"The Hour Glass" by W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. This drama is a short-form study in faith and irony. Though written many years ago, the beginnings of the faith vs. science debate can be seen in its text. The book, in fact, follows Christians as they navigate a world where atheism is increasingly becoming the norm.