THE WILD SWANS AT COOLE

W.B. Yeats

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 challenged 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?

Word Notes :- 

Coole- the Coole lake. It is situated at Coole park not far from Galway. In 1986 W.B. Yeats visited this place.

Stanza I

★ Autumn beauty- leaflesness or yellow leaves of trees.

★Woodland paths- ways leading to forest.

★Twilight- dim glow of light before setting the sun.

★ Mirrors - reflects

★Brimming water- the water of the lake is full to the brim.

★ Among the stones- among the rocks

Stanza II

★ The nineteen...... Upon me- The poet revisits the lake after an interval of nineteen years.

★ Made my count- counted the swans

★ Before I had well finished- before the poet had finished his counting.

★ Mount- fly up

★ Wheeling - turning in a curve or circle.

★ Great broken rings- large incomplete circles.

★ Clamourous - a loud, shrill sound produced by the flapping of their wings.

Stanza III

★ Brilliant creatures- refers to the swans. The swans are not only beautiful, but also have unfading joy in life and inexhaustable fund of passion.

★ sore- tormented 

★Bell- beat - the loud sound as of bell

★ Trod- past tense of tread

Stanza IV

★ Lover by lover - in pair

★ Paddle- move on shallow water.

★ Companionable- favourable; that offers an opportunity for sport and mating

★ climb the air- fly up in the air

★ Conquest- desire to conquer the heart of their beloved.

★ wander where they will- wherever they may go

Stanza - V

★ Drift- move as if they are carried by the current

★ Mysterious- full of mystery. No one knows whence they come and where they will go.

★ Rushes- reeds, marsh plants.

Summary of The Wild Swans at Coole: 

W.B. Yeats revisits the scene of Coole lake. It is autumn.The trees are bare and leafless.The forest paths are dry. In the twilight the still sky is reflected on the water of the lake which is full to the brim. On the stones of the shores of the lake sit fifty nine swans.

Nineteen years have passed since he first visited the lake. Then the sight of the swans so delighted him that he began to count them. But before he could finish his count the birds flew. 

As he looks upon the beautiful swans today, he does not feel the same joy as he did in the past. Today his mind is afflicted with the sorrows and sufferings that have come upon him. All has changed with him since he first heard the bell-like sound of their fluttering wings at twilight nineteen years ago. He felt so happy at that time that he trod his way homewards with light and quick steps.

With the same unwearied joy the swans go on swimming on the water or flying in the air in pair. Their love or their desire to conquer the heart of their beloved is still in them.

With the approach of winter, the swans will leave this lake and fly to some other region to build their nests by some lake there. They will then delight other people's eyes and the poet will miss them in their old haunts (i.e. Coole lake).

Multiple Choice Questions and Answers:- 

1. Astonishingly Yeats was inspired to write the poem after seeing what at the Coolepark? 

 (A) 100 swans

 (B) 59 swans 

(C) 59 ducks

(D)Near about 59 swans

2. When Yeats says that he used to tread 'with a lighter tread' he is indicating that- 

(A) He wore lighter shoes at one point of his life

 (B) His heart used to be lighter

 (C) He was younger

 (D) He used to skip more than walk

3. When Yeats observes that the swans' hearts have not grown old, he is implying that- 

(A) Lovers' hearts can become indifferent to each other

(B) People should watch out for heart trouble 

(C) The swans are in good health

 (D) The swans are young

4. One theme in Yeats' The Wild Swans at Coole is- 

(A) The preciousness of life

(B) The beauty of the swans

(C) The lack of a bright future 

(D) The importance of nature

5. After the swans fly away in the second stanza of the poem, the poet feels -  

(A) Regret 

(B) Curiosity 

(C) Joy 

(D) Sadness

6. "The nineteen autumn has come upon me / Since I first made my count;" Here the poet means to say that -

(A) Swans He has spent nineteen years to count the

(B) He has seen only 59 swans in nineteen autumn

(C) He had made his first count while visited the Coole Park nineteen years ago

(D) He first saw autumn nineteen years ago

7. "And scatters wheeling in great rings / Upon their clamorous wings" Who scatters in great rings?

(A)The wild swans

(B) The twittering swallows

(C) The bleating lambs

(D)The hedge-crickets

8. "And scatters wheeling in great rings / Upon their clamorous wings" By the phrase clamorous wings the poet means to say-

(A) Sticky wings

(B) Wet wings

(C) Wings producing sounds

(D) Clammy wings

9. '' And now my heart is sore" Why is the poet's heart sore? 

(A) He has lost his near and dear ones 

(B) He could not right good poetry 

(C) He has lost his youth

(D) None of the above

10. The underlying mood of the poet as revealed in The Wild swans at Coolie is- 

(A) Optimistic  

(B) Pessimistic 

(C) Romantic 

(D) Idealistic 

11. "And my heart is sore, all's  changed."- what has changed? 

(A) the natural view of the Coolie Park 

(B) the number of the swans 

(C) the life of the poet 

(D) none of the above 

12. " all's  changed since I, hearing at twilight,/ The first time on this shore" What had the speakers heard? 

(A) the loud sound of the wings of the swans 

(B) the sweet melody of the nightingale 

(C) the optimistic song of the thrush 

(D) the eternal song of the skylark 

13. " The bell-beat of their wings above my head" - Whose wings are spoken here? 

(A) The twittering swallows

(B) The nightingales  

(C) The wild Swan set Coole lake 

(D) None of the above 

14. "The bell-beat of their Wings above my head " The word bell - beat means - 

(A) the loud sound of the bell 

(B) the beating of a bell

(C) the sound of the swans 

(D) none of the above 

15. " They paddle in the cold/ Companionable streams" Who are spoken of here?  

(A) the wild swans  

(B) the paddlers 

(C) friends of the poet 

(D) none of the above 

16. "They paddle in the cold/ Companionable streams" The word companionable means- 

A) With good company 

B) Favourable 

C) Worm 

D) Cold 

17. " Their hearts have not grown old"- The reason of not growing old is - 

A) Agelessness

B) Life force

C) Long life 

D) one of the above

18. " Attend upon them still" what attent upon them still? 

A) The love of the poet

B) The poet himself 

C) Passion and conquest 

D) Mysterious and beautiful 

19. " Mysterious and beautiful" Who is spoken of here? 

A) The poet W.B. Yeats

B) The west wind

C) The wild swans 

D) The darkling thrush

20. " Among the rushes will they build"- What will they build among the rushes? 

A) Their nest

B) Their houses to live in

C) Relationships 

D) Various designs

21. " Among the rushes will they build" The word rushes means- 

A) Speed 

B) Reeds

C) Forest

D) None of the above

Answers

1.B  

2.B  

3.A 

4.A 

5.A 

6. C

7. A

8. C

9. C

10. C

11. B

12. A

13. C 

14. A

15. A

16. B

17. B

18. C

19. C

20. A

21. B