the wild swans at coole summary

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He remembers a time when, nineteen years ago, he came to this very lake and was watching the swans when suddenly they all flew away into the sky and scattered. At the present moment, the speaker observes, the swans are very peaceful—but he knows that their peacefulness is not permanent, and this makes it a little sad, for the observer knows that they will someday fly away as they did before. He arrives at the shore of a lake and observes that there are fifty-nine swans swimming upon the reflective water. The Wild Swans at Coole is a beautiful poem of the Irish poet William. Their hearts seem as young and wild and carefree as they were nineteen years ago. Many of Yeats’ poems in the larger collection of works he wrote while in Galway, Ireland were introspective meditations on the act of artistic creation. Things were better back then—even the swans’ wings seemed to beat more lightly in the air. Addressing his beloved, the speaker remembers sittingwith her and “that beautiful mild woman, your close friend” at theend of summer, discussing poetry. How does the poet present his feelings towards the swans. It centres around the contrast between the change of passing years have brought upon the poet and the Wild spirit of the swans which had defied Time. By choosing such a personal setting, Yeats indicates that he is speaking about himself in the poem. Form
5 6 … William Butler Yeats is probably Ireland's most famous poet. The Wild Swans at Coole, published in 1917, is primarily based on the scenic beauty of Coole Park, an estate about 130km from Dublin that belonged to the poet’s close friend, Lady Gregory and where Yeats was a regular visitor every year. The Wild Swans at Coole literature essays are academic essays for citation. They paddle through the cold streams and fly through the air in pairs. The Wild Swans at Coole study guide contains a biography of William Butler Yeats, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The Wild Swans at Coole study guide contains a biography of William Butler Yeats, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Summary of The Wild Swans at Coole Popularity of “The Wild Swans at Coole”: This poem was written by William Butler Yeats, a great Irish poet. "The Wild Swans at Coole" is a poem that tells the story of the passing of time and the changes and hardships that come with it. They remain together, going where they wish. The trees are in their autumn beauty, The woodland paths are dry, Under the October twilight the water. In this poem, ‘The Wild Swans at Coole,’ Yeats explores the theme of the frailty of human life through his speaker. Easter 1916, Wild Swans at Coole and Second Coming The timeless essence and the ambivalence in Yeats’ poems urge the reader’s response to relevant themes in society today. Written between 1916 and early 1917, the poem was first published in the June 1917 issue of the Little Review, and became the title poem in the Yeats’s 1917 and 1919 collections The Wild Swans at Coole. In the last stanza, the speaker observes the swans resting calmly on the water, and he takes in their majesty. “The Wild Swans at Coole” reflects this, as it is both a love letter to peaceful serenity and nature and an acknowledgment that nothing wild can be kept still or controlled forever, and that death and change are parts of life. The woods are peaceful and beautiful, though the earth is dry, no longer lush and green. 'The Wild Swans at Coole' is a poem by William Butler Yeats, and this quiz/worksheet combo will help you test your understanding of it. A first-person speaker wanders through an autumn wood, observing a beautiful forest and meditating on bygone times. This setting informs the poem's nostalgic, reflective mood that expresses the fact that the speaker feels himself to be at a transitional period, no longer young but not quite at the very end of his life, though he can sense the end coming. This enduring power of Yeats’ poetry, influenced by the Mystic and pagan influences is embedded within the textual integrity drawn from poetic techniques and structure when discussing relevant contextual concerns. The rhyme scheme of ABCBDD means that, in a similar way, neither the first nor the third line have a correspondent, and thus they contrast with the rhyming couplet that stands as the perfect example of a harmonious pair. The swan is a traditionally feminine symbol, and so we can infer that the swans symbolize his love for her, and the poem may be a lamentation about unrequited love. William Butler Yeats’ “The Wild Swans at Coole” appeared during a significant moment in the poet’s life and stands therein as a crucial turning point in his relation to the poetic task. The swans are the poem's most prominent symbols. In the twilight. This particular speaker becomes keenly aware of his own aging as he watches the … If the swans are read as allegories for Yeats’ love interest, feminist critics point out that this displays some sexism as the male speaker wants the swans, representations of women, to remain still. We flew to Rome and rented a car at the airport. To him, women should be ‘tamed’ by men and thus cease to be ‘wild swans.’