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 rushed 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 (1865-1939) was an Irish poet who played a key role in his nation's struggle for independence at the turn of the twentieth century. Yeats' poems drew inspiration from Irish myths and legends as well as his personal experiences and political beliefs. In 1923, he was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature.

1. Coole: Coole Park is a nature reserve in Ireland which was once a part of the estate of Lady Augusta Gregory, a dramatist and close friend of Yeats.
2. brimming: overflowing
3. mount: rise up
4. wheeling: here, flying in a wide circle or curve
5. clamorous: noisy
6. trod with a lighter tread: walked in a more carefree way
7. unwearied: not tired
8. companionable: friendly
9. attend upon them: here, are present in them