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The poet has passed his prime and so the chances of his marrying and having children are now slim. He
therefore envies the virility of the swans, as well as their beauty and fidelity.
Every year for 19 years, the poet has counted the swans on the nearby lake at Coole Park. He describes
the setting -- a quiet lake just after sunset -- then tells us how the birds lift off into the air, or how they
swim around in pairs on the still water.
There is an air of beauty and mystery about these birds. They bring a sense of majesty to the lake, and
yet the poet is well aware that the flock is getting smaller each year and that one day they might leave
altogether, never to return.
ABOUT THE POET
William Butler Yeats was born in County Dublin (Ireland) in 1865, although the family soon relocated to
Sligo which the young poet came to think of as his spiritual home.
The family moved to England in 1876 so that their father could further his own career as an artist. At first
the young William was home-schooled and entered formal schooling only at the age of 12, where his
performance was described as mediocre.
When the poet was 15, however, the family returned to Dublin and it was here that he began writing
poetry, with his first works being published when he was about 17.
Yeats had a deep interest in mysticism, spiritualism, occultism and astrology, something that is reflected
in many of his poems. Indeed, his "Second Coming" cannot be understood unless this astrological
background is realised.
He was also involved in Irish nationalism, something that is reflected in much of his writing.
In 1883 -- when the poet was but 18 -- he met Maud Gonne, then a 23 year old heiress. Their
friendship would last some 33 years.
By 1916, when Yeats was already 51 years old, he probably realised that chance of marriage with children
was passing him by. He suddenly became intent on having both and decided to propose to Maud Gonne
but she turned him down.
Two rumours arose out of this: first, that his poem "Wild Swans at Coole" was written after the
"shock" of his being turned down and, second, that Maud Gonne suggested he rather marry her
daughter, Iseult.
Probably neither story is true although marriage to the daughter had a greater chance of bearing offspring
than did the poet's marrying the mother.
It seems also likely that the proposal to Gonne herself was more a point of etiquette and that the poet
couched it with such conditions that refusal was the intention.
Yeats did then propose to the daughter but she likewise turned him down. Within months, however, the
poet married the 24 year-old Georgie Hyde-Lees with whom he had two children.
Yeats won several awards for his work, including the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. He died in France
in January 1939 at the age of 74.
Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer
the following questions:
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.
- Do you think it is important for the greater meaning of the poem that it is autumn? (4)
[Need help?]
The word "autumn" has possibly two or three meanings.
It is the season of autumn. The poet therefore wishes to stress the beauty that is all around him, when
the trees are in their autumn colours and there is a delightful chill in the air.
The poet was about 52 years of age when he wrote this poem. He is still unmarried and childless and is
therefore in the autumn of his virile life.
It would also seem that the poet had just broken up from a lady friend of some 33 years. It is therefore
the autumn of his life of friendship with her. This latter feature would cause a sadness in his heart.
As regards this latter, it would seem that the poet has deliberately broken the friendship so as to marry
someone younger who is more likely to be able to bear him a child.
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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.
- Is there a link between the counting of the swans and the fact that it is the nineteenth
autumn? (4)
[Need help?]
There could also be two reasons for this:
The swans represent amazing beauty for the poet. With the growing industrialisation, however, it is
possible that the number of swans is becoming less each year. The poet is therefore counting them as
a means of ascertaining whether or not this is happening.
The counting of the swans could also represent the passing of years. It is also suggested that the poet
has visited Coole Park some 19 years with a lady friend who is no longer with him.
If this is so, then the counting could represent the passing of the time spent with her.
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- Comment on the imagery in the words "scatter wheeling in great broken
rings". (4)
[Need help?]
The broken rings could mean several things:
Swans tend to fly in formation. If they all lifted off the water together, this formation would be briefly
chaotic causing broken rings in the air.
The broken rings also refer to the circular waves left on the water by the swans when they lifted off. Each
swan would create circular waves upon take-off. Each circle intersecting with those left by the other
swans, would create a series of broken rings on the water.
One study-guide suggests the broken rings refer to a broken engagement -- a doubtful interpretation
because it does not seem that the poet was in fact engaged to his lady friend. The friendship itself might
have come to an end but there were no broken promises as such.
Indeed, it would seem that the poet had deliberately proposed to his friend in such a way that she would
refuse him. This would then enable him to propose to her daughter -- she being much younger and more
likely to bear him children.
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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.
- Contrast the way in which the poet sees the swans and the sadness of his own
existence. (4)
[Need help?]
The swans represent youth, companionship and passion. The poet, on the other hand, is in the autumn
of his virile life.
Furthermore, he is possibly alone, with no companion and certainly no passion.
At the same time, the swans are free to migrate wherever they wish whereas, if they do leave, it will deny
the poet even their beauty and companionship.
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- What does the poet mean when he speaks of "the bell-beat of their wings above [his]
head"? (2)
[Need help?]
Like doves, the swans' wings make a most delightful musical note as they are flapped.
Note, however, that the term "bell-beat" of their wings is a combination of alliteration, onomatopoeia
and a metaphor. Be able to explain each.
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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.
- What do the words "lover by lover", "companionable", "passion" and
"conquest" reflect about the poet's mood? (4)
[Need help?]
The swans represent youth, companionship and passion. The poet, on the other hand, is in the autumn
of his virile life.
Furthermore, he is alone, with no companion and certainly no passion.
At the same time, the swans are free to migrate wherever they wish whereas, if they do leave, it will deny
the poet even their beauty and companionship.
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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?
- Why is the poet afraid that the swans will one day fly away? (4)
[Need help?]
Swans make their homes on tranquil lakes and streams. With growing industrialisation and pollution, it
is possible that they would migrate elsewhere.
There is also another possibility. The changing world of the lake might also be synonymous with the
changing world all around him.
The Great War -- 1st World War -- had changed the world as he knew it. At the same time, the Irish
Republican cause to which the poet was committed was all but destroyed.
Everything would now be different.
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- Comment on the effectiveness of the final stanza as a fitting conclusion to the
poem. (4)
[Need help?]
The final stanza refers to the beauty and peace of the swans but brings our attention clearly to the
possibility that the swans may never come back .
With growing industrialization, there was every possibility that the swans could make their home
elsewhere. If that were to happen, the poet's existence would become sad indeed.
One could also perhaps push the idea of the poet's loss of the affection of his lady friend. The swans and
the friendship were perhaps synonymous. The loss of the friendship could therefore foreshadow the loss
of the swans.
There is also another possibility. The changing world of the lake might also be synonymous with the
changing world all around him.
The Great War -- 1st World War -- had changed the world as he knew it. At the same time, the Irish
Republican cause to which the poet was committed was all but destroyed.
Everything would now be different.
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GENERAL QUESTION
- Which word would BEST sum up the tone of this poem? Explain your choice. (4)
[Need help?]
MELANCHOLY would seem to be the best word . Melancholy is described as "a pensive sadness"
which often happens when one visits a place that once brought great joy.
Sadness, on the other hand, would seem to be too harsh a word. "Sad" is described as
"unhappy, feeling sorrow or regret".
This does not adequately describe the tone of this poem. The poet is rather remembering the good times.
This would best be described as "melancholy".
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