The Second Coming, W.B. Yeats, Analysis, Summary Introduction: W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" is one of his most well-known works. It provides a profoundly mysterious and potent alternative to the Christian concept of the Second Coming—anticipated Jesus's return to the Earth as a saviour heralding the Kingdom of Heaven. It was written in 1919, just after the conclusion of World War I. In Nutshell: The opening line of the poem paints a picture of a chaotic, confusing, and painful world. The second, longer verse imagines the speaker being given a glimpse of the future, but this vision substitutes what appears to be the appearance of a hideous beast for Jesus's heroic return. "The Second Coming" is one of Yeats's most frequently quoted poems due to its distinctive imagery and realistic depiction of society's breakdown. Text of the Poem Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, T…
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