The Wild Swans at Coole

“The Wild Swans at Coole” is a poem that tells the story of the passing of time and the changes and hardships that come with it. The poem itself is written simply enough, but after careful review one can find that it is much deeper than it seems. The poem uses simple language to tell the story, but the language in itself is very particular and makes several references that one may not catch in one reading. Symbolism is ever present, and can be seen in the swans and the setting of the poem. The theme that is presented by the poem is one that we will all face in life, something that is completely inevitable: change.

Upon first reading the poem, Yeats seemed to paint a fairly tranquil picture with his poem. Beautiful swans gliding across a gentle pond, a peaceful fall setting; these things seem to be very comforting. Upon closer inspection, however, I found that maybe some of the wording he uses may be interpreted quite differently. Autumn,

Symbolism does play a role in the poem, and can probably be seen the easiest in the swans themselves. Yeats writes that they have not grown cold over time, that they remain youthful and passionate. They are an unchanging element in a world altered by time. The swans can be seen to represent the things that we hold dearest to us in life, the things we cling to that keep us intact. We all have something that does this for us. When those things leave us, or “fly away,” we can be left cold-hearted, or even alone. As I stated earlier, the setting itself can be symbolic. In no other season is change more evident than Autumn. Leaves die and fall to the ground. The skies begin to cloud over and the winds grow chilly. This can be interpreted as “the beginning of the end.” It may be this end the Yeats feels is so inevitable, as the passing of time cannot be stopped. The twilight can be interpreted as the same.

October, and twilight may be more closely related to a coming darkness, or and end, so to speak.

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