The Wild Swans at Coole

The Wild Swans at Coole

Literally, this poem is about a man who revisits a park he had been to for the past nineteen years. The persona describes the surrounding scenery, such as its “autumn beauty” and the “brimming water among the stones”. However, symbolically, the persona explores how he feels towards aging and he compares his stagnant life with the “brilliant creatures” that scattered “wheeling in great broken rings/upon their clamorous wings”. Symbolism of youth and aural imagery created by the swans’ clamorous wings accentuate how much the persona’s “heart is sore”, which effectively shows his envy of the swans’ youth and the love they possess, which is evident in how “their hearts have not grown old”. Due to being in love, the swans will continue to possess vitality and vigour, but sadly, in effect, the persona feels inadequate since “all’s changed”. He knows that his life will remain stagnant while the swans take their youth with them and continue on with their lives. This is apparent in “passion or conquest, wander where they will”. Emotive language and third person narration is used in this line to show that the persona is excluded and incapable of feeling intense emotions, which are associated with youth. The fourth stanza also reveals the persona’s desire for love and how he wants to be “unwearied still, lover by lover”. The third person narration also emphasizes the isolation felt by him. The reflective mood portrayed throughout the poem indicates how the persona yearns to be young again and is shown in how he “trod with a lighter tread”, when he used to be a lot happier. The persona feels a sensation of loss towards the end of the poem as he questions what will happen after the swans “have flown away?” This rhetorical question exposes the persona’s uncertainty about the future and how unaccomplished he feels in life. In this poem, Yeats utilises ideas that remain true within any timeframe, such as emotions of love and regret and the desire for companionship. Regardless of whether the responders interpreted this poem during the early 1900’s or the start of the twenty