Ms Cotter's Class

In this poem, Yeats once more explores the natural world and his relationship with it. He  describes standing on the shore of a lake at Coole Park in Co. Galway and watching the swans who populate it . Yeats is clearly fascinated by the swans but he also envies their seemingly eternal  youth and beauty, as well as their companionship. The image of a solitary Yeats passively  standing on the shore of the lake contrasts starkly with the movement and energy of the  swans. 

In the first stanza, we are introduced to the setting of the poem. Yeats tells us that ‘the trees  are in their autumn beauty’ and ‘the woodland paths are dry.’ The references to ‘autumn’,  ‘October’ and ‘twilight’ in the opening stanza introduce us to one of the central themes of the poem: the concept of aging and the poet’s weariness as he reluctantly approaches the end stages  of his life.  

The atmosphere in the opening stanza is still and peaceful. The speaker tells us that there  are ‘nine and fifty swans’. This precise detail conveys the poet’s fascination with the swans  as well as the amount of leisure time he has.  

In the second stanza, we are told that Yeats has been counting the swans for nineteen  years. Not only does this confirm his enduring fascination with the birds, it also marks a  rather large passage of time. There is a marked contrast in this stanza between speaker and  subject, as the swans suddenly ‘scatter wheeling in great broken wings upon their  clamorous wings’ before the poet is finished counting them. The poet’s since of loneliness  and passiveness is further compounded by this image: while the poet is captivated by the  swans, they seem indifferent to him.  

The third stanza is the most revealing. There is a contrast between the younger, more  carefree Yeats and the older, wearier Yeats. The seemingly eternal beauty and energy of the  swans reminds the poet of his own mortality. When he looks at the ‘brilliant’ creatures his  heart becomes ‘sore.’ When he first stood on the lakeshore nineteen years before, he ‘trod  with a lighter tread.’ Once more, the energy and movement of the swans is reinforced by  the cacophonous description of the ‘bell-beat’ of their wings.  

In the penultimate stanza, Yeats describes how the swans are ‘unwearied.’ Their seemingly  boundless energy and vitality seems to come from the companionship they share with each  other. The verbs ‘paddle’ and ‘climb’ reinforce the swan’s vigour. In contrast to the speaker  the swans’ ‘hearts have not grown old.’ They retain their sense of ‘passion’ and ‘conquest’ as  opposed to the poet, who feels weary and aimless at this juncture of his life.  

In the final stanza, the phrase ‘but now’ brings us back to the present moment. Similarly to  the opening stanza, the atmosphere is now calm and peaceful. The swans ‘drift on the still  water.’ The poet refers to them as ‘mysterious’ and ‘beautiful.’ The poet views the swans as  mysterious as he is not aware of where they go when they leave the lake. He seems to envy  their ability to ‘wander’ while he appears disillusioned and rather jaded.  

The poem is written with a rather erratic rhythm. This perhaps represents the poet’s turmoil  and sense of weariness. This contrasts with the regular rhyming scheme of the poem. The  poet, while generally fatigued and melancholy, still appreciates the beauty that surrounds  him and this is reflected in the rather pleasing rhyming scheme of the poem.