NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poem 6 The Wild Swans at Coole

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Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poetry Chapter 6 Question Answer

Answer:
These images of autumn reflect the poet’s stage of life. Autumn is traditionally associated with maturity and the approach of old age. The beautiful but fading landscape mirrors Yeats’ own feelings as he grows older. The dry woodland paths, October twilight and still sky create a calm yet melancholic atmosphere, suggesting reflection, loneliness and the passage of time. Just as nature is moving towards winter, the poet feels that he has moved away from the energy and enthusiasm of youth. These images therefore symbolize his awareness of aging and change.

Answer:
The phrase ‘light tread’ refers to the poet’s youthful spirit when he first visited Coole Park nineteen years earlier. At that time, he was energetic, hopeful and carefree. The sight and sound of the swans filled him with joy and excitement.
The phrase ‘sore heart’ refers to the sadness and disappointment he feels in the present. Over the years, many things in his life have changed and he has become more aware of the effects of time and aging. While the swans seem unchanged, the poet feels the burden of growing older, which fills his heart with sorrow.

Answer:
The swans symbolize beauty, energy, passion and permanence. Even after nineteen years, they remain strong, graceful and full of life. They continue to fly, swim and live with the same enthusiasm as before. Their hearts have “not grown old” and they still possess the spirit of adventure and love.
Human life, on the other hand, is marked by change, aging and loss. The poet has grown older and feels that his youthful energy has faded. While the swans appear timeless and unaffected by the passage of years, human beings must face physical and emotional changes. This contrast highlights the temporary nature of human life and the seeming permanence of nature.

Answer:
The beauty of the swans lies in their grace, strength and freedom. They move effortlessly through water and air, living in harmony with nature. Their lifelong companionship, vitality and elegance make them admirable creatures.
The mystery of their lives comes from their freedom and unpredictability. The poet does not know where they will build their nests or where they will travel in the future. He wonders by which lake or pool they will someday delight other people. The possibility that they may suddenly fly away adds an element of uncertainty and mystery. Their independence and timeless beauty make them fascinating and symbolic figures in the poem.

Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poetry Chapter 6 English to Hindi Translation.

W.B. Yeats was an Irish poet, dramatist and mystic. He was one of the driving forces behind the Irish Literary Revival, and was co-founder of the Abbey Theatre. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
Hindi Translationडब्ल्यू.बी. यीट्स एक आयरिश कवि, नाटककार और रहस्यवादी विचारक थे। वे आयरिश साहित्यिक पुनर्जागरण के प्रमुख प्रेरक व्यक्तियों में से एक थे तथा ‘एबी थिएटर’ के सह-संस्थापक भी थे। उन्हें वर्ष 1923 में साहित्य के नोबेल पुरस्कार से सम्मानित किया गया था।

The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Hindi Translationपेड़ अपनी शरद ऋतु की सुंदरता में थे,
जंगल की पगडंडियाँ सूखी थीं,
अक्टूबर की शाम की हल्की रोशनी में
पानी एक शांत आकाश को दर्पण की तरह दिखा रहा है।

Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.
Hindi Translationपत्थरों के बीच लबालब भरे पानी पर
उनसठ हंस तैर रहे थे।

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
Hindi Translationयह उन्नीसवीं शरद ऋतु आई है मुझ पर
जब से मैंने पहली बार उन्हें गिना था,
मैंने देखा — गिनती पूरी होने से पहले ही
सभी अचानक ऊपर उड़ चले।

And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.
I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
Hindi Translationऔर बड़े-बड़े टूटे घेरों में चक्कर लगाते बिखर गए,
अपने शोर मचाते पंखों पर,
मैंने उन दीप्तिमान प्राणियों को निहारा है,
और अब मेरा दिल दुखी है।

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.
Hindi Translationसब कुछ बदल गया है जब से मैंने
पहली बार इस किनारे पर शाम को उनकी आवाज़ सुनी थी,
उनके पंखों की घंटी जैसी धड़कन मेरे सिर के ऊपर थी,
और तब मेरे कदम कितने हल्के थे।

Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Hindi Translationअब भी थके नहीं – जोड़े दर जोड़े,
वे ठंडी धाराओं में तैरते हैं,
या साथी नदियों में या हवा में उड़ जाते हैं,
उनके दिल अभी भी बूढ़े नहीं हुए।

Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.
But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Hindi Translationजुनून हो या विजय – जहाँ भी वे जाएँ,
सब कुछ अब भी उनके साथ है,
पर अब वे शांत पानी पर तैरते हैं,
रहस्यमय और सुंदर।

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?
Hindi Translationकिस नरकट (झाड़ियों) के बीच वे घोंसला बनाएंगे,
किस झील के किनारे या तालाब पर,
किसी दिन जब मैं जागूँगा तो लोगों की आँखें खुश करेंगे,
यह जानकर कि वे उड़ गए?

Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poetry Chapter 6 Summary in English and Hindi.

The Wild Swans at Coole is a deeply personal and lyrical poem by W.B. Yeats, written in 1916. The poem is set at Coole Park in Ireland on an October evening. The poet describes the beautiful autumn scene – trees in their autumn colours, dry woodland paths, still water reflecting a quiet sky – and counts fifty-nine wild swans resting on the lake among the stones.
He then reflects that nineteen autumns have passed since he first counted these swans. On that first occasion, before he had finished counting, the swans suddenly rose together into the air, wheeling in great broken rings with the loud beating of their wings. The sight fills him with wonder and sadness simultaneously – his heart is sore because everything in his own life has changed since that first evening nineteen years ago, when he walked with a lighter step and a younger heart.
Yet the swans themselves appear entirely unchanged. They move together in pairs – lover by lover – paddling through cold streams or rising effortlessly into the air. Their hearts have not grown old; passion and conquest still attend them wherever they go. They remain free, beautiful, and timeless.
The poem ends on a note of gentle melancholy. The swans drift quietly on the still water – mysterious and beautiful – and the poet wonders where they will fly when he wakes one day to find them gone. The question is really about his own mortality – when he is no longer there to see them, the swans will still delight others with their beauty. The poem is ultimately a meditation on the inevitability of ageing and the painful contrast between transient human life and the permanent beauty of nature.

Summary in Hindiद वाइल्ड स्वान्स एट कूल W.B. यीट्स की एक गहरी व्यक्तिगत और गीतात्मक कविता है जो 1916 में लिखी गई थी। कविता आयरलैंड के कूल पार्क में एक अक्टूबर की शाम को स्थापित है। कवि सुंदर शरद ऋतु के दृश्य का वर्णन करता है – पतझड़ में रंग-बिरंगे पेड़, सूखे वन-पथ, और शांत जल जो निश्चल आकाश को प्रतिबिंबित कर रहा है। वह झील पर उनसठ जंगली हंसों को गिनता है।
फिर कवि सोचता है कि उन्नीस शरद ऋतुएँ बीत चुकी हैं जब से उसने पहली बार इन हंसों को गिना था। उस पहली शाम, गिनती पूरी होने से पहले ही सभी हंस एकाएक उड़ गए थे – पंखों की तेज़ आवाज़ के साथ बड़े-बड़े गोलाकार चक्करों में। यह दृश्य कवि के मन में दुख और आश्चर्य दोनों जगाता है – उसका हृदय दुखी है क्योंकि उन्नीस वर्षों में उसके अपने जीवन में बहुत कुछ बदल गया है, जबकि हंस अपरिवर्तित हैं।
हंस जोड़े-जोड़े तैरते हैं, ठंडे जल में पंख चलाते हैं या आकाश में उड़ते हैं। उनके हृदय नहीं बूढ़े हुए – उनमें अभी भी वही उत्साह और स्वतंत्रता है। कविता का अंत एक मार्मिक प्रश्न के साथ होता है – जब कवि किसी दिन उठेगा और पाएगा कि हंस उड़ गए, तो वे किस झील के किनारे किसी और को अपनी सुंदरता से आनंदित करेंगे? यह प्रश्न वास्तव में कवि की अपनी मृत्यु-बोध का संकेत है। कविता बुढ़ापे, परिवर्तन और मानव जीवन की क्षणभंगुरता के बरक्स प्रकृति की शाश्वत सुंदरता पर एक हृदयस्पर्शी विचार है।

Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poetry Chapter 6 Very Short Answer Type Questions with Explanation.

