The Wild Swans at Coole- W. B. 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?

First Instinct

          After reading through the poem “The Wild Swan at Coole” by Yeats my first reaction was that the poem is written in the season autumn. My Next reaction was that the individual in which the poem is written about was impacted greatly by the weather and events that were occurring around him. My final reaction to the poem is that the poem is actually describing actually swans and their beauty. I came to this conclusion because throughout the poem, Yeats discusses the swans and their wings. Also he talks about how much the swans love each other and will never part from each other.

Paraphrasing

The trees are colorful because of the season.
The land is dry
Under the October night the water
Reflects a still sky;
On top of the water among the stones
Are swans.

The weather has grown on me
Since I was first here
I saw, before I  was finished
All of a sudden got up
And flew in different directions
Flying with their wings.

I have watched these smart animals

And now my heart is hurting.
All has changed, since that October night
The first time here
The swans fly above me
Trod with a lighter steps

Partners side by side
They fly in the cold
Together streams or climbing the air,
Their hearts are still young
Love or adventure, go where they please
Wonder to where

However, they float on the still water,
Mysterious and beautiful
They will build
By the edge of the lake
Delightful to the human eyes, every day
To discover on day they are gone?

SWIFTT

          Syntax/Word: The stanza being one whole sentence functions to allow Yeats to express his thought completely. This structure supports the author’s purpose to make it easier for the readers to clearly understand his thoughts on the topic in which he is discussing. Words like brilliant and twilight are used to describe both the swans and the environment surrounding them. This is significant because these words add a since of vibrant and liveliness to the poem.

          Imagery: Throughout the poem, Yeats uses visual imagery to have the reader’s picture what he is discussing. For example, in the beginning stanza, Yeats mentions the reflection on the night sky in the water. This is significant to the poem because the readers can better visualize why the individual admires the swans and scenery. Another image that is in the poem, is the picture of the swans flying above the individual’s head. This is significant to the poem because it allows the readers to understand why the individual wish to be free like the swans. Since the swans have the ability to fly, they are basically free to do what they please. Humans do not have this ability.

          Figurative: After analyzing the poem, readers realize that Yeats did not use typical figurative language in the poem. However Yeats did use the swans to compare them to humans.  Swans were used to be compared to humans because swans are beautiful, love each other, and are free. These characteristics of swans are the characteristics humans yearn to have.

          Tone: Once the reader have fully analyzed the poem by Yeats, readers can conclude that the tone of the poem is admiring. There is an admiring tone about the poem for plenty of reasons. First reason is that the individual  is admiring the environment surrounding him. He notices how the still water reflect the night time sky. Second reason is that individual admires the swans. He admires the swans because they are always together. Also the swans are free to do whatever the y please. The final reason is that the individual admires the other individual, whom they fell in love with. If the individual did not admire the significant other, they would not be in love.

          Theme: After further analyzing the poem by Yeats, the readers can have a better understand of what the theme of the poem is. The theme of the poem is that no matter what kind of boundaries an individual has in their life, they should live it to the fullest. The individual in the poem lives his life to fullest because he manages to fall in love while a night. Then he decided to spend forever with his significant other, until they decided to leave him or her. If the individual had not lived his or her life, they would have never known whether or not what would have happened.

Conclusion

          After further analyzing the poem “The Wild Swans at Coole” by Yeats readers can conclude what Yeats' true meaning for writing the poem is. Once I closely analyzed the poem, I concluded that my first reaction was not completely correct. The poem is about swans; however, Yeats is using the swans as a metaphor to humans. The true meaning of the poem discusses how an individual fell in love. On one October night an individual fell in love with somebody. Together the couple was always by each other’s side and did everything together. Even though the couple was in love, they ended up suddenly drifting apart.