Q1. Who is the poet of "The Wild Swans at Coole"?
William Butler Yeats is the poet of "The Wild Swans at Coole"/The poem was written by the Irish poet William Butler Yeats (W.B. Yeats).
Q2. Where is Coole Park located?
Coole Park is located in County Galway, Ireland.
Q3. Who owned Coole Park?
It was the estate of Yeats’s friend and patron, Lady Augusta Gregory.
Q4. In what season is the poem set?
The poem is set in autumn.
Q5. What time of day is described in the first stanza?
It is described as "twilight" (evening).
Q6. How are the trees described in the opening stanza?
The trees are described as being in their "autumn beauty."
Q7. What are the woodland paths like?
The woodland paths are "dry."
Q8. What does the water mirror (reflect)?
The water mirrors a "still sky."
Q9. How many swans does the poet count?
He counts "nine-and-fifty" (59) swans.
Q10. Why is the number 59 significant?
It is an odd number, suggesting one swan is without a mate, perhaps reflecting the poet's own loneliness.
Q11. How long has it been since the poet first counted the swans?
It has been nineteen years ("The nineteenth autumn has come upon me").
Q12. What happened before the poet could finish counting?
The swans suddenly mounted (flew up) into the sky.
Q13. How is the movement of the swans described?
They scatter in "great broken rings."
Q14. What sound do the swans' wings make?
Their wings make a "clamorous" sound.
Q15. What metaphor is used for the sound of their wings?
Yeats compares the sound to a "bell-beat."
Q16. How does the poet feel compared to nineteen years ago?
He feels that "all’s changed" and he is now older and heavier of heart.
Q17. What does the "bell-beat" of their wings symbolize?
It symbolizes the steady, unchanging passage of time and the vitality of nature.
Q18. How did the poet walk "the first time" he saw them?
He walked with a "lighter tread" (he was younger and more energetic).
Q19. Are the swans affected by age like the poet?
No, the swans are described as "unwearied."
Q20. What relationship do the swans have with each other?
They are "lover by lover," suggesting companionship and romance.
Q21. Where do the swans paddle?
They paddle in the "cold companionable streams."
Q22. What does the phrase "cold companionable streams" suggest?
It is an oxymoron; the water is cold, but the swans have each other, so it feels friendly (companionable).
Q23. Do the swans' hearts grow old?
No, the poet says, "Their hearts have not grown old."
Q24. What emotions attend upon the swans?
"Passion or conquest" attend upon them.
Q25. Where can the swans go?
They can go wherever their will pleases ("wander where they will").
Q26. How do the swans appear in the final stanza?
They are described as "mysterious, beautiful."
Q27. What is the poet's fear in the last stanza?
He fears that one day he will wake up and they will have flown away.
Q28. What question does the poet ask at the very end?
"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?"
Q29. What is the central theme of the poem?
The transience of human life versus the permanence and beauty of nature.
Q30. What does the water represent in the poem?
The water represents stillness, reflection, and the backdrop of time.
Q31. Why is the poet sad?
He is sad because he is aging ("sore heart") while the swans remain eternally young and vigorous.
Q32. What literary device is "The nineteenth autumn has come upon me"?
It is a personification of time/autumn.
Q33. What does "Trod with a lighter tread" mean?
It means he walked more lightly and energetically in his youth.
Q34. Is the poem written in free verse?
No, it has a regular rhyme scheme and meter.
Q35. What is the rhyme scheme of each stanza?
The rhyme scheme is roughly ABCBDD.
Q36. How many stanzas are in the poem?
There are five stanzas.
Q37. How many lines are in each stanza?
There are six lines in each stanza (sestets).
Q38. Who was Maud Gonne?
She was the woman Yeats loved, who rejected him; his sadness over this is reflected in the poem.
Q39. What does the word "clamorous" suggest?
It suggests a loud, noisy, and energetic sound.
Q40. What does "twilight" symbolize in the context of the poet's life?
It symbolizes the later years of his life, or the approach of old age.
Q41. What contrasts with the "dry" woodland paths?
The water of the lake contrasts with the dry paths.
Q42. What does "mirror a still sky" imply about the lake?
It implies the lake is very calm and peaceful.
Q43. Why are the swans called "wild"?
Because they are free, untamed, and not subject to human rules or aging.
Q44. What does the poet mean by "head is now sore"?
He means he is emotionally weary and troubled by the passage of time.
Q45. What imagery appeals to the sense of hearing?
The "bell-beat of their wings" and "clamorous" appeal to hearing.
Q46. What imagery appeals to the sense of sight?
The "autumn beauty," "still sky," and "stones" appeal to sight.
Q47. Does the poem end with a statement or a question?
It ends with a rhetorical question.
Q48. What feeling does the final question evoke?
It evokes a sense of loss, uncertainty, and the mystery of nature.
Q49. In which collection was this poem published?
It was published in the collection titled The Wild Swans at Coole (1919).
Q50. Why is this poem considered a "nature poem"?
Because it uses the natural world (swans, lake, autumn) to explore deep human emotions and philosophy.
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