About the Poet
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer who stands as one of the foremost figures of twentieth-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, a movement that sought to promote Irish cultural identity through literature and arts.
Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 for his powerful and evocative poetry. His work often explored themes of Irish mythology, politics, mysticism, aging, and the passage of time. An interesting connection: Yeats wrote the preface to the English translation of Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore, for which Tagore won the Nobel Prize in 1913.
The Poem
Full Text
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Summary
The poem is set at Coole Park in County Galway, Ireland, during autumn. The speaker describes a tranquil scene where fifty-nine swans float on a lake under an October twilight. This marks the nineteenth autumn since he first counted these swans at the same location.
The speaker reflects on how much has changed in these nineteen years. When he first visited, he was young and walked with a "lighter tread," full of vitality. Now, as an older man, his "heart is sore" because while the swans remain "unwearied" and timeless in their beauty and passion, he has aged and changed.
The swans symbolize eternal youth, love, and vitality—qualities that remain constant in nature but fade in human life. They continue to paddle "lover by lover," their hearts unaged by time. The poem ends on a melancholic note as the speaker wonders where these swans will be when he wakes one day to find they have flown away, suggesting both their freedom and his mortality.
Central Theme: The passage of time, the contrast between human aging and nature's unchanging beauty, loss of youth, and the permanence of nature versus human transience.
Let's Rewind and Rejoice - Answers
1. What is the season pictured in the poem? Does it have any significance?
The season depicted is autumn (specifically October). Autumn is highly significant as it symbolizes the later stages of life—a time of maturity, decline, and approaching winter (death). Just as autumn marks the transition between the vitality of summer and the barrenness of winter, the poet is in the autumn of his own life, reflecting on aging and mortality. The "autumn beauty" of the trees mirrors both the beauty and sadness of growing old.
2. 'The nineteenth autumn has come upon me,' says the poet. What does he mean by this?
The poet means that nineteen years have passed since he first visited Coole Park and counted the swans. This phrase emphasizes the passage of time and serves as a marker of his aging. Each autumn represents another year of his life, and the repetition highlights how quickly time has flown. The word "upon" suggests that time has descended on him, perhaps burdening him with age and experience.
3. Why is the poet's heart 'sore'?
The poet's heart is sore because he is confronted with the painful reality of aging and change. While the swans remain unchanged—still beautiful, vital, and passionate—he has grown old. The contrast between their eternal youth and his own mortality fills him with sadness and perhaps regret. Everything has changed in his life over nineteen years, while nature's beauty remains constant, making him acutely aware of his own decline.
4. Does the phrase 'at twilight' have any significance? Comment.
Yes, "twilight" is highly symbolic. It represents the transition between day and night, light and darkness, youth and old age. Just as twilight is the fading of light, the poet is in the twilight of his life. The phrase appears twice in the poem: once in the present and once referring to his first visit. This repetition emphasizes that both moments occur during this liminal time, reinforcing the theme of transition and the passage from youth to old age. Twilight also creates a melancholic, reflective atmosphere appropriate for contemplating mortality.
5. How does the poet give voice to nature's beauty and splendour?
Yeats gives voice to nature's beauty through:
- Vivid visual imagery: "trees in their autumn beauty," "water mirrors a still sky," "brilliant creatures"
- Sound imagery: "clamorous wings," "bell-beat of their wings"
- Movement: Swans "mount and scatter wheeling in great broken rings," "paddle in the cold companionable streams or climb the air"
- Sensory details: "dry woodland paths," "brimming water," "still water"
- Personification: The swans are described as having hearts that "have not grown old," and they move "lover by lover"
- Adjectives that convey wonder: "mysterious, beautiful," "brilliant creatures," "companionable streams"
The poet creates a serene, almost magical atmosphere that captures both the physical beauty and the spiritual significance of the natural world.
6. What do the swans in the poem represent?
The swans represent several interconnected ideas:
- Eternal youth and vitality: Unlike the aging poet, they remain "unwearied"
- Unchanging beauty: They are "brilliant," "mysterious, beautiful" across nineteen years
- Love and companionship: They move "lover by lover" in pairs, maintaining their passion
- Freedom: They can "wander where they will" and will eventually fly away
- The timelessness of nature: While humans age and die, nature's cycles continue
- What the poet has lost: Youth, energy, passion, and the lightness of being
The swans serve as a painful contrast to the poet's own aging, making him aware of his mortality.
7. Comment on the contrast between youth and old age as portrayed by the poet.
The contrast is central to the poem's emotional power:
Youth (the poet's past self):
- Walked with a "lighter tread" (physically and emotionally unburdened)
- Heard the wings with wonder and excitement
- Was full of vitality and hope
- First encounter with the swans was fresh and immediate
Old Age (the poet's present self):
- Has a "sore" heart (emotional pain)
- Is weighed down by nineteen years of change
- Feels the burden of time
- Views the swans with melancholy and awareness of loss
The Swans (eternally young):
- "Unwearied still"
- "Their hearts have not grown old"
- "Passion or conquest... attend upon them still"
This contrast emphasizes the tragic nature of human existence: we are subject to time and decay while nature continues its beautiful, indifferent cycles. The poet's observation of the unchanged swans intensifies his awareness of his own aging.