The Wild Swans at Coole by William Butler Yeats

Text:

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?

Initial Reaction:

I believe this poem is about a man who observes swans at a lake. The man consistently travels to the lake to count swans, which bring him a peace of mind. When they leave, the man feels betrayed and is left in depression.  

Paraphrase:

The trees have the beauty of fall,
The paths of the woods are dry,
Under the twilight of October the water
Reflects the still sky;
And on the water among the stones Upon
Are fifty-nine swans.

This is the nineteenth autumn that has come to me
Since I started counting;
But before I had finished,
All suddenly started flying
And breaking into great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked at those amazing creatures,
And now it hurts my heart.
Everything has changed since I heard at twilight,
For the first time on this shore,
The beating of the swans’ wings above my head,
Walking with a light tread.

Unchanging still, lover by lover,
They paddle through the cold
Through the streams or in the air;
Their hearts have never aged;
Excitement or conquest, will wander where they will,
Are still within the swans.

But now they are drifting on the water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Where will they build their nests,
By what lake shore or pool
Delight men’s eyes to see while I awake someday Delight
To find the swans have flown away?

SWIFTT:

{SW} Syntax/ Word Choice:

Written in iambic form, the poem is composed of five stanzas, each with six lines. The author uses ominous and mysterious words to describe the swans such as, “October twilight,” “autumn beauty” and “beautiful creatures.”

{I} Imagery:

 The author uses imagery to describe the lake filled with swans. To describe the lake, the author uses words such as, “Upon the brimming water,” “the still water,” and “lake's edge or pool.”To describe the swans, the author uses words such as, “nine-and-fifty Swans,” “those brilliant creatures,” and “I have looked at those amazing creatures, And now it hurts my heart.”

{F} Figurative Language:

The poem is an extended metaphor for the want of things in the past and for things in the present to never change. For example, the author had visited the swans “The nineteenth autumn has come upon me,” as the swans “Unwearied still, lover by lover, They paddle in the cold/Companionable streams or climb the air.” However, the narrator was left in shamble when the swans “have flown away.”

{T} Tone:

 The tone is reflective, as the author ponders on how the swans remained unchanged, yet he had changed over time.

{T} Theme:

 The theme of the story is that no matter how hard a person tries, time will continue to move, and people/things will always change. In this poem, the narrator believed that swans would stay with him  as they did for 19 years. However, at the end of the poem, the swans fly away which cause the narrator to change his mind set.  

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem, my initial response was incorrect. In actuality, I believe that the poem shows the narrator mourning the changes in his life. For the past 19 years, the swans always remained with him, consistently showing him the same love. Because the swans were always there, he felt that his life was in place and everything was fine. When the left, however, the narrator’s “heart is sore.”