The wild swans at coole. An Irish Airman Foresees His Death 2022-10-09
The wild swans at coole
Rating:
9,8/10
838
reviews
The Wild Swans at Coole is a poem written by W.B. Yeats, published in 1917. The poem reflects on the passage of time and the fleeting nature of youth and beauty. It is set at Coole Park, the residence of Lady Gregory, a close friend and collaborator of Yeats.
The poem begins with a description of the swans at Coole Park, who are described as being "at ease" and "unwearied" despite the passage of time. The speaker of the poem observes that these swans remain unchanged and unchanging, unlike the speaker and those around him, who have grown older and less vigorous.
The poem then shifts to a meditation on the passage of time and the impermanence of youth and beauty. The speaker laments the loss of his own youth and the changing of the seasons, noting that "all changed, changed utterly" and that "a terrible beauty is born."
The speaker reflects on the fact that he and his contemporaries are no longer the young, idealistic figures they once were. They have grown older and have become jaded and disillusioned, and their once-passionate beliefs have been replaced by a sense of weariness and resignation.
Despite this, the speaker finds solace in the unchanging nature of the swans at Coole Park. They serve as a reminder of a time when he was young and full of hope, and they offer a sense of continuity and stability in a world that is constantly changing.
In conclusion, The Wild Swans at Coole is a poignant meditation on the passage of time and the impermanence of youth and beauty. It is a reminder of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of cherishing and holding onto the memories of our youth.
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
It's believed this Poem was written when Yeats was staying with a friend - Lady Gregory at Coole Park in Ireland. The rhythm is very good. . At first it brings him sadness and a sense of regret about the past, but as he continues to contemplate the "mysterious, beautiful" swans, his sadness gives way to a peaceful sense of wonder that draws him out of his own egoistic, or self-centered, concerns. Yeats, published in a collection of the same name in 1917.
Next
William Butler Yeats
Really enjoyed: An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, The Fisherman. The number of swans 59 and the number of years since the speaker's first count 19 also evoke transition, in a way that the numbers 60 and 20 would not. I haven't much experience with poetry, but am reading a second book by Yeats, The Celtic Twilight, a collection of short stories and I am already enjoying these. It takes place during twilight the threshold between day and night and autumn the season when the liveliness and warmth of summer give way to the hibernation, cold, and stillness of winter. Yet, although this melancholy looms throughout the poem, Yeats succeeds in establishing, by the very structure of the poem, a response to it, transcending his individual despair through the creation of the poetic object itself.
Next
The Wild Swans at Coole Themes
They are still "brilliant creatures", and as "they paddle in the cold companionable streams or climb the air, their hearts have not grown old". This is evident in the second stanza, when the speaker recalls how he was unable to get an accurate count of the swans 19 years ago because they "all suddenly" broke into flight while he was counting. The change is within himself - he was "unwearied" back then, and "trod with a lighter tread", but now his "heart is sore", and he is tired. Yeats addresses two different contrasts in his poem " The poet says, "The nineteenth autumn has come upon me since I first made my count", meaning that nineteen years have passed since he first came to see the swans. There are still a few too many kings and queens, shepherds and goatherds, etc, for my tastes, and the dialogue form of some of the longer pieces is distracting, but as meditations on what it means to be growing old, these are profound and touching reflections. The poet, in contrast, feels that all these wonderful attributes no longer apply to himself; he is tired, and treads heavily now in body and soul.
Next
The Wild Swans at Coole
The swans still retain a sense of "passion or conquest", and are "mysterious" and "beautiful", capable still of "delight ing men's eyes". There's startling and apposite Modernist imagery too - "the dark leopards of the moon" Lines Written in Dejection ; "The struggle of the fly in marmalade" Ego Dominus Tuus. This will probably say more about my ignorance regarding early 20th Century poetry, but I didn't really enjoy it. 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. Peter Tucker as a narrator. 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. .
Next
The Wild Swans at Coole (poem)
Very moving in places. He definitely has the voice for poetry and a good eye for the rhythm. For who could have foretold That the heart grows old. Retrieved 16 December 2020. Written when Yeats was in his 50s, the poem sees a speaker visiting Coole Park in Ireland a place which Yeats himself had visited.
Next
What are the contrasts in "The Wild Swans at Coole" by W. B. Yeats?
I didn't really feel like taking on either on my brief summer holiday, so I went for this, a kind of mid-point. For a human being, time inevitably brings lossāthe ultimate loss being death, which is hinted at in the final stanza. I have looked upon those brilliant creatures, And now my heart is sore. In my mid-50s myself, they now make sense in a way they never could when I read them younger. The writing style here was super bad as well and it really made this poem to a torture of reading it. Also, humour, both rueful Men Improve With The Years and savage On Going Into His House. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original.
Next
The Wild Swans At Coole by W.B. Yeats
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. Just as the swans he sees now move him to recollect the swans as he observed them 19 years ago, the present stillness of the drifting swans is merely a pause pregnant with their ascension into the air at any moment in the future. Peter Tucker as a narrator. Here, he observes a large group of swans, comparing the present moment to his first visit to the park 19 years prior. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work. It's believed this Poem was written when Yeats was staying with a friend - Lady Gregory at Coole Park in Ireland. So, maybe its the subject I don't like so much, maybe the medium.
Next
The Wild Swans at Coole Poem Summary and Analysis
I believe I missed a couple of relevant points, since there seems to be a lot of symbolism and the Irish mythos goes way above my knowledge of world culture. I believe I missed a couple of relevant points, since there seems to be a lot of symbolism and the Irish mythos goes way above my knowledge of world culture. The Oxford Handbook of British and Irish War Poetry. These forces are more powerful than the individual human being, even though in youth the drive for passion and conquest obscures this truth. Yeats upon my recent visit to Dublin.
Next
These are the poems I liked best in the collection: "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death", "The Living Beauty", "The Hawk", "The Cat and the Moon" and "Another Song of a Fool" While I liked a few of the poems in this selection, most were just humdrum for me. He's always mystified me slightly. By personifying these qualities, Yeats suggests that they are not products of human will that can be summoned by one's intentions but are external forces that shape the human personality for a time and then vanish. . Thus he is between the vigor and ambition of youth and the decline of old age. The plot was super boring and really had a hard time trying to like this poem which I failed to do in the end. This is fabulous poetry.
Next