WINTER SWANS

CONTEXT:
By Owen Sheers (1974-)
Owen Sheers is a Welsh poet born in 1974, so Winter Swans is a contemporary poem. Much of Sheers' poetry draws upon natural landscapes. This poem was taken from a collection called Skirrid Hill. This can be literally translated as 'shattered mountain'. The word Skirrid in Welsh can also be interpreted as 'divorce' or 'separate'

THEMES:
Distance
Nature
Anger, Bitterness
Reconciliation

Compare with:
Neutral Tones
Letters From Yorkshire
Singh Song
Sonnet 29

The title shows that the swans are the central characters in the poem, rather than the couple

STANZA 1:
The poem begins with the personification of the clouds. The clouds had given their all. This is pathetic fallacy, setting the stormy, turbulent scene, and metaphorically represents the couple who have also 'given their all.' The break in the rain gives the couple the opportunity to walk, exhausted from the energy used over the previous 2 days arguing,
It is useful to note here hat the poet refers to himself and his partner as 'we' We, us and our are used throughout the poem which indicates that despite their difficulties, they are still very much together and a couple.

STANZA 2:
Continues with more personification- the earth 'gulping for breath.' Gulping ha connotations of something struggling to survive. In addition, the 'waterlogged' earth us unstable and not solid, just like the couple's relationship at this time.
The couple 'skirt' the lake. The verb 'to skirt' is often used with 'around' (to skirt around something, usually a problem or an issue). The couple are forced to skirt around the lake as they cannot physically cross it, but they are also skirting around their problems in silence.

STANZA 3:
This marks a change in tone after the arrival of the swans. They distract the couple with a 'show', and are perfectly united.

STANZA 4:
There are several image in this stanza which seem to refer to solid, strong foundations. The 'iceberg of white feather' suggests that there is more to the couple than surface problems, likewise the boats 'righting in rough weather' have stable bottoms and will find their way upright.

STANZA 1-5:
Many of the sounds are consonant sounds, showing the tension in their relationship through harsh sounds.

STANZA 5:
The silence is broken by direct speech and marks the beginning of the couple communicating and resolving their issues.
A metaphor is used to liken the swans to 'porcelain' a fine china. This symbolises the couple- delicate and in need of protection, but strong.
Light begins to enter the scene- 'The afternoon light'

STANZA 6:
Sibilance is used to show a change in their emotions as their hands as their hands move towards each other. The sibilant sounds are soft.

STANZA 7:
A simile compares their hands to wings settling after flight. The couple are reunited and reconciled.

ORGANISED NOTES:
The poem focuses on a couple experiencing conflict and difficulty in their relationship. It is told from the viewpoint of one of the couple, most likely the man. It begins with a tense mood. This changes to a reflective and tranquil atmosphere, after the couple observe the actions of a pair of swans. The swan metaphorically mirror the couple.
The poem is structured in 6 irregular tercets and a final couplet. The line lengths are uneven and there is no rhyme. This emphasises the disjointedness and disharmony of the couple. However, after the moment of reconciliation in the poem, the final stanza is a couplet. This could be symbolic of the couple beginning to come back together again.
The poem uses nature to explore feelings. The poem begins in a cold and turbulent setting. This represents the couple and their conflict. The swans teach the couple to reflect on their own behaviour towards each other, and as a result their behaviour changes- the light comes, the earth begins to firm (from waterlogged to shingle and sand) and they reunite,
The couple are only troubled. Unlike some of the other relationships in the anthology, the couple in Winter Swans still love each other. They are frustrated and are experiencing disharmony, but still consider themselves unified (we, us ,our) Essentially, like the swans they have strong foundations and the storm will pass (boats, iceberg, porcelain)

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Winter Swans.