1. Who is the poet of The Wild Swans at Coole?
   Answer:
   W.B. Yeats.
2. How many swans does the poet count?
   Answer:
   Fifty-nine swans.
3. In which season are the trees described?
   Answer:
   Autumn.
4. Which month is mentioned in the poem?
   Answer:
   October.
5. How many autumns have passed since the poet first counted the swans?
   Answer:
   Nineteen autumns.
6. What does the water mirror?
   Answer:
   A still sky.
7. Where are the swans found?
   Answer:
   On the brimming water among the stones.
8. What is the condition of the woodland paths?
   Answer:
   They are dry.
9. What happened before the poet finished counting the swans?
   Answer:
   The swans suddenly flew into the air.
10. How does the poet describe the swans?
    Answer:
    Brilliant creatures.
11. What is the poet’s heart now?
    Answer:
    Sore.
12. What has not grown old?
    Answer:
    The hearts of the swans.
13. What do the swans paddle in?
    Answer:
    Cold companionable streams.
14. What quality of the swans remains unchanged?
    Answer:
    Their passion and vitality.
15. What fears the poet may happen someday?
    Answer:
    The swans may fly away.

Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poetry Chapter 6 Short Answer Type Questions with Explanation.

1. How does Yeats create the setting of the poem?
   Answer:
   Yeats creates a peaceful autumn setting through vivid natural images. He describes trees in their autumn beauty, dry woodland paths, the October twilight and a still sky reflected in the water. These images create a calm and reflective atmosphere. The setting also prepares the reader for the poet’s thoughts about time, change and aging.
2. Why is the poet counting the swans?
   Answer:
   The poet counts the swans because they have become a symbol of continuity and permanence in his life. He has been visiting Coole Park for many years and remembers counting them nineteen years earlier. The act of counting helps him compare the present with the past and reflect on the changes that time has brought in his own life.
3. What emotions does the poet experience while watching the swans?
   Answer:
   The poet experiences a mixture of admiration, nostalgia and sadness. He is fascinated by the beauty and vitality of the swans, but at the same time he feels sorrow because he has changed with age while the swans seem unchanged. Their energy reminds him of the youth and enthusiasm he has lost over the years.
4. How do the swans symbolize permanence?
   Answer:
   The swans symbolize permanence because they appear as energetic and graceful as they were nineteen years earlier. Their hearts have not grown old and they continue to live with passion and freedom. Unlike human beings who age and change, the swans seem untouched by time, making them symbols of continuity and endurance.
5. Explain the significance of the phrase “their hearts have not grown old.”
   Answer:
   This phrase emphasizes the timeless nature of the swans. Despite the passage of years, they continue to possess the same energy, passion and spirit. The statement contrasts sharply with the poet’s own experience of aging and highlights the difference between human life and the enduring vitality of nature.
6. What makes the swans different from the poet?
   Answer:
   The swans remain energetic, beautiful and full of life even after many years. They continue to fly, swim and live freely. The poet, however, has grown older and feels the effects of time. While the swans seem unchanged, he experiences physical and emotional changes, creating a contrast between them.
7. How does the poem explore the theme of aging?
   Answer:
   The poem explores aging through the poet’s reflections on the passage of nineteen years. He remembers the excitement and energy he felt when he first saw the swans. Now he feels older and more thoughtful. The contrast between his own aging and the unchanged vitality of the swans highlights the inevitable effects of time on human life.
8. Why does the poet call the swans “mysterious”?
   Answer:
   The poet calls the swans mysterious because he does not know where they will go in the future. Their movements, destinations and nesting places remain unknown. This uncertainty gives them an air of mystery and adds to their fascination and beauty.
9. How does nature influence the mood of the poem?
   Answer:
   Nature creates a reflective and slightly melancholic mood in the poem. The autumn landscape suggests maturity and the passing of time. The calm water and still sