The Celtic Twilight

William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)

I have desired, like every artist, to create a little world out of the beautiful, pleasant, and significant things of this marred and clumsy world, and to show in a vision something of the face of Ireland to any of my own people who would look where I bid them. I have therefore written down accurately and candidly much that I have heard and seen, and, except by way of commentary, nothing that I have merely imagined.

Many of the tales in this book were told me by one Paddy Flynn, a little bright-eyed old man, who lived in a leaky and one-roomed cabin in the village of Ballisodare. He was a great teller of tales, and unlike our common romancers, knew how to empty heaven, hell, and purgatory, faeryland and earth, to people his stories. He did not live in a shrunken world, but knew of no less ample circumstance than did Homer himself. Perhaps the Gaelic people shall by his like bring back again the ancient simplicity and amplitude of imagination.

Let us go forth, the tellers of tales, and seize whatever prey the heart long for, and have no fear. Everything exists, everything is true, and the earth is only a little dust under our feet. (W. B. Yeats)

Genre(s): Myths, Legends & Fairy Tales

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Epigraph, The Hosting of the Sidhe Shakira Searle
00:02:11
Play 01 This book Arie
00:02:38
Play 02 A Teller of Tales Arie
00:04:16
Play 03 Belief and Unbelief Arie
00:03:31
Play 04 Mortal Help Arie
00:02:31
Play 05 A Visionary Arie
00:07:37
Play 06 Village Ghosts Arie
00:12:41
Play 07 'Dust Hath closed Helen's Eye' Arie
00:15:18
Play 08 A Knight of the Sheep Arie
00:05:44
Play 09 An Enduring Heart Arie
00:04:52
Play 10 The Sorcerers Arie
00:07:47
Play 11 The Devil russellhughes
00:01:35
Play 12 Happy and Unhappy Theologians Jordan Heron
00:08:00
Play 13 The Last Gleeman John O'Riordan
00:14:02
Play 14 Regina, Regina Pigmeorum, Veni John O'Riordan
00:06:50
Play 15 'And Fair, Fierce Women' Luna Pierson
00:04:22
Play 16 Enchanted Woods Luna Pierson
00:08:15
Play 17 Miraculous Creatures KHand
00:02:38
Play 18 Aristotle of the Books russellhughes
00:01:32
Play 19 The Swine of the Gods Tim Rainey
00:01:54
Play 20 A Voice Anusha Iyer
00:03:27
Play 21 Kidnappers John O'Riordan
00:13:27
Play 22 The Untiring Ones John O'Riordan
00:05:32
Play 23 Earth, Fire and Water Robert Dixon
00:02:12
Play 24 The Old Town John Van Stan
00:03:58
Play 25 The Man and his Boots John Van Stan
00:02:34
Play 26 A Coward Simon Smoke
00:03:15
Play 27 The Three O'Byrnes and the Evil Faeries Kathy Wright
00:03:43
Play 28 Drumcliff and Rosses JamesMcAndrew
00:16:59
Play 29 The Thick Skull of the Fortunate Simon Smoke
00:03:58
Play 30 The Religion of a Sailor Glenn O'Brien
00:02:32
Play 31 Concerning the nearness together of Heaven, Earth, and Purgatory MaryAnne
00:02:21
Play 32 The Eaters of Precious Stones MaryAnne
00:02:30
Play 33 Our Lady of the Hills ImkeStevens
00:04:31
Play 34 The Golden Age MaryAnne
00:03:10
Play 35 A Remonstrance with Scotsmen for having soured the Disposition of their Ghosts and Faeries MaryAnne
00:07:36
Play 36 War MaryAnne
00:03:31
Play 37 The Queen and the Fool ImkeStevens
00:08:44
Play 38 The Friends of the People of Faery Max Wainer
00:12:32
Play 39 Dreams that have no Moral MaryAnn
00:20:43
Play 40 By the Roadside Erin B. Lillis
00:03:32
Play 41 Into the Twilight Shakira Searle
00:01:46