japonisme: wild swans

22 September 2007

wild swans

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?

William Butler Yeats

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4 Comments:

Blogger Joan DaGradi Studio said...

So much loveliness!
Such great artists....
Seeing it like a child,
Hearing their laughter.
Thank you.

23 September, 2007 06:20  
Blogger lotusgreen said...

you have soared my heart!

23 September, 2007 17:56  
Blogger harlequinpan said...

Wild swans always remind me the story of "leda et le cygne".

24 September, 2007 08:36  
Blogger lotusgreen said...

me too!!!!!

24 September, 2007 18:10  

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hi, and thanks so much for stopping by. i spend all too much time thinking my own thoughts about this stuff, so please tell me yours. i thrive on the exchange!

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