Introduction of the Poem:
The poem ‘No Second Troy’ is one of the famous lyrics of W. B. Yeats. It is supposed to have been written between 1906 and 1907. But it was published in his poetic volume ‘The Green Hemlet and Other Poems’, in 1910. It is one of the many poems that Yeats wrote, about Maud Gonne with whom he remained in love till the very end but who did not respond to his enduring passion. She was a great beauty and the poet fell in love with her at first sight. She was an Irish revolutionary and wanted to win freedom for Ireland through violent methods. Yeats got influenced by her and worked for the cause of Ireland through peaceful means. He proposed marriage to her again and again but she rejected his proposal repeatedly. When she married John Macbride the poet was drowned in the sea of grief and as a love - lorn man began to write his love lyrics expressing his sorrow and intense passion. In 1905, she got separated from her husband. This incident inspired a new hope in the poet's heart. He wrote a number of lyrics in praise of her beauty. The present lyric is one of them. The poem is partly a tribute to her beauty and partly a criticism of her pride and arrogance. She had fine features and her personality was high, solitary and most stern like that of Helen. Nothing else could be expected from what she was a hot - head dynamic revolutionary.
Summary of the Poem:
The poet says that he should not blame Maud Gonne who has filled his life with misery. She has taught the ignorant common people of Ireland revolutionary and violet means and excited the common people of Ireland against the aristocratic Britishers who were ruling them, to free their country from the British rule. She was noble and had fiery spirit and hot temper; therefore, she could not adopt peaceful means. Her beautiful body was like a tightened bow. She was such a woman as is not found in the present world. She was high, solitary and most stern. She was like Helen for the poet and the poet was like Paris, Helen's lover, for her. The poet hid her image in his heart. His heart was - a Troy for her. She burnt his heart - Troy by not responding to his love. But there was no other Troy for her to burn any more.
Critical Appreciation of the Poem:
Introduction:
‘No Second Troy’ is one of the many poems that Yeats wrote about Maud Gonne with whom he remained in love till the end of his life, but she did not respond to his deep rooted love. The poem is partly a criticism of Maud Gonne and partly a tribute to her. She had nobleness, fiery mind and beauty like ‘a tightened bow’. She was such a woman as was not natural in any age because she was ‘high solitary and most stern’. She was like ‘Helen of Troy’.
Occasion:
The poem is supposed to have been written between 1906 and 1907. It was published in ‘The Green Hemlet and Other Poems’ in 1910. Yeats was introduced to Maud Gonne in 1888. She was very beautiful. Yeats fell in love with her. She wanted to free Ireland from the British rule through violent revolutionary means. Yeats was also patriotic but he was peace - loving and wanted to win freedom through peaceful ways. Yeats proposed to Maud Gonne several times, but she always refused to marry him. He loved her for 15 years till she married Major John Macbride. Her marriage drowned him in great grief and he began to write love - lyrics of intense passion and in praise of her beauty. The present lyric is one of those lyrics.
The Contents of the Poem:
The poet should not blame Maud Gonne, his cruel beloved who has made his life sad by marrying John Macbride. He has no reason to blame her for instigating the common ignorant people to revolt against the British rule, because she could not adopt any peaceful means. Being high - hearted, lofty souled and most unrelenting she was unique and solitary. Her beauty was as aggressive as a tightened bow. By virtue of her above mentioned qualities she was such a woman as is not available in any age normally. She is like Helen of Troy. Being like Helen she could not have otherwise. She burnt down the Troy of the poet's heart as Helen destroyed Troy by eloping with her lover Paris.
Single Metaphor:
The poet has based his thought on a single metaphor that Maud Gonne is beyond blame being ‘Helen of Troy’ in a new appearance. The key - symbol is ‘Troy’. ‘Was there another. Troy her to burn?’ suggests that she is Helen and the poet is Paris. He hid her image in his heart as Paris hid Helen in the palace of Troy so the poet's heart becomes Troy. The presence of Helen caused the destruction of Troy. Similarly, the presence of Maud Gonne's image burnt down the Troy of the poet's heart. It was burnt down when she married another man named Major John Macbride. The difference between Helen and Maud Gonne is that Helen got reconciled with her husband Menelaus after the fall of Troy while Maud Gonne never accepted the poet's proposal of marriage.
Imagery and Symbols:
The poem is full of wonderful images. Maud Gonne's beautiful form is likened to ‘a tightened bow’, implying that it was ready to kill the lover. Her nature is as hot as fire. Maud Gonne is likened to Helen and the poet to Paris, Helen's lover. The poet's heart is Troy. The little streets stand for the common poor people of Ireland and the great for the aristocratic people. Yeats criticises Maud Gonne for her cruel behaviour and her violent political revolutionary ways. His disapproval of her political aggressiveness finds expression in the third line where Maud Gonne is shown as teaching ‘to the ignorant men most violent ways’. The poem ends with ‘Was there another Troy for her to burn?’ implying that she could not cause any other Trojan War.
Metre and Rhythm:
The metre of the poem is iambic pentameter of the English ballad. It is also called ballad - metre. Besides the five iambic feet, ten syllables, in each verse, there is here and there an extra syllable at the end, for the sake of rhyme. The rhythm is iambic but that of folk singers of the ballad. Here and there it is characterized by a variety of descending rhythm. The rhythm is forceful as in the following line: ‘Or hurled the little streets upon the great’.
In the last two lines the rhythm is symbolical. Maud Gonne is Helen of Troy and the poet is Paris. His heart is Troy in which is lodged the image of Maud Gonne. She burnt down the heart of the poet but there was no other Troy for her to burn. As a Lyric: The feeling of the poet is genuine and sincere but lacks warmth. He introduces his own views and beliefs. His feeling is ruled by the rhetoric. He has time to make cool calculations of rhythm and metre. The flow of the poetic feeling is, however, spontaneous, not forced. It is because the poetic feeling is related to the poet's beloved whose mention could raise a storm in his heart. The poet praises Maud Gonne for her beauty but criticises her for her stern, cruel and violent political ways.
Conclusion:
‘No Second Troy’ is a wonderful lyric. It has poetic emotion of striking quality. The poet praises his beloved's beauty by comparing her to Helen of Troy. He bases his argument on a Greek legend that Helen's beauty was destructive as she left her husband and eloped with her lover Paris, but she was beyond all blame and praise because afterwards she reconciled with her husband. Maud Gonne is like Helen so she is also beyond all blame. She burnt down the heart of the poet but there was no other Troy for her to burn.
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