I don't necessarily think this poem shows that Yeats is
imagining his own death. However, it is clear that has he revisits this location where
he had visited so long before, he is struck by how he has aged. If we read the poem
carefully, we can see that it focuses on two contrasts. Firstly, the central contrast is
between himself now and how he was then. Nineteen years have separated these two events,
and he has changed a lot in those years. Note what he
says:
And now
my heart is sore.All's changed since I, hearing at
twilight,The first time of this
shore,The bell-beat of their wings above my
head,Trod with a lighter
tread.
In addition, note the
way that the second contrast is presented. Not only has the poet aged--he walks more
heavily and has a sorer heart--but another central contrast is between the poet himself
and the "wild" swans. Note the adjectives that are applied to them in the poem:
"clamorous," "brilliant," "Unwearied," "mysterious" and "beautiful." The poet seems to
project on to the swans the qualities that he clearly does not possess in himself. Note
how he describes them:
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Their hearts have not grown
old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they
will,
Attend upon them
still.
The swans, unlike the
poet, have not changed, as the poet's heart is "sore" but the hearts of the swans "have
not grown old." This lack of change highlights the way that the poet has changed and his
awareness and sadness concerning these changes through age. Thus this poem is not so
much about death as it is about the inevitable process of man's
aging.
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