In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz
Encyclopedia
In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markiewicz is a poem in two stanza
s by William Butler Yeats
, written in 1927 and published in his 1933 collection 'The Winding Stair and Other Poems
'.
Eva Gore-Booth
and Constance Markiewicz (née Gore-Booth) were two sisters who lived at Lissadell House
in County Sligo. Constance (Con) died in 1926, and Eva in 1927. The young Yeats had been encouraged by them and entranced by their beauty. They are remembered in the poem as "Two girls in silk kimonos, both / beautiful, one a gazelle." Both later became involved in Irish nationalist
politics, and Constance was sentenced to death for her part in the Easter Rising
of 1916, though the sentence was subsequently commuted. Eva later became active in the Women's suffrage
movement in Manchester
, England.
In the poem, Yeats laments the loss, not only of their physical beauty, but of their spiritual beauty – their later politics were far removed from the romantic ideal of Ireland that he had had in their youth. The second stanza speaks of the futility of their struggle, both his and the sisters', when the real enemy is time itself: "The innocent and the beautiful / have no enemy but time."
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
s by William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
, written in 1927 and published in his 1933 collection 'The Winding Stair and Other Poems
The Winding Stair and Other Poems
The Winding Stair is a volume of poems by Irish poet William Butler Yeats, published in 1933. It was the next new volume after 1928's The Tower...
'.
Eva Gore-Booth
Eva Gore-Booth
Eva Selina Laura Gore-Booth was an Irish poet and dramatist, and a committed suffragist, social worker and labour activist...
and Constance Markiewicz (née Gore-Booth) were two sisters who lived at Lissadell House
Lissadell House
Lissadell House is a neo-classical Greek revivalist style country house, located in County Sligo, Ireland.The house was built in the 1830s for Sir Robert Gore-Booth, 4th Baronet MP by London architect Francis Goodwin...
in County Sligo. Constance (Con) died in 1926, and Eva in 1927. The young Yeats had been encouraged by them and entranced by their beauty. They are remembered in the poem as "Two girls in silk kimonos, both / beautiful, one a gazelle." Both later became involved in Irish nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
politics, and Constance was sentenced to death for her part in the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
of 1916, though the sentence was subsequently commuted. Eva later became active in the Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England.
In the poem, Yeats laments the loss, not only of their physical beauty, but of their spiritual beauty – their later politics were far removed from the romantic ideal of Ireland that he had had in their youth. The second stanza speaks of the futility of their struggle, both his and the sisters', when the real enemy is time itself: "The innocent and the beautiful / have no enemy but time."