Post by Admin on Oct 3, 2016 20:16:02 GMT
Yeats is visiting Coole Park in Galway. As he stands by the lake’s edge on a beautiful autumn evening looking at the swans that have gathered in the water, he is overcome by a powerful feeling of loss and loneliness. It is nineteen years since he first counted the swans. The swans appear to be as youthful and graceful as when he first saw them, while he has grown old and is alone.
Theme
Lost love
Loneliness
Passing of time
The day is coming to an end; the year is coming to an end. The swans appear to be as unchanged and mysterious as they were when the poet first saw them nineteen years before. However, in that time he has grown old and has entered the “autumn” years of his life.
The poet does not tell us directly why his “heart is sore” but if we look at his description of the swans we find some clues to his sadness. He has no one to share the sight of the swans with him and this saddens him “lover by lover they paddle in cold companionable streams”
Imagery
Yeats evokes a beautiful autumnal scene as he walks on the woodland paths. The water acts a mirror and reflects the sky perfectly. This image also gives us a hint of the poet’s state of mind as he sees the swans gathering on the lake. It is also worth noting that there are fifty-nine swans, which means that one swan is alone.
The poet watches by the lakes edge and begins to count the swans. But, before he is finished, the peace of the moment is shattered when the swans “suddenly mount” and fly into the air. The swans are enduring symbols do grace, strength, beauty and loyalty. The image of “great broken rings” suggests their freedom and power as they soar above the poet. Their sudden flight disturbs the calm surface of the poem and causes the poet to reflect on how much his life has changed in the years since he first saw them. The vitality and strength of the swans forms a comparison to his own feelings of tiredness and solitude.
Final stanza. The poem returns again to the tranquil image of the swans afloat on the lake having returned from their “clamorous” flight. Peace is restored. The poet realises that some day the swans will not be there when he returns. This final image sums up his sense of loss and the poem ends with the uncertainty of a question.
Language
Assonance
The calm and tranquil mood of the poem is enhanced by the use of assonance. In the first stanza of the poem we find this effect in the repetition of the “i” and “y” sounds. Combined with rhyme, the assonance here helps to convey the tranquillity and lightness of the scene.
Rhyme
The poem is a beautiful melodic poem with an intricate rhyming scheme. With the “stones” and “swans” we hear the repetition of the “s” and “n” sounds, with “dry” and “sky” we have the repetition of the “y” sound.
Symbolism
·The setting of the poem is a walk on an autumn evening and the colour and texture of the poem is autumnal. But autumn is also used to suggest that the poet is growing older, that he is entering the autumn of his life. The fact that the poem takes place at twilight also reinforces this – the day is coming to an end and nightfall is approaching.
·The second symbols are the swans. They appear in every stanza and are never out of the poet’s view. They are a symbol of youth and lasting love. Even after nineteen years the swans swim “lover by lover” and“their hearts have not grown old”. But the poet’s heart has grown old. He was once “unwearied” and in love but now he is growing old alone.
Tone
The tone of the 1st stanza is calm. The poet is quiet as he looks at the swans not wanting to disturb the beautiful scene. The tranquillity of the poet is broken when the swans “suddenly mount” and the image of the swans quietly floating on the lake is replaced by the sound of their “clamorous wings”. This sudden movement of the swans disturbs the calm and tranquil tone of the poem. The poet is reminded that“all’s changed” since he first saw them nineteen years before, We hear a note of weariness in the lines“and now my heart is sore. All’s changed since I, hearing at twilight, the first time on this shore”. In the final stanza, the swans have settled again by the still waters of the lake, but the poet realises that one day they will fly away and this confirms his sense of sadness and loneliness.
Theme
Lost love
Loneliness
Passing of time
The day is coming to an end; the year is coming to an end. The swans appear to be as unchanged and mysterious as they were when the poet first saw them nineteen years before. However, in that time he has grown old and has entered the “autumn” years of his life.
The poet does not tell us directly why his “heart is sore” but if we look at his description of the swans we find some clues to his sadness. He has no one to share the sight of the swans with him and this saddens him “lover by lover they paddle in cold companionable streams”
Imagery
Yeats evokes a beautiful autumnal scene as he walks on the woodland paths. The water acts a mirror and reflects the sky perfectly. This image also gives us a hint of the poet’s state of mind as he sees the swans gathering on the lake. It is also worth noting that there are fifty-nine swans, which means that one swan is alone.
The poet watches by the lakes edge and begins to count the swans. But, before he is finished, the peace of the moment is shattered when the swans “suddenly mount” and fly into the air. The swans are enduring symbols do grace, strength, beauty and loyalty. The image of “great broken rings” suggests their freedom and power as they soar above the poet. Their sudden flight disturbs the calm surface of the poem and causes the poet to reflect on how much his life has changed in the years since he first saw them. The vitality and strength of the swans forms a comparison to his own feelings of tiredness and solitude.
Final stanza. The poem returns again to the tranquil image of the swans afloat on the lake having returned from their “clamorous” flight. Peace is restored. The poet realises that some day the swans will not be there when he returns. This final image sums up his sense of loss and the poem ends with the uncertainty of a question.
Language
Assonance
The calm and tranquil mood of the poem is enhanced by the use of assonance. In the first stanza of the poem we find this effect in the repetition of the “i” and “y” sounds. Combined with rhyme, the assonance here helps to convey the tranquillity and lightness of the scene.
Rhyme
The poem is a beautiful melodic poem with an intricate rhyming scheme. With the “stones” and “swans” we hear the repetition of the “s” and “n” sounds, with “dry” and “sky” we have the repetition of the “y” sound.
Symbolism
·The setting of the poem is a walk on an autumn evening and the colour and texture of the poem is autumnal. But autumn is also used to suggest that the poet is growing older, that he is entering the autumn of his life. The fact that the poem takes place at twilight also reinforces this – the day is coming to an end and nightfall is approaching.
·The second symbols are the swans. They appear in every stanza and are never out of the poet’s view. They are a symbol of youth and lasting love. Even after nineteen years the swans swim “lover by lover” and“their hearts have not grown old”. But the poet’s heart has grown old. He was once “unwearied” and in love but now he is growing old alone.
Tone
The tone of the 1st stanza is calm. The poet is quiet as he looks at the swans not wanting to disturb the beautiful scene. The tranquillity of the poet is broken when the swans “suddenly mount” and the image of the swans quietly floating on the lake is replaced by the sound of their “clamorous wings”. This sudden movement of the swans disturbs the calm and tranquil tone of the poem. The poet is reminded that“all’s changed” since he first saw them nineteen years before, We hear a note of weariness in the lines“and now my heart is sore. All’s changed since I, hearing at twilight, the first time on this shore”. In the final stanza, the swans have settled again by the still waters of the lake, but the poet realises that one day they will fly away and this confirms his sense of sadness and loneliness.
