Among School Children

“Leda and the Swan” by William Butler Yeats (1928)

Published in The Tower, alongside “Among School Children,” in “Leda and the Swan” Yeats explores the myth of Helen’s violent conception, and the implications of Leda’s rape, namely the fall of Troy. The poem’s tone and brevity differ greatly from “Among School Children,” though the two are linked thematically by this classical Greek myth.

“Sailing to Byzantium” by William Butler Yeats (1928)

Published in the same collection, The Tower, this poem takes on a similar form and meter to “Among School Children,” to further contemplate the role of spirituality, art, age, and life’s journey.

“Isabella: or the Pot of Basil” by John Keats (1818)

One of Yeats’s poetic influences, Keats’s poem is also written in ottava rima, telling a story that is taken from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron.

“Great Irish Romances: W.B. Yeats and Maud Gonne” by Lisa Fortin Jackson (2014)

In this article, Fortin Jackson explores Yeats and Gonne’s passionate, tempestuous romance, much of which inspired this poem and many others.

“WB Yeats: He cast a cold eye on church and State in Seanad career” by Graham Clifford (2014)