theme of love. I will look at 'He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven' by W.B

Yeats, Robert Burns' 'A Red,Red Rose' and the 'Lucy Poems' by

Wordsworth. I will focus on each poet's tradition and culture, the poet's use

of language and the similarities and differences between each poem. I will

conclude the assignment with my personal response.

'He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven' was written by W.B Yeats.

William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin in 1865. He abandoned his

painting career after only three years to pursue a writing career with lyrics

and plays. He eventually developed his own individual style and his work

was known for being particularly 'Irish'. He went on writing for the rest of

his life, and eventually died in 1948.

In the poem 'He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven' W.B Yeats

expresses his love for Maud Gonne. Gonne was an extreme Nationalist who

rejected W.B Yeats and eventually married Major John MacBride in 1903.

After this period there is a noticeable change in Yeats' poetry, perhaps

because he realised his dreams of a life with Maud could never become a

In 'He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven' the tone

and beauty. Burns then compares his love to a beautiful song that is sweetly

William Wordsworth was born in Cumberland in 1770, and at thirteen

Wordsworth uses visual imagery through nature. He then compares Lucy to

This evokes a personal response from the reader. We feel great sympathy for

the thought and passion he poured into his comic and dramatic poems and

if she will return his love and make his wildest dreams come true, or trample

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2157
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)