To Be Carved on a Stone at Thoor Ballylee

I've previously written about Yeats' tower and the beauty of nature, more specifically the nature surrounding Thoor Ballylee. However, recently as I was searching through poems, I managed to stumble upon one that I couldn't help but mention and write about. This poem happens to have a direct correlation to Yeats' tower and the power of the written word.

I, the poet William Yeats
With old mill boards and sea-green slates,
And smithy work from the Gort forge;
Restored this tower for my wife George
And may these characters remain
When all is ruin once again.

From what I've learned in my Literary Ireland class, Yeats spent many years within this tower and wrote many amazing pieces of literature there. He expresses life through writing by stating "And may these characters remain/ When all is ruin once again." Yeats had a deep connection to this location and without my trip to the tower and knowledge of Yeats I don't know if this poem would have resonated the way it did. He writes the poem and acknowledges his identity within in, he treats his reconstruction of the tower as both a practical and creative endeavor. Yeats also adds a symbol of love by talking about his reason for restoration... his wife. In person Yeats' tower allows for the onlooker to feel many emotions. Similarly in this poem the tower is a piece of art that connects writing with nature.