Answer: The poem The Second Coming was written by William Butler Yeats (W.B. Yeats) in 1919 and published in 1920 in the collection The Tower.
- About the Poet: W.B. Yeats was an Irish poet and a key figure in modernist literature. His work often combines elements of mysticism, mythology, and political reflection. A Nobel laureate in 1923, Yeats developed a personal philosophy of history, revolving around cyclical time represented by gyres (interlocking spirals).
- Historical Context:
- The poem was written shortly after World War I (1914–1918), a period of massive destruction and upheaval.
- In Ireland, Yeats’s homeland, the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921) was just beginning.
- The Russian Revolution (1917) and the rise of communism had shocked traditional systems.
- Significance of 1919: This was a time of transition between eras, which Yeats believed marked the end of the Christian epoch (lasting 2,000 years) and the birth of a new age, marked by destruction and transformation.
