘When You Are Old’, a reader must understand the love life of Yeats. For many years, he was in love with a beautiful actress, Maud Gonne. Gonne would not (or could not) return his love. This was a bitter rejection for Yeats, whose heart was set on her. This poem is addressed to her. • Here, Yeats specifically refers to himself as “Love”, then, is personified in the form of the author himself.

10. Sailing to Byzantium • The major themes of ‘Byzantium’ can be “Human imperfection vs. perfectness of art” and “Terrestrial life vs. Spiritual or afterlife”. The contrasting image of day and night symbolically presents the contrasting life before and after death. On the whole, the poet metaphorically presents human life as nothing and momentous, while the man-made arts remain forever.

11. Conclusion • Many of Yeats’ poems are taken up with arguments • Balances opposing ideas and leaves many questions open • Makes effective use of imagery to convey themes • Challenging poet in terms of style and subject matter • Creates tension or contrast between the real world in which he lives and an ideal world that the imagines