No Second Troy is a poem by W.B Yeats published in the volume called The Green Helmet and Other Poems. It is published in 1908. (dates are different on various websites)
In No Second Troy, W.B Yeats creates another myth and that is Maud Gonne myth that he is inferred from Helen myth.
W.B Yeats in No Second Troy says that he cannot blame her. Here he is referring Maud Gonne. He says that he cannot blame her for making him miserable by not reciprocating his love feelings neither he can blame her for provoking people to do violent activities against rich and influential people.
He explains that common people did not have the courage to stand for themselves so Maud Gonne helped them.
Yeats says that nothing could calm her because she was the woman of extraordinary qualities ad had high aims in her life. She was not only beautiful but also passionate about her career. Yeats says that those qualities were rare in women of that age and this outshines her among others.
Yeats in No Second Troy says that she had so much passion in her that she could burn down another Troy just like Helen.
According to Greek Mythology, Helen of Troy was considered to be the most beautiful woman on earth. It is also believed that because of Helen or to possess her, Troy was burnt down.
Maud Gonne used to work as the revolutionist and she supported Irish people to make Ireland a separate state. She was also involved in a secret organization called the “Irish Republican Brotherhood”. She was involved in various movements and one of the famous ones was Sinn Fein started by Arthur Griffith in 1898.
Yeats was not so fond of this kind of violent activities but he admired Maud Gonne and loved her. However, Maud Gonne loved someone else( married to MacBride) and Yeats refers to this heartbreak in his many poems. He often uses her name in his poem to show resentment or pain.
The reason Yeats compares Maud Gonne with Helen is not only because of their unmatched beauty but also because there was much destruction because of Helen. Yeats thinks this is the same in the case of Maud Gonne. Because of her, Yeats went through heartbreak and her marriage to John MacBride, shifted Yeats focus on poetry.
