This paper aims to study the transformation of Yeats and his poems through alchemy. Yeats was a spiritualist who believed in the soul and life after death. However, European society and culture had been dominated since the 18th century by rationalism and materialism, which were opposed to spiritualism. Thus the period and society in which Yeats lived were diffused with materialism and rationalism. The prevailing commercialism, materialism, realism and democracy of the period were derived from such materialistic and rational thought. Nevertheless, spiritualistic movements which tried to restore spirit and inspiration developed both before and after the beginning of the 20th century. Mysticism, symbolism, the pre-Raphalite movement and aristocracy could be said to be included in these movements. Yeats was also deeply interested and involved in mysticism and symbolism, especially alchemy which had been handed down secretly as a part of mysticism. To him alchemy functioned as a kind of instrument for transforming and developing himself and his art. Alchemy originally aimed to transform base metals into gold, to extract the fine from the coarse, and to redeem spirit from matter. But some philosophers and artists allowed themselves to become objects of alchemical transformation. They were inclined to use alchemy as an instrument to achieve their spiritual development and secular perfection. In his earlier period, Yeats tried to escape into the “essence” through alchemical practice, but later he used alchemy as a means to develop and create himself and his art. For example, in his earlier poems, he attempted to fly into the supernatural world through the rose image which he learned from alchemical principles, and he was able to attain a spiritual union with Maud Gonne through a spiritual marriage. The rose and the spiritual marriage, however, can be said to be unrealistic concepts in which there is only an ascent to heaven but no a descent back to earth. But after his marriage with Hyde-Lees, he recognized and accepted the materialistic world, including desire and the life instinct, by fulfilling both the ascent to heaven and the descent to earth as part of alchemical principles. Therefore he can be said to be an alchemical poet who was able to achieve secular perfection and spiritual development in the materialistic world through alchemical discipline and development.

• 조동열(조선대) | Dong-Yul Cho