The Meeting of a Saint and a Poet: W.B. Yeats and Purohit Swami

Abstract

 A literary artist seldom works in a vacuum, in isolation; rather, he draws materials of his art from the social, cultural, political and philosophical currents of his milieu, and eventually contributes his interpretation of these ideas to society. Yeats is not an exception; but his critical sensibility looked far towards Indian ideas. He found Indian ideas of art, philosophy, and religion inspiring and stimulating to such an extent that a vital part of career was engaged in assimilating as well as reproducing them through his own art. Though Yeats’ critics and biographers have already noted the impact of Indian thought on his poetry, the present paper endeavors to show the interface between Yeats and Purohit Swami and how their friendship resulted in a mutual enrichment.