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On a sunny Sunday in August, I sit at William Butler Yeats’s table, writing a few thoughts for the master. On the desk lies many of loose sheets of paper, a pen, a quill, and an inkwell. Light streams in through the green-framed window. I reflect, smile, and look at the red and yellow flowers in a vase. On the sideboard are old books and the poet’s blue teapot.

W.B. Yeats, Ireland’s most famous poet, lived from 1921 to 1929 in Thoor Ballyleen, a 14th-century Norman tower house, with his wife, Georgie, and their two children. It was there that he created his largest collection of poems, “The Tower”, shortly after receiving the Nobel Prize. Yeats is said to have fallen in love with this place. Another great poet, Seamus Heaney, described Yeats’s Tower as the most important building in Ireland, probably because it had such a profound influence on Yeats’s work. And also, referring to the importance of poetry on the Emerald Island, which is an everyday occurrence here.

William Buttler himself wrote that he rested in this place and lanscapes, but his imagination was at its peak. While writing, he were asking the questions for the ancient trees and the spirits hidden within, savoring the greenery and all that was happening in nature around him. Butat night, from the roof of a tall tower, he contemplated in delight at millions of stars.

In the tower you can climb stone winding stairs, passing four floors. Quite big living room, a spacious study room with a fireplace, and a bright bedroom. Finally, one emerges onto the roof and takes in the incredible view of the surrounding area. Nearby, a river winds, trees sway, a mill rattles, and a little further on, hills, fields, and valleys stretch out.

climbed up quite smoothly. However, as I descended, I clutched the banister and felt a slight sense of dread. Imagine my surprise when I read the poem “The Winding Stair” and discovered that W.B. Yeats felt exactly the same way. Reading this famous poem, I had no doubt that the poet was inspired to write it by the stairs he likely climbed every day.

Winding Stairs (fragments)

My Soul. I summon to the winding ancient stair;

Set all your mind upon the steep ascent,

Upon the broken, crumbling battlement,

Upon the breathless starlit air,

‘Upon the star that marks the hidden pole;

Fix every wandering thought upon

That quarter where all thought is done:

Who can distinguish darkness from the soul

(…)

There is a small cottage, attached to the tower itself. At the bootom you can find a few tables, and a friendly lady serves home-cooked coffee or tea to guests. There is also some exhibition, and room with the screen.

The Yeats Thoor Ballylee Society, founded in 2010 by volunteers, restored the structure and opens it to visitors. You can experience peace there and delve into a fascinating piece of the poet’s and Ireland’s history. You can even enjoy a picnic nearby.

Thoor Ballylee is located only 46 kilometers from Galway, near the town of Gort, where, at the end of this trip, we stop at the Gallery Cafe and discover a delicious pistachio and raspberry cake.

And then, at home, I’m writing this poem, referring also to the Polish poet Edward Stachura. Because I am going soon, to the National Poets’ Meeting “White Locomotive” in Łazieniec, held in his memory. There will author’s meeting with myself, too. So, everything connects with poetry in my heart last few months.

In W.B. Yeats’s Tower

I try to synchronize

the poet’s footsteps in hiking boots

the August sun leads

a road through the greenery

loose sheets of paper on the table,

a pen, an inkwell, a quill,

a blue teapot

a winding staircase often used

light crosses the stream