Wild Swans at Coole

Archit Shukla
C. Srygley
AP Literature
6 February 2012

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
5
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
10
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,
15
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,
20
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
25
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?

Initial: Upon initially reading Yeats’ The Wild Swans at Coole, the reader cannot help but feel the specific tone of pondering and a sense of unfinished journey. Yeats is describing a man’s journey during the season of autumn or fall—a season known connotatively for the peak of one’s life as winter will bring death. The man is describing his interactions with the wild swans he sees, both prior to the present day as well as the present day. Yeats states, “I have looked at those brilliant creatures, but now my heart is sore,” which is rather ominous and could foreshadow a oncoming death.
Paraphrase:
THE trees are in the autumn beauty,The woodland paths are dry,Under the October waterMirrors a still sky;Upon the brimming water among the stonesAre fifty-nine swans.The nineteenth fall has come on meSince I first made my count;I saw, before I had well finished,All suddenly mountAnd scatter wheeling in great broken ringsUpon their noisy wings.I have seen those radiant creatures,And now my heart is aching.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.Serene still, lover by lover,They paddle in the coldCompanionable streams or climb the air;The swan have un-aged hearts;Passion or conquest, wander where they will,Attend upon them still.But now they drift on the still water,Odd, stunning;Among what rushes will they build,By what lake's edge or poolDelight men's eyes when I awake some dayTo find they have flown away?
SWIFTT:
S: Yeats uses a five stanza-six line poem format to illustrate his idea of the man pondering on his life’s journey. Yeats uses five sentences, each of which is in one stanza, to describe his ideas. Each of the first for sentences are compound-complex and declarative; however, Yeats’ last sentence is an interrogative with a rhetorical question. Finally, there is a couplet in the first two sentences, and the overall rhyme scheme is abcbdd, a rather simple scheme. W: Yeats uses descriptive adjectives that enhance the man’s elegance of the swans. Terms like brilliant, beautiful, twilight, and mysterious add vivid details and imagery to the poem. Overall, the terms are neither archaic nor simplistic. Yeats uses the perfect blend emotional and concrete details and word usage. I: Imagery, specifically visual imagery, is developed throughout the poem to describe the location, flight, and nature of the swan. The descriptions of the surrounding land, watery home, and misty air are used to develop an image within the reader’s mind. F: There is no use of traditional figurative language like simile or personification; however, an extended metaphor of an unrestricted life developed through the swan as compared to the man is possible. Secondly, Yeats uses rhetorical questioning nearing the end of his poem to elaborate on the helpless nature of the man. T: The tone of The Wild Swans at Coole is bleak and helpless. The man feels his time on earth has been restricted and gone to waste such that when compared to the freedom of the swan (flight), the man’s grounded nature has seemingly wasted his life. T: The theme of Yeats’ poem is a never-ending journey even during the end of one’s life—a restricted journey in which only so much can be accomplished. Unlike the flight and freedom of the swan, the man feels his life to be useless and rather unrewarding.
Final: Initially, I felt that Yeats was describing the end of a man’s life as well as comparing the man’s life to that of a swan. I agree with this description; however, I feel that the tone is not pondering or mysterious but rather depressing and mournful. The man feels his life has been restricted and worth little, while the swan’s majestic flight represents a strong urge for freedom.