The Wild Swans at Coole (1919) is a collection of poems by W.B.
Yeats. Written while the poet was at the height of his career, The
Wild Swans at Coole presents Yeats' typical concerns-aging, love,
and the nature of art-against the backdrop of a decade of war.
These poems, written during the First World War and the formative
years of the Irish independence movement, reflect the harsh
political and social realities of the era while remaining true to
the mind of one of Ireland's greatest artists. The title poem, a
meditative lyric on art, love, and aging, uses the image of wild
swans to reflect the fleeting nature of years and worldly beauty.
Having watched the swans for nineteen years, the poet wonders how,
after so much time, "Their hearts have not grown old," while
"Passion of conquest, wander where they will, / Attend upon them
still." Disturbed that the world will not reflect his inner
torment, he wonders what will happen when, one day, he awakes "To
find they have flown away?" In "An Irish Airman Foresees His
Death," Yeats reflects on the First World War from the perspective
of a serviceman doomed by his own conflicting allegiances: "I know
that I shall meet my fate / Somewhere among the clouds above; /
Those that I fight I do not hate / Those that I guard I do not
love." Despite this poem's political theme, Yeats includes another
poem in the collection that questions the place of poetry in
politics altogether. "On Being Asked for a War Poem" suggests that
"A poet keep his mouth shut," his words being better suited to "A
young girl in the indolence of her youth, / Or an old man upon a
winter's night." The Wild Swans at Coole is a moving portrait of
the poet's anxieties, of his fear of death and aging, of his faint
suspicion that poetry, though beautiful, fails to address the
issues of the era. With a beautifully designed cover and
professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of W.B. Yeats's The
Wild Swans at Coole is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for
modern readers.
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