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ISSN : 1226-4946(Print)
ISSN : 2288-5412(Online)
The Yeats Journal of Korea Vol.16 pp.7-34
DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.14354/yjk.2001.16.7

William Butler Yeats and Indian Thoughts

Cho Dong-yul, Chung Ok-hee

Abstract

From the beginning of his career as a poet, William Butler Yeats made seriousefforts to learn and master the complex and abstruse Indian religious-philosophicalartisticsystem and tried to learn Indian philosophy system which he could use in hispoems and other works. But what he borrowed from his Indian sources depended uponwhat he liked at a particular phase of his career, and upon his own ideas of art duringthat phase. Whether he liked the ascetic aspects or the life-affirming aspects of Indianphilosophy was decided by his temperament as well as his changing ideas of art. Forexample, in the early part of his life when he was so feeble and weak as to escapeinto unrealistic world, his interest in asceticism, contemplation and the search for truthwas strengthened through his own reading and associating with Chatterji. In his middlephase of life, after meeting Tagore and reading his Gitanjali, he learned theUpanishadic idea of the self. In his later part of life when he affirmed and acceptedlife and this world as a natural condition, he met Shri Purohit Swami. Under theinfluence of Swami his ideas of art once again favored celebrating the supernatural, butsimultaneously they were glorifying human passions. Sexuality and passion appeared tohim aspects that could be sung about with intimacy. Instinct began to appear to himvery sacred. He was turning to another phase of Indian philosophy which attributessacredness to spontaneity. Yeats began to integrate the natural and the supernaturalthrough his art so that his art becomes a new religion with spiritual overtones and withthe warmth of the passions of life.
Keywords :

예이츠의 인도사상 수용*

조동열, 정옥희**
조선대

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