Context
This poem was first published in 1916. The Fisherman is presented as the ‘ideal man’ with his country skills; he is also a symbol for Ireland – where Yeats believes the ideal man ‘exists’. It draws a contrast between Yeats’ ‘ideal Irishman’ and the real man of his contemporary Ireland. Yeats was a skilled fly fisherman and used this knowledge to develop the character of the fisherman.
Structure
The poem is written as a single stanza with a regular ABAB rhyme scheme, 3 stresses per line.
The word ‘him’ refers to both the idealised Irishman and the fisherman. The descriptive phrase ‘freckled man’ shows the rural, outdoor nature of the man; Yeats’ vision of an ideal Irishman coincided with an outdoor, rural person, working the land. This is the pure Irishman of Yeats’ vision. The phrase ‘grey place on a hill’ gives a sense of isolation and separation. ‘Connemara clothes’ are the same colour as ‘grey place’. This is homespun tweed; Connemara is in County Galway bordering the Atlantic, a rural part of Ireland. This shows the fisherman’s humble roots; he is unpolished, unsophisticated. The phrase ‘At dawn’ shows Yeats’ knowledge of angling; the best fishing is done at dawn. The phrase ‘wise and simple man’ again refers to the ideal man; this type of man is believed to have gained...
