The Wanderings of Oisin
Encyclopedia
The Wanderings of Oisin (icon ) is an epic poem
published by William Butler Yeats
in 1889
in the book The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems
. It was his first publication outside of magazines, and immediately won him a reputation as a significant poet.
This narrative poem takes the form of a dialogue between the aged Irish
hero Oisín
and St. Patrick, the man traditionally responsible for converting Ireland to Christianity
. Most of the poem is spoken by Oisin, relating his three-hundred year sojourn in the isles of Faerie.
Oisin has not been a popular poem with critics influenced by modernism
, who dislike its pre-Raphaelite character. However, Harold Bloom
defended this poem in his book-length study of Yeats, and concludes that it deserves reconsideration.
fell in love with Oisin's poetry and begged him to join her in the immortal islands. For a hundred years he lived as one of the Sidhe
, hunting, dancing, and feasting. At the end of this time he found a spear washed up on the shore and grew sad, remembering his times with the Fenians. Niamh took him away to another island, where the ancient and abandoned castle of the sea-god Manannan stood. Here they found another woman held captive by a demon, whom Oisin battled again and again for a hundred years, until it was finally defeated. They then went to an island where ancient giants who had grown tired of the world long ago were sleeping until its end, and Niamh and Oisin slept and dreamt with them for a hundred years. Oisin then desired to return to Ireland to see his comrades. Niamh lent him her horse warning him that he must not touch the ground, or he would never return. Back in Ireland, Oisin, still a young man, found his warrior companions dead, and the pagan
faith of Ireland displaced by Patrick's Christianity. He then saw two men struggling to carry a "sack full of sand"; he bent down to lift it with one hand and hurl it away for them, but his saddle girth broke and he fell to the ground, becoming three hundred years old instantaneously.
), five (iambic pentameter
), and six (anapaestic hexameter
) metrical feet respectively. The three "books" begin thus:
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
published 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...
in 1889
1889 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Canada:* William Wilfred Campbell, Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).-Canada:* William Wilfred Campbell, Nationality...
in the book The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems
The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems
The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems was the first collection of poems by William Butler Yeats. It was published in 1889.In addition to the title poem, the last epic-scale poem that Yeats ever wrote, the book includes a number of short poems that Yeats would later collect under the title...
. It was his first publication outside of magazines, and immediately won him a reputation as a significant poet.
This narrative poem takes the form of a dialogue between the aged Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
hero Oisín
Oisín
Oisín , also spelt in English Ossian or Osheen, was regarded in legend as the greatest poet of Ireland, and is a warrior of the fianna in the Ossianic or Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology...
and St. Patrick, the man traditionally responsible for converting Ireland to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Most of the poem is spoken by Oisin, relating his three-hundred year sojourn in the isles of Faerie.
Oisin has not been a popular poem with critics influenced by modernism
Modernism
Modernism, in its broadest definition, is modern thought, character, or practice. More specifically, the term describes the modernist movement, its set of cultural tendencies and array of associated cultural movements, originally arising from wide-scale and far-reaching changes to Western society...
, who dislike its pre-Raphaelite character. However, Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom
Harold Bloom is an American writer and literary critic, and is Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. He is known for his defense of 19th-century Romantic poets, his unique and controversial theories of poetic influence, and his prodigious literary output, particularly for a literary...
defended this poem in his book-length study of Yeats, and concludes that it deserves reconsideration.
Story
The fairy princess NiamhNiamh
In Irish mythology, Niamh is the daughter of Manannán mac Lir. She is one of the Queens of Tir na nÓg, and might also be the daughter of Fand....
fell in love with Oisin's poetry and begged him to join her in the immortal islands. For a hundred years he lived as one of the Sidhe
Sídhe
The aos sí are a supernatural race in Irish mythology and Scottish mythology are comparable to the fairies or elves. They are said to live underground in the fairy mounds, across the western sea, or in an invisible world that coexists with the world of humans...
, hunting, dancing, and feasting. At the end of this time he found a spear washed up on the shore and grew sad, remembering his times with the Fenians. Niamh took him away to another island, where the ancient and abandoned castle of the sea-god Manannan stood. Here they found another woman held captive by a demon, whom Oisin battled again and again for a hundred years, until it was finally defeated. They then went to an island where ancient giants who had grown tired of the world long ago were sleeping until its end, and Niamh and Oisin slept and dreamt with them for a hundred years. Oisin then desired to return to Ireland to see his comrades. Niamh lent him her horse warning him that he must not touch the ground, or he would never return. Back in Ireland, Oisin, still a young man, found his warrior companions dead, and the pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
faith of Ireland displaced by Patrick's Christianity. He then saw two men struggling to carry a "sack full of sand"; he bent down to lift it with one hand and hurl it away for them, but his saddle girth broke and he fell to the ground, becoming three hundred years old instantaneously.
Structure
The poem is told in three parts, with the verse becoming more complex with each: the lines run four (iambic tetrameterIambic tetrameter
Iambic tetrameter is a meter in poetry. It refers to a line consisting of four iambic feet. The word "tetrameter" simply means that there are four feet in the line; iambic tetrameter is a line comprising four iambs...
), five (iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter is a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet"...
), and six (anapaestic hexameter
Anapaest
An anapaest is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. In classical quantitative meters it consists of two short syllables followed by a long one; in accentual stress meters it consists of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. It may be seen as a reversed dactyl...
) metrical feet respectively. The three "books" begin thus:
- Book I:
- Book II:
- Book III:
External links
- The Wanderings of Oisin in a 2001 Blackmask document
- The Wanderings of Oisin at CSUNCalifornia State University, NorthridgeCalifornia State University, Northridge is a public university in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California, United States....
Professor Warren Wedin Fall 2002 Graduate Seminar website - The Wanderings of Oisin at Famous Poets and Poems
- The Wanderings of Oisin at LibriVoxLibriVoxLibriVox is an online digital library of free public domain audiobooks, read by volunteers and is probably, since 2007, the world's most prolific audiobook publisher...
- The Wanderings of Oisin (LibriVox) at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
- Short presentation (Ireland book excerpt) of The Wanderings of Oisin from the LangenscheidtLangenscheidtLangenscheidt is a privately held German publishing company, specialising in language resource literature. As well as producing monolingual dictionaries, Langenscheidt also produces bilingual dictionaries and travel phrase-books, as well as maps and atlases....
website