The Wild Swans at Coole (Mint Editions (Poetry and Verse))

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 I