In "An Acre of Grass," Yeats' speaker is an old man who
believes that books are his "acre of grass." Because he is an old man, he can no longer
run around outside to keep fit; his "strength of body" has left him. However, his mind
has not. At the end of the poem, he calls it "an old man's eagle mind." He's no longer
able to keep his body sharp and strong, but he can keep his mind in top
form.
In illustration of the books he turns to, Yeats
mentions the great literary artists. For instance, he mentions, King Lear, one of
Shakespeare's most tragic figures. He mentions the literary giant William Blake and the
great painter Michelangelo. Through these minds, which he can still read about and which
can still inspire him, he is able to keep his mind "inspired by
frenzy."
Symbolically, the old man desires to become these
different people. It's not enough to read about them. In the case of King Lear, I would
imagine that the old man would want to learn from Lear's mistakes and continue on to
"make the truth known." The advantage he has as an old man is wisdom. That is where his
"eagle mind" will ultimately help him. Coupled with the "frenzied" motivation of time
running out, he can still become the person he always wanted to
be.
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