The Wild Swans at Coole

"The Wild Swans at Coole" by W. B. Yeats is a collection of poetry published in the early 20th century. This significant literary work explores themes of beauty, love, and the passage of time, often reflecting on the changes that accompany aging and the melancholic resonance of lost youth. The poems capture a mix of personal reflection and broader observations about human experience. The central poem, "The Wild Swans at Coole," depicts the speaker's contemplation of the beauty and grace of swans he has observed at a lake over many years. This imagery serves as a poignant backdrop for the speaker’s reflections on his own aging and the inevitable changes brought by time. As the speaker contrasts the eternal beauty of the swans with his own diminishing vitality, he evokes a sense of longing and nostalgia for youth and love that feels ever elusive. Other poems in the collection similarly grapple with themes such as loss, memory, and the complexities of relationships, demonstrating Yeats's mastery of emotional depth and vivid imagery. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist and writer, and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival, and along with Lady Gregory founded the Abbey Theatre, serving as its chief during its early years. He was awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Literature, and later served two terms as a Senator of the Irish Free State.