Poem Analysis - Presences

Introduction: A Dream of Female Presences

Yeats' "Presences" is a haunting poem that delves into the speaker's subconscious, conjuring a vivid dreamscape populated by a variety of female figures. The poem possesses a dreamlike, almost unsettling tone from the very beginning, as indicated by the line "This night has been so strange that it seemed / As if the hair stood up on my head." The mood shifts subtly as the poem progresses from a sense of unease to one of intimate encounter and finally to a contemplative recognition of the diverse nature of love and womanhood. The poem appears to be a personal exploration of the speaker's psyche, manifested through the symbolic presences of these women.

Love's Many Faces: A Central Theme

A central theme of "Presences" is the complex and multifaceted nature of love, particularly as it relates to the speaker's personal experiences. The phrase "monstrous thing / Returned and yet unrequited love" sets the stage for this exploration. The women who appear in the dream each embody a different aspect of love or a consequence of it. The "harlot" perhaps represents love that is purely physical or transactional, while the "child / That never looked upon man with desire" embodies innocence and unawakened potential. The presence of a "queen" suggests a more elevated or idealized form of love, perhaps unattainable or reserved for a select few. The poem uses these figures to show how love can be both fulfilling and destructive, innocent and corrupt.

The Artist's Haunted Muse

The poem explores the relationship between the artist and their inspiration, suggesting that art is haunted by the very emotions it seeks to capture. The women in the dream have "read / All I had rhymed of that monstrous thing." This indicates that the speaker's own poetry has called these figures into being, drawn them from the depths of his creative mind. The poem uses the setting—the speaker's study, with its "great wood lectern" and fire—to reinforce this idea. The women standing "between" the lectern and the fire could be interpreted as the artist's muses, mediating between the source of creativity (the lectern) and the passionate, potentially destructive forces of emotion (the fire). They represent the embodiments of his inspiration and subjects of his creations.

Symbolism of the Feminine and Desire

The imagery of the women themselves carries significant symbolic weight. Their varied attire—"rustle of lace or silken stuff"—suggests different social statuses and emotional states. The fact that the speaker can "hear their hearts beating" emphasizes their vitality and presence, despite their ethereal nature. Each woman embodies a specific aspect of feminine experience and desire. The harlot symbolizes a certain kind of exploitation, and the child, a kind of purity. Are they facets of the speaker himself, his subconscious grappling with concepts of love and desire? This ambiguity enriches the poem's texture, as it's difficult to determine whether the women are meant to be external figures or projections of the speaker's inner world. Their presence is the vehicle used to explore these themes.

Final Insight: Love's Enduring Enigma

In conclusion, "Presences" is a powerful exploration of love, desire, and the artist's relationship to their own creations. Through vivid imagery and symbolic figures, Yeats crafts a dreamlike encounter that delves into the complexities of human emotion. The poem reveals how love can manifest in diverse and often contradictory forms, ranging from the innocent to the carnal, the idealized to the corrupt. It also suggests that art is deeply intertwined with the artist's personal experiences, forever haunted by the emotions it seeks to express. The poem's enduring significance lies in its ability to capture the elusive and ultimately unknowable nature of love, a theme that resonates across time and cultures. The form of the poem, with its consistent rhyme scheme (AABB CDCD EFEF) and relatively short lines, lends a sense of tightly controlled dreaminess, fitting the subject matter.