"That twenty centuries of stony sleep..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
The repetition of “ee” sounds in the words “twenty,” “centuries,” “stony,” and “sleep” is an example of assonance, or the repetition of vowel sounds. Here, assonance subtly draws out the reading process by highlighting similar sounds, thus urging the reader to take note of the scene that has unfolded in the speaker’s vision.
"Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
Yeats employs sibilance, or the repetition of words containing the letter “s,” in line thirteen. The hissing sound generated when these sibilant words are read aloud creates a foreboding, sinister tone that foreshadows the speaker’s vision as a horrific one.
"Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand...."See in text(Text of the Poem)
Lines nine and ten use epistrophe, or the repetition of words at the end of successive lines or phrases. Yeats repeats the words “is at hand” to underscore the urgency of the present moment—specifically, humanity’s desperate need for relief from “the blood-dimmed tide” of “mere anarchy” that has been “loosed upon the world.”
"The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
Lines five, six, and seven feature anaphora, or the repetition of a word or words at the beginning of successive lines or phrases. By repeating “the” at the beginnings of successive lines, Yeats rhetorically conveys emotional intensity in a way that reinforces both the poem’s chaotic imagery and its rhythm.
"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
Yeats includes a caesura in this line. A caesura is a break, usually in the form of punctuation, within a line of verse. Here, interrupting this line with a semicolon (;) creates a pause that underscores the extent of the described destruction. Doing so builds the reader’s expectations of either a resolution or a catastrophic ending, which is immediately addressed in the second stanza.
"Turning and turning..."See in text(Text of the Poem)
Diacope is a device by which a word is repeated with one or two other words intervening. “The Second Coming” uses diacope several times, beginning with the first line. By repeating the word “turning” in rapid succession, Yeats emphasizes the cyclical progression of time while establishing rhythm and musicality.
