William Butler Yeats
Irish · 19th–20th century
Irish poet and Nobel laureate, author of The Lake Isle of Innisfree and other major works of the Irish literary revival.
Connection to Taylor Swift
Uncle Jerry draws a direct thematic parallel between Yeats's Lake Isle of Innisfree and Taylor's 'the lakes', both express the desire to escape to a simple, natural lakeside refuge.
Notable Works
- The Lake Isle of Innisfree, The Second Coming, Easter 1916, Sailing to Byzantium
Appears in the Archive
Context within the Archive
The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats
Uncle Jerry discusses how his interest in tarot cards originated from reading the poetry of William Butler Yeats, noting that Yeats was a master of a Rosicrucian fellowship and many of his poems refer to tarot cards. While not a direct reference in The Prophecy's lyrics, Uncle Jerry uses Yeats as contextual background for understanding the tarot tradition that Taylor draws upon in this song.
The Lake Isle of Innisfree
“Take me to the Lakes, where all the poets went to die”
Angela & Uncle Jerry draw a direct thematic parallel between Taylor's 'Take me to the Lakes' and Yeats's Lake Isle of Innisfree, both poems express the desire to escape to a simple, natural place and live a quiet life. Uncle Jerry says the phrase 'take me to the lakes' makes him think of Yeats's poem about wanting a simple life on the Lake Isle of Innisfree with 'wattlemaid and nine bean rows.'