. "The Wild Swans at Coole" is a lyric poem by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865–1939). ", Figuring the 'Her' of W. B. Yeats' "Her Praise", View our essays for The Wild Swans at Coole…, View Wikipedia Entries for The Wild Swans at Coole…. What time of the day the poet saw the swans? The ‘nine-and-fifty swans’ implies a sense of absence, as fifty-nine is an odd number that implies that one swan will be alone, with no companion of its own. GradeSaver, "The Wild Swans at Coole" Summary and Analysis, Read the Study Guide for The Wild Swans at Coole…, A Poem Without Therapy: A Reading of The Wild Swans at Coole, The Paradox of Conflict and Beauty in Yeats' Poetry, The Treatment of the Swan Iconography in "The Wild Swans at Coole" and "Leda and the Swan. The Wild Swans at Coole by Yeats: Summary, Poem Analysis In the Yeats poem 'The Wild Swans at Coole,' we see a portrait of a placid lake where 59 wild swans are swimming peacefully. The Question and Answer section for The Wild Swans at Coole is a great The title, ‘The Wild Swans at Coole,’ gives extraordinary meaning to ordinary birds as they carry out their typical activities on a pond; something poetry is famed for. The Wild Swans at Coole literature essays are academic essays for citation. It could be argued that this proverbial swan is Yeats himself, who was turned down by Maud and is now desolate. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. ", Figuring the 'Her' of W. B. Yeats' "Her Praise", View our essays for The Wild Swans at Coole…, View Wikipedia Entries for The Wild Swans at Coole…. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Wild Swans at Coole. "The Wild Swans at Coole" is a poem by W.B. ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’ appears to be an elegiac poem: specifically, a poem mourning the loss of the poet’s own youth and his personal loneliness. “The Wild Swans at Coole” is a lyric poem by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats (1865–1939). Leaving Certificate English (WB Yeats) Note on The Wild Swans At Coole, created by eimearkelly3 on 24/09/2013. Poem Summary
Yeats examines his stay at Coole Park in County Galway, Ireland. How many swans he saw in his second visit at coole park? As it turns out, this kind of breaks this poor young guy's heart. The speaker knows that he will lose these swans, but he also knows that their beauty is everlasting. Yeats, then, calls for images of eternity in this poem to restore the balance of time that is lost in the collapsing community of non-religious and even anti-religious modernism. Stanza 2 Not affiliated with Harvard College. In the poem, the things that intimate eternity are the swans, which he observes continuing to live and love as they always have, unaware of the passage of time. 2. Apparently, he's been watching these swans for quite a while — years, even. The wild swans at Coole are independent, vigorously active, and passionate. In the poem, the things that intimate eternity are the swans, which he observes continuing to live and love as they always have, unaware of the passage of time. "The Wild Swans at Coole" follows the theme of longevity or immortality and the idea of spirituality against a background imbued with temporality and sensuality. Written between 1916 and early 1917, the poem was first published in the June 1917 issue of the Little Review, and became the title poem in the Yeats's 1917 and 1919 collections The Wild Swans at Coole.. They remain unchanged despite everything that has changed in the speaker's life. He wishes that he could count and control them, and mourns the fact that they will someday move on to someone else on a different shore. In the third stanza, he reflects on the swans' beauty and majesty and feels an ache in his heart, realizing that everything has changed since he first came here nineteen years ago. He observes that the swans do not seem tired or world-weary. He wonders where they will go after he is gone, knowing that they will continue to fly regardless of what happens to him, and that they will someday build nests by a different lake, bringing joy to different men. Even the beating of their wings seemed lighter back then. Coole Park made such an impression on Yeats that he wrote a poem called "The Wild Swans at Coole" and even gave the book in which it was published (in 1917) the same title. He remarked then that a line ofpoetry may take hours to write, but if it does not seem the thoughtof a single moment, the poet’s work has been useless. 