“The Wild Swans at Coole”, by William Butler Yeats

“The Wild Swans at Coole”, by William Butler Yeats

THE trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty Swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.

Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?

REACTION

When first reading “The Wild Swans at Coole,” I felt at peace. Yeasts paints a vivid picture of magnificent animals taking the breath away from a young man in a beautiful setting. This gives a strong sense of awe and passion. The swans are perfectly harmonious, having synchronized flight and their swimming paths. I feel as though this poem must have only been written after the author witnessed some sort of spectacular event that caused some sort of realization.

PARAPHRASE

The trees look beautiful in the fall. Paths going through the woods are dry. In October around dusk, still water looks like the sky. On this full body of water and among the rocks are fifty-nine swans. I have come here to watch the swans for nineteen years. Before I could finish counting how many swans there were, they suddenly took flight and scattered away. I feel awed from watching this beautiful sight. I feel changed since the day I saw these swans take flight, their wings beating above me. Still playful, the swans swam in the pond, side by side, or fly in the air. The swans are happy. I wonder where they will travel to, whether from passion or conquest. But for now they are still swimming on the water, mysterious and beautiful. I wonder where they will build their nests. I wonder where they are when I awake some other day to find they are gone.

SWIFTT:

Syntax/Word Choice- “The Wild Swans at Coole” is written with five six-line stanzas, each written in a roughly iambic meter, with the first and third lines in tetrameter, the second, fourth, and sixth lines in trimeter, and the fifth line in pentameter, so that the pattern of stressed syllables in each stanza is 434353. The rhyme scheme in each stanza is ABCBDD. The poem uses specific words to give a sense of nostalgia. Phrases such as “Their hearts have not grown old;/Passion or conquest, wander where they will,/Attend upon them still.” create such a nostalgia.

Imagery- The author uses the image of swans all throughout the poem. This image represents what could have been. The image of the swans is very vivid and makes the read feel they can see the swans. The author also uses phrases such as, “The woodland paths are dry,/Under the October twilight the water/Mirrors a still sky;/Upon the brimming water among the stones” to paint a vivid scenery for the reader so that they feel as though they are present in the setting.  

Figurative Language- There is no usage of simile or metaphor in this poem. However, Yeats uses rhetorical question toward the end of his poem. The narrator is not satisfied with the way his life is going and questions if he will die unsuccessful and without accomplishing any of his goals. There is also personification in Yeats’ description of the swans, which are beautiful and seemingly in love. The swans are able to fly away; they have freedom where the man is stuck in the same, monotonous life.

Tone- Yeats writes “The Wild Swans at Coole” with a tone that can only be described as depressed and pessimistic. In the poem, the narrator is not satisfied with where his life has been going. This accounts for the main depressed tone. The swans’ freedom brings an ache to his heart accounting for the pessimistic tone because the narrator now feels as though nothing can change his life.

Theme- The theme Yeats presents in “The Wild Swans at Coole” is that people should to make the most of their lives. The narrator in the poem is not satisfied with his life, and while seeing these swans he realizes that his life is not what he wants. Yeats tries to show that humans shouldn’t waste their lives away and then regret past decisions.

CONCLUSION

After analyzing the poem I have realized that my initial reaction isn’t that far off. The autumn in the poem shows the man getting close to the end of his life. He has not accomplished his goals and is still unmarried at the age of 51. “The Wild Swans at Coole” compares a lonely man to mysterious swans. Every year the man goes to see the swans, but this year he goes with a heavy heart. The swans in the poem represent freedom. The man yearns for the freedom and simplicity that the swans’ lives include “The Wild Swans at Coole” is about fulfilling one’s dreams before it is too late, before they become mere dreams.