NCERT Class 12 English Poetry The Wild Swans at Coole

The Wild Swans at Coole

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 changed 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?

Understanding the Poem

1. How do the ‘trees in their autumn beauty’, ‘dry woodland paths’, ‘October twilight’, ‘still sky’ connect to the poet’s own life?

2. What do ‘the light tread’ and ‘the sore heart’ refer to?

3. What is the contrast between the liveliness of the swans andhuman life?

4. What contributes to the beauty and mystery of the swans’ lives?

Please refer to attached file for NCERT Class 12 English Poetry The Wild Swans at Coole