Yeats

Yeats yearns for a balance between the universal dualities that are intrinsic to the human condition to captivate generations through his timeless art. The Wild swans at Coole presents an intimate reflection in which Yeats aspires to reconcile his desire for immortality with the growing realisation of his aging self. In Among School children, Yeats takes this exploration further to present a more generalised philosophical insight. He questions the intrinsic worth of our existence before reconciling his internal struggle in the final lines of the poem. Both texts are poignant and artistically beautiful and explore universal ideas to engage audiences across time.

In his endeavours to reconcile his desire for immortality with his aging self, Yeats offers his audience a personal insight into one of the universal conflicts of life. ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’ becomes an intimate reflection of his personal struggle with the inescapable presence and passage of time. Even though everything seems to be in perfect balance as “the water mirrors a still sky,” his desire for immortality remains beyond his reach. In the “twilight” of his life, he takes a moment in “autumn” to marvel at the whimsical “beauty” of the “mysterious” “swans”, symbols of love, immortality and purity. He realises that his “heart is …sore” as he moves with a ‘heavy tread’ however even after the “nineteenth autumn,” the “beautiful” swans have remained unchanged and seem to still possess the same youthfulness. His old age and weariness is juxtaposed against these “brilliant creatures” as even though “all’s changed” the swans remain “unwearied still” as they “paddle in the cold” “lover by lover.” This evokes thought and sadness in Yeats about his unrequited love. As the swa...

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...beauty and delight that characterizes every aspect of life. He also suggests that the “dancer” cannot be separates from the “dance” implying that only through the adversities of life is timeless art born. Through his beautiful art which arises from his internal tensions, he has the powerful ability to transcend the inescapable passage of time.

Clearly both The Wild Swans at Coole and Among School Children have presented different perspectives to aging while on a quest to reconcile mankind’s desires with the bleak reality. While The Wild swans at Coole presents a more intimate reflection, Among school children is a more generalised conception of humanity. Interestingly however, Yeats has been immortalised in his brilliant art which arises from his internal turmoil and has been able to transcend the finite nature of our existence and captivate the audience even today.