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ISSN : 1226-4946(Print)
ISSN : 2288-5412(Online)
The Yeats Journal of Korea Vol.5 pp.161-185
DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.14354/yjk.1995.5.161

Yeats and Keats: Searching for the Goddess

Mina Cho

Abstract

There were so many similarities between Yeats's and Keats'spoetry of the Goddess's poetic theme. They were eager to searchfor “Immortal Rose” or “Intellectual Beauty” as the Goddess;Keats said that “Beauty is truth, Truth Beauty--that is all.” Fromthis perspective, Yeats and Keats became pilgrims for theGoddess who is called Binah in Cabala. They wanted to be aBinah's priests in their works. They went on a pilgrimage oflong and old mythological tales for “Immortal Rose”. For example,Yeats wrote “The Wandering of Oisin” where he wished to meet“Immortal Rose” as Goddess image. Oisin (as Yeats) went to theworld of Ireland Goddess called to Tin-na-nOg (It means eternalYouth Country). As Yeats did, Keats searched for Cynthia(Goddess of the Moon) or Moneta as Saturn's priestess, too.
During their pilgrimage, knowing goddess as the Mother of theuniverse, they were confronted with a tragic situation andcontinually agonized in their souls. They had to overcome thetragic boundaries between the Goddess of the Universe andthemselves. The “Unity of Being” can be identified with‘androgyny’ which is similar to God's trinity in gnostic thoughts.
At last, Yeats and Keats saw the Goddess as their“Anti-selves”, and they achieved the “Unity of Being” through thelong and uncomfortable journey. Yeats had a gnostic vision. Hispoetry owes much to a symbolism derived from theRosicrucianism. His main idea of all works was attempting tomeet the Goddess. Yeats believed in God's trinity(Man, women,son or daughter) and believed in the androgyny of God. Fromthis concept of androgyny of God, a gnostic searched for thehidden God called Binah (Mother of God) as well as Saturn. It isYeats's main idea that God is androgynous. This thought came from Christian Gnosticism based on the diagram of “Tree of Life”in Cabalah. Also, Keats's main idea of poetry was his searchingfor the lover who was also the Goddess. Even though Keatsdidn't write about Cabalism, he wrote that he wished to becomea pagan while writing Endymion. Keats might suggest that paganmean a gnostic.
It was suggested that Yeats's and Keats's souls weretriumphed by the action of Cuchulain and Hyperion. As Yeatsdescribed arriving in Byzantium, Keats's poetic career won theheaven which was the Goddess's bower. Although Keats's lifewas shorter than Yeats's and he had not written about Cabala,many similarities are discovered between them.
Keywords :

Yeats와 Keats의 시 비교 연구 - 여성신 추구를 중심으로

조미나
충남대

초록

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