The following version of this poem was used to create this guide: Yeats, William Butler. “A Dialogue of Self and Soul.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43294/a-dialogue-of-self-and-soul.

Note that all parenthetical citations refer to the line number from which the quotation is taken.

“A Dialogue of Self and Soul” was first published in 1933, less than seven years preceding the end of his life. At this point the poet was deeply aware of his advanced age and mortality, and was exploring various philosophical systems of belief through his work. This autobiographical poem expresses his dueling perspectives on his acquaintances and the world he lived in as he came to the end of his journey.