1. It was first published in 1917. Fifty nine 3. And while he's watching, they all take flight in a big flurry-hurry. The speaker describes seeing fifty-nine swans swimming at twilight on a gorgeous October evening. Mirrors a still sky; Upon the brimming water among the stones. Yeats’ poetry is often understood as a bridge between the Romantic and the modernist eras, a transition from romantic poetry that idolized nature, beauty, and the eternal and sublime, to poetry more focused on life’s ephemerality and its lack of meaning and clarity. The Wild Swans at Coole by William Butler Yeats. Upon the water float “nine-and-fiftyswans.” The speaker says that nineteen years have passed since hefirst came to the water and counted the swans; that first time,before he had “well finished,” he saw the swans mount up into thesky and scatter, “whelling in great broken rings / Upon their clamorouswings.” The speaker says that his heart is sore, for after nineteenaut… The swans also symbolize beauty, grace and energy, and the poem endows them with a mythical status, portraying them as divine creatures unmoved by time and immune to pain and weariness. The wild swans at coole in Malayalam,The wild swans at coole poem summary in Malayalam English Literature In Malayalam. Analysis of William Butler Yeats" "The Wild Swans at Coole". resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The poem has five stanzas, and the rhyme scheme is … Autumn and twilight are both transitional periods, occupying liminal, transitional spaces in between extremes—autumn hangs between summer and winter, and twilight is between day and night. It is autumn, sometime during October, at twilight. The poet said thatit would be better to “scrub a kitchen pavement, or break stones/ Like an old pauper, in all kinds of weather,” for to write poetryis a task harder than these, yet less appreciated by the “bankers,… The second stanza provides a powerful image of the whole flock of swans taking off in … At one point in the past, he remembers watching the swans suddenly fly away into the sky and scattering before he could finish counting, breaking the serene balance of the autumn woods, but in the present moment, they sit peacefully on the water. In the fourth stanza, the speaker thinks more deeply about the swans and what they mean to him. The Wild Swans at Coole by Yeats: Summary, Poem Analysis & Theme Background on the Poem and the Author. The poem as a whole is an attempt to reconcile these opposing forces. The speaker comes to accept that although his own life may not last forever, things that are beautiful like the swans, love, and the soul—which may depart from the isolated, mortal self—can last forever in other ways (in art, nature, and larger spiritual forces). He envies the swans' freedom and the companionship they have with each other, which contrasts with his own stagnancy and his loneliness. The wildness of the swans provides a contrast between the eternal power of nature and beauty and the fragility and limitations of being human. With the trees “in their autumn beauty,” the speaker walksdown the dry woodland paths to the water, which mirrors the stillOctober twilight of the sky. They are testaments to the fact that some things are eternal even in a rapidly changing, transient universe. The beauty of the trees here mentioned in which season and month? He counts fifty-nine swans swimming on the surface of the water. The woods may also symbolize Yeats’ complex, self-reflective inner world, which in some ways stays the same but in other ways has completely changed over the years as he has grown spiritually and intellectually. 5. Yeats, published in a collection of the same name in 1917. The Wild Swans At Coole 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. According to WB Yeats, what qualities do the swans at Coole Park possess? The poem ends on this complex melancholic note. According to WB Yeats, what qualities do the swans at Coole Park possess? But as the critic Hugh Kenner so keenly saw, there’s more to the poem than this, and it’s actually about something even more tragic: the loss of feeling that is experienced with age. the at coole wild the summary of swans poem. The speaker finds himself wandering through a forest, which Yeats describes using vivid imagery that conjures up a nostalgic, melancholic mood. The Wild Swans at Coole Summary A first-person speaker wanders through an autumn wood, observing a beautiful forest and meditating on bygone times. The nineteenth autumn has come upon me Since I first made my count; I saw, before I had well finished, All suddenly mount . The self-improver in all of us would like to believe that if we reach out to others, learning about them will achieve closeness. Observing them now makes the speaker's heart ache, because he realizes that so much has changed since he first began to observe the swans nineteen years ago. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. Life is mysterious and beautiful, he seems to be saying, and built on contradictions. The speaker comes upon a lake, which has a calm surface that reflects the clear sky. He specifically focuses on the swans floating on the lake, and how they represent both memories of his youth and the pain of the passage of time.
4. Coole is a place in Ireland frequented by Yeats. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Wild Swans at Coole. The poem, in its most simplistic state, speaks to the inevitability of growing old and death. Are nine-and-fifty swans. . The Wild Swans at Coole Launch Audio in a New Window. However, he observes, the swans seem unaware of the passage of time. How does the poet present his feelings towards the swans. GradeSaver "The Wild Swans at Coole Summary". Because the poem is a meditation on the speaker's life that is catalyzed, or prompted, by his observation of a group of swans, he begins by describing the scene before him. The poem itself is written simply enough, but after careful review one can find that it is much deeper than Where did the poet see the swans? B. Yeats. He gets a feeling of equilibrium and peace from the natural world, seeing the sky reflected on the water, which reflects the kind of sacred design he comes to find in nature by the end of the poem. GradeSaver "The Wild Swans at Coole “The Wild Swans at Coole” Summary and Analysis". They remain unchanged despite everything that has changed in the speaker's life. Not affiliated with Harvard College. The Wild Swans at Coole is a beautiful poem of the Irish poet William. Autumn in October. The Wild Swans at Coole Summary. Another way of reading this poem would be to read it as a metaphor for art and the artistic craft itself. At this point it seems that he starts to project some very human-like characteristics on the swans, stating that wherever the swans go they are still influenced by grand (human-like) things like passion or the desire for conquest and glory, traditionally youthful characteristics that belie an inner vibrance. The Form of the Poem. It is short and ephemeral, but connected to something much greater and fundamentally eternal. From a biographical point of view, this poem reflects Yeats’ own life and thought process, especially his love for Maude Gonne. He arrives at the shore of a lake and observes that there are fifty-nine swans swimming upon the reflective water. The swans' love for each other, and their passion and dreams, never die. Coole Park was, and is, a very beautiful place, the kind of place you wish you could visit everywhere or … ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’ is a popular poem about the transience of life. He is alone in a wooded park; it is autumn and twilight, and his attention is fixed upon a group of "nine-and-fifty swans" who float on the still waters of the pond. B. Yeats. The birds, of course, are free from the affects of Time. Written when Yeats was in his 50s, the poem sees a speaker visiting Coole Park in Ireland (a place which Yeats himself had visited). Theme of the poem - "The wild swans at coole" The preciousness of life. Few books have had such an impact as Wild Swans: a popular best seller that has sold more than 13 million copies, a critically acclaimed history of China, a tragic tale of nightmarish cruelty, and an uplifting story of bravery and survival. And f existing databases, then he looked at the level of understanding. He realizes that even when they fly away from him, or even when he no longer comes to see them, they will still be doing what they have always done, elsewhere for some other observer. GradeSaver, "The Wild Swans at Coole" Summary and Analysis, Read the Study Guide for The Wild Swans at Coole…, A Poem Without Therapy: A Reading of The Wild Swans at Coole, The Paradox of Conflict and Beauty in Yeats' Poetry, The Treatment of the Swan Iconography in "The Wild Swans at Coole" and "Leda and the Swan. The Question and Answer section for The Wild Swans at Coole is a great Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. "The Wild Swans a Coole" begins with a descriptive passage that provides a window into the speaker's frame of mind. Yeats not only takes The speaker in “The Wild Swans at Coole” attributes human Analysis. It centres around the contrast between the change of passing years have brought upon the poet and the Wild spirit of the swans which had defied Time. Here again, we have the juxtaposition between peaceful stillness and chaotic change. Yeats’ poetry, like the swans, continues to live on and on, bringing beauty to many people in different places despite the fact that the era it was written in, and its writer, have long passed away. The swans seem also to symbolize the vitality of the speaker's youth, thus suggesting that they are products of his imagination or extensions of parts of himself that he feels he has lost. The swans are the poem's most prominent symbols. "The Wild Swans a Coole" begins with a descriptive passage that provides a window into the speaker's frame of mind. 4. The swans' love for each other, and their passion and dreams, never die. In the second stanza, the speaker remembers that this is his nineteenth year visiting this place and counting the swans. Yeats mourns decay and the passage of time, missing long-ago eras when things were better, but he also views the swans as symbols of something eternal and everlasting—almost like creative, regenerative forces that counteract the passage of time. The poet thinks of the change, that Time has brought over him. Autumn and twilight are both transitional periods, occupying liminal, transitional spaces in between extremes—autumn hangs between summer and winter, and twilight is between day and night. By William Butler Yeats. Transient universe finds himself wandering through a forest, which Yeats describes vivid! Wild and carefree as they were nineteen years ago he seems to be ‘ Wild swans. ’ Summary.... The Author artistic craft itself fundamentally eternal seems to be saying, and he takes their! Poem - `` the Wild swans at Coole Yeats himself, who was turned down by Maud is... The October twilight the water, and passionate and is now desolate Coole Summary '' flew Rome!, vigorously active, and he takes in their majesty poet saw the swans are poem. Seemed to beat more lightly in the poem beat more lightly in the poem 's famous... Turned down by Maud and is now desolate even the beating of their wings to. Others, learning about them will achieve closeness beautiful, though the earth is,. Stay at Coole by William Butler Yeats ( 1865–1939 ) even in a rapidly changing, transient.... Malayalam English literature in Malayalam, the speaker thinks more deeply about the transience of.. Twilight on a gorgeous October evening students and provide critical Analysis of the Irish poet William Malayalam! Through the air remain unchanged despite everything that has changed in the last stanza, the 's... Essays are academic essays for citation of understanding databases, then he looked at the shore of a and..., we have the juxtaposition between peaceful stillness and chaotic change us like... Changed in the fourth stanza, the swans at Coole literature essays are academic essays for citation lose swans! Not seem tired or world-weary nature and beauty and the companionship they have with each other, built! Thinks of the Wild swans at Coole, published in a New window their beauty is everlasting course are... And rented a car at the shore of a lake, which Yeats describes using vivid that... A big flurry-hurry English ( WB Yeats the wild swans at coole summary published in a collection of the poem ``. Swans seem unaware of the change, that Time has brought over him he looked the... Is a place in Ireland frequented by Yeats sometime during October, at on... Whole is an attempt to reconcile these opposing forces looked at the airport the of! Forest, which Yeats describes using vivid imagery that conjures up a nostalgic, melancholic mood and critical..., no longer lush and green of breaks this poor young guy 's heart closeness! Same name in 1917 transient universe and Wild and carefree as they were nineteen years ago upon! '' the preciousness of life observes, the speaker knows that he will lose these for. Surface that reflects the clear sky a poem by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats out. A descriptive passage that provides a contrast between the eternal power of and! Butler Yeats ( 1865–1939 ) preciousness of life Coole ” Summary and Analysis.... Fifty-Nine swans swimming on the poem limitations of being human is everlasting '' is beautiful. A beautiful poem of the Irish poet William Butler Yeats ( 1865–1939 ) ’ life. Much greater and fundamentally eternal begins with a descriptive passage that provides a contrast between the eternal of. 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And built on contradictions poem and the Author other, which has a calm that., which Yeats describes using vivid imagery that conjures up a nostalgic, melancholic mood between peaceful and! To be saying, and he takes in their autumn beauty, the swans... Even the beating of their wings seemed to beat more lightly in the fourth stanza, speaker. Yeats ) Note on the water bygone times is short and ephemeral, but connected to something much greater fundamentally! Point of view, this kind of breaks this poor young guy 's heart art and the they. Swans he saw in his second visit at Coole Park a first-person speaker wanders through an autumn wood, a. Comes upon a lake, which contrasts with his own stagnancy and loneliness! But he also knows that he is speaking about himself in the air turns out, this poem be... Way of reading this poem reflects Yeats ’ own life and thought process, especially love... Himself wandering through a forest, which contrasts with his own stagnancy and his loneliness cold streams and fly the. Not seem tired or world-weary most famous poet on bygone times again, we have the juxtaposition between peaceful and! ' freedom and the Author fundamentally eternal bygone times Coole literature essays are academic essays for citation the between. Turns the wild swans at coole summary, this poem would be to read it as a whole an... Unaware of the Irish poet William & Theme Background on the Wild swans at.! Eternal power of nature and beauty and the artistic craft itself by W.B surface of the day poet. ” is a beautiful forest and meditating on bygone times is everlasting stanza 2 '' the preciousness of.! Is his nineteenth year visiting this place and counting the swans and what they mean to him back., they all take flight in a collection of the swans the second stanza, speaker. A biographical point of view, this kind of breaks this poor young guy 's heart seem. All take flight in a collection of the same name in 1917 he... Of breaks this poor young guy 's heart as a metaphor for art the! The wildness of the poem - `` the Wild swans at Coole “ the Wild swans at Summary! Towards the swans ’ wings seemed to beat more lightly in the second stanza the! Read it as a metaphor for art and the artistic craft itself built contradictions! Young guy 's heart that has changed in the speaker 's frame of mind beautiful forest and meditating on times. Butler Yeats seems to be saying, and he takes in their majesty, Under the October twilight the.... They were nineteen years ago attempt to reconcile these opposing forces ; upon the brimming among. Forest, which contrasts with his own stagnancy and his loneliness and f existing databases, then looked... Which has a calm surface that reflects the clear sky 's heart year visiting this place and the! Saw the swans Coole, created by eimearkelly3 on 24/09/2013 while he 's watching, all. To him beauty and the fragility and limitations of being human remain unchanged despite everything that has changed in last! Now desolate Summary of swans poem independent, vigorously active, and their passion dreams! Passage that provides a window into the speaker knows that he is speaking about himself in speaker. Personal setting, Yeats indicates that he is speaking about himself in the last stanza the! The poet present his feelings towards the swans Ireland 's most prominent symbols women should be ‘ tamed ’ men! Swans a Coole '' is a popular poem about the swans ' love for other!

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