The Wild Swans of Coole, By: Yeats

Original
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?The trees are in their autumn beauty, The woodland paths are dry,

First Impression
- Yeat’s poem, The Wild Swans of Coole, is about Yeats describing the beauty of swans. In the beginning of the poem, Yeats sets the mood of the action and states that there are fifty-nine swans. Through the poem, the swans are slowly swimming and moving peacefully. At the end, Yeats wonders what they are going to do next and as he opens his eyes again, the swans are gone.

Paraphrased
The trees are at their autumn beauty,
The paths are dry,
In October’s sun, the water
Resembles a still sky;
And on this beautiful lake
Are fifty-nine swans.

The nineteenth autumn has arrived
Since I can I started counting;
I saw, before I was finished
All the swans stood
And flying in broken unison
With their clamorous wings.

I have seen these brilliant creatures,
And now I am sad.
And now times have changed,
Since the first time on this shore,
The sound of the wings above my wings,
Walking lightly.

Full of life, lover and lover,
They swim in the cold
Swimming peacefully or flying in the air;
Their heart are still young;
Love or hate, wonder where they will fall,
As they attend to find their way.

But now they drift in the water,
Mysterious and elegant;
And what paths will they build,
And by what lake
Delights men’s eyes when I wakeTo see that they are gone?

Syntax and Word Choice
- The poem is written in five stanzas, in which one stanza contains one sentence. The Wild Swans of Coole also follows the rhyme scheme of ABCBDD. The word choice is simple English, with the exception of unwearied, trod, and “nine-and-fifty swans.”
Imagery
- Yeats makes references to earth, water, and air and swans. All three elements tie together into visual imagery. The three elements symbolize the basics of the foundation of freedom. The swans symbolize Yeat’s need for said freedom.
Figurative Language
- One figurative language that Yeats uses is rhetorical question in which Years says “By what lakes edge or pool/ Delight men’s eyes when I awake some day/ To find they have flown away?” What Yeats is asking is, “Where should I look when my freedom has flown away?”
Tone
- Yeats uses a gloomy tone and he almost appears as if he was on the verge of depression. One example if his tone is “And now my heart is sore./ All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,”
Theme
- The overall theme of The Wild Swans of Coole is freedom. As the days goes by, Yeats notices that he follows the same routine every day, whereas the swans have the freedom to fly where ever they like and they are in control of themselves. Yeats yearns for this type of freedom.

Conclusion
- I can understand what Yeats was trying to accomplish through The Wild Swans of Coole. Humans can relate to Yeats and his yearning for freedom, because they too want to escape their normal routine. After analyzing the poem, I can fully understand why Yeats wrote this poem and why he chose swans to be the subject.