Imagery is also a very important function in Yeats’ “The Wild Swans at Coole” as it adds to the depressing yet nostalgic tone of the narrator. The second stanza, for example, reveals a juxtaposition of the two main ideas of the poem, “The nineteenth autumn has come upon me/Since I first made my count;/I saw….All suddenly mount/And scatter wheeling in great broken rings/Upon their clamorous wings.” The reader clearly notices that Yeats is comparing his ageing to the marvelous swans which are “still” in time. This can be said as the narrator mentions that it has been nineteen autumns since his return to Coole and the first thing he notices are the graceful swans; which he then praises. Yeat’s desire for immortality is also seen in the fourth stanza, “Their hearts have not grown old;/Passion or conquest, wander where they will,/Attend upon them still.” Yet again, Yeats portrays the swans as a metaphor for his desire of an unending life. The narrator constantly throws phrases and images towards the reader so that he or she completely acknowledges Yeats depression caused by his desire to be immortal. Moreover, Yeats longing for eternity is expressed in a nostalgic tone when he writes, “Unwearied still, lover by lover,/…Their hearts have not grown old;/Passion or conquest, wander where they will.” Other than the desire of being eternal, Yeats seems to be longing freedom, passion, beauty and love; all traits expressed by the swans in the poem. The swans inhabit a free world; they are sexual beings of expression. The reader can clearly notice that Yeats is not only longing for immorality, he is also nostalgic for the wildness each swan carries within. Moreover, Yeats uses an alliteration to emphasize this idea, “wander where they will.” The alliteration clearly illustrates the swans’ ability to be wild and free in nature. All in all, Yeats’ “The Wild Swans at Coole” uses imagery in such a way that the reader can perfectly capture all of the narrator’s desires and longings as well as his sorrow throughout the poem.
Although the structure in “The Wild Swans at Coole” may seem simple, it embodies many elements which add to the theme of the poem. The poem is divided into five stanzas with six lines each. Moreover, a roughly structured iambic pentameter is used throughout the poem. There is also a rhyme scheme present throughout “The Wild Swans at Coole.” The second and the fourth line of the stanza always rhyme and the last two lines of every stanza always rhyme as well. These stylistic devices create a structure very similar to the style used during the romantic period; Yeats was the last of the romantics. Nevertheless, it is important to acknowledge the fact that “The Wild Swans at Coole” was written near the end of Yeats’ romantic period. This may explain the sudden sorrow and nostalgia Yeats expressed throughout the poem. In comparison with other poems in his romantic period, “The Wild Swans at Coole” is more elaborate and deep; the romantic structure in this poem does not seem to be very complete. Yeats ends the poem with a question, “Delight men’s eyes whom I awake some day/To find they have flown away?” Yeat’s finishes the poem leaving the narrator stuck to the fact that he will never be like the swan, he will never live in eternity. If all the swans were to leave Lake Coole, it would break the cycle of eternity. Yeats is making it clear that the narrator will never attain the wildness or the immortality of the swans. This structural device gives a perfect close to Yeats’ “The Wild Swans at Coole” as it leaves the reader and narrator pondering over the depression of the poem.
“The Wild Swans at Coole” embodies a great metaphor within itself which perfectly manages to portray Yeats’ ideas and emotions towards the eternal. The stylistic devices used through Yeats’ masterpiece obligate the reader to feel a strong sensation of depression and melancholy. The entire poem serves as a metaphor which uses the swan as its premise in order to express Yeats’ emotions. Nonetheless, it is through the poem’s diction, imagery and structure that W.B. Yeats is able to reveal his utmost yearning in life: to be motionless in time, eternal forever.
Outline
Thesis: Furthermore, the structure of “The Wild Swans at Coole”, although simple and romantic, goes hand-in-hand with the images and the diction in expressing Yeat’s depressing and melancholic tone towards his ageing life.
Diction
- Yeats’ use of diction throughout “The Wild Swans at Coole” emphasizes his tone of melancholy and nostalgia towards the swans, which are a symbol of time.
- “autumn,” “dry,” and “still”
- dark atmosphere and depressing tone
- motif – “Still” & “autumn”
- “Unwearied still, lover by lover,/They paddle in the cold.”
- “But now they drift on the still water,/Mysterious, beautiful.”
- Word references to the swans - “great,” “clamorous,” “brilliant,” “passion,” “Mysterious,” and “beautiful.”
- Swans – optimistic
- Narrator – pessimistic
- “I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,/And now my heart is sore.”
- W.B. Yeats uses a great choice of words in order to portray his utmost desires: to remain motionless and eternal as time passes.
Imagery
- Imagery is also a very important function in Yeats’ “The Wild Swans at Coole” as it adds to the depressing yet nostalgic tone of the narrator.
- , “The nineteenth autumn has come upon me/Since I first made my count;/I saw….All suddenly mount/And scatter wheeling in great broken rings/Upon their clamorous wings.” - Juxtaposition
- “Their hearts have not grown old;/Passion or conquest, wander where they will,/Attend upon them still.” - Image
- “Unwearied still, lover by lover,/…Their hearts have not grown old;/Passion or conquest, wander where they will.”
- “wander where they will.” - Alliteration
- All in all, Yeats’ “The Wild Swans at Coole” uses imagery in such a way that the reader can perfectly capture all of the narrator’s desires and longings as well as his sorrow throughout the poem
Structure
- Although the structure in “The Wild Swans at Coole” may seem simple, it embodies many elements which add to the theme of the poem.
- Five stanzas
- Six lines
- ABCBDD rhyme scheme
- Iambic Pentameter
- “Delight men’s eyes whom I awake some day/To find they have flown away?”
- This structural device gives a perfect close to Yeats’ “The Wild Swans at Coole” as it leaves the reader and narrator pondering over the depression of the poem.
