1. Original 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?
2. Initial Reaction
The poem seems to reflect the yearning to be free like the swans that can at any moment fly away into the sky. Yeats’ seems to be talking about man’s wish to be free and live life as they want. The poem seems to reflect the feeling that time is flying away over one’s head. Yeats seems saddened at the thought and is mournful because of it. The poem talks about a couple that used to have love but now have become still and quiet and have decided to settle down forever.
3. Paraphrase
Nature is in autumn and is lovely,
There is no rain on the paths,
Under the October night sky the water
Reflects a calm sky;
On the high water among the rocks
Are 95 swans.
The 19 autumn has come around
Since I first started to count them;
I saw, before I had finished enjoying it,
All suddenly take off
And fly off in great broken rings
On their rowdy wings.
I have looked at these amazing animals,
And now my heart is aching.
All has changed since I, hearing at night,
The first time I came to this shore,
The beating of their wings above my head,
Trod with a softer flap.
enduring still, aficionado by aficionada,
The move along in the cold
Cheerful streams or fly into the air;
Their hearts haven’t become shriveled;
Love or fighting, moving around where they want to,
Is still how they live life.
But now they just move along slowly on the calm water,
Strange, stunning;
Among what grass will they create,
By what lake’s side or puddle
Enchant men’s eyes when I wake up some day
To find that they have left me?
4. SWIFTT
SW = Syntax/Word Choice
The poem is constructed as 5 stanzas and is iambic with a rhyme scheme of ab cb dd. Each stanza contains one sentence or in another sense, one clear, discernable idea. The word choice isn’t complex and doesn’t seem to contain alternative meanings. The overall word choice does seem to voice a sad melancholy feeling throughout the poem.
I = Imagery
The visual imagery is developed through the entire poem to describe the swans. Yeats uses visual words to describe the location, flight, and nature of the swans. Yeats uses the earth, water, and air to help readers imagine the immortality and freedom of flighty and drifting in a lake. Most imagery connects the swans to a perfect existence of freedom.
F = Figurative Language
Two major extended metaphors throughout the entire poem are unrestricted freedom of swans and helplessness of man’s struggle to become free and immortal. Yeats figurative language equates the swans to freedom and happiness. Yeats also uses slight personification by giving emotions and feeling to the swans that not only have freedom but always remember the feeling of love.
T = Tone
The tone of the poem is one of admiration and longing. Yeats loves the beauty and immortal feeling of freedom that the swans possess. He is amazed at the consistency of the swans because they always fly back and forth from one home to another no matter how old they get. They have the ability to fly away and be free when Yeats cannot. Yeats is sad and envious that he can’t be as free as the swans who take flight.
T = Theme
The theme of the poem is the restrictions set upon man. So many things stop man from having a never-ending journey. Death, time, and gravity stops man from being free from the ground. Yeats feels as though he is drudged down and shackled by the daily routine of his life and cannot get free. He is jealous of the swans who can take flight whenever and is free to fly anywhere he wants.
5. Conclusion
Part of my initial reaction was correct but major parts of it were incorrect. Yeats was actually try to write about the feeling of imprisonment that many people feel. The daily life that holds them down to earth and doesn’t allow them to be free makes man envious of the swans that can fly away at any time. Yeats wishes he could do as the swans and leave his life and do something amazing and uplifting. Sadly he is stuck in the calm waters of reality that slowly makes one cold and hard in the heart.
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