Yeats purchased this tower in 1917. He renovated it and he and his family spent several summers in it. It was also the inspiration for at least two books of poetry. One, "The Tower" (imagine that!), and another, "The Winding Stair."Here I emerge fearlessly* from the winding stair onto the battlement:
Here Kevin and I contemplate the Yeatsian vision atop the tower:
*fearless in allowing myself to be photographed in such a dorky jacket
7 comments:
Magister, that jacket is...interesting.
That tower, on the other hand, is awesome. Was there a library (that, naturally, is the most important part of any abode)?
There was not a library here. There were some cases of Yeats books (1st editions, etc.).
The mmost impressive library I've seen thus far was at Trinity College in Dublin. My friends and I went through the Book of Kells exhibit and it ends by going through the Long Room. It's a long barrel-ceilinged hall with shelves of books and busts of great men. Now that's what I call a library.
Sounds like a veritable heaven...
though the tower should have had a library. If I were so fortunate as to be in possession of such a structure, I would make it three levels: the bottom level would be all the everyday things, kitchen and all; the middle would nothing but a library (full of very old books of course); and the top would be a partial library as well as a place to read. With lots of windows.
I'm tired of the tower!
Tower. Toooower. Toooooooower.
tooooooooooower snooooooooooore.
What I wonder is what Mrs. Yeats said when old W.B. brought his honey to that gray, nearly windowless stackhouse (after all, properly speaking, this can hardly be called a tower) and said, "Feast your eyes on this pile of bricks, me bonny lass!" What a romantic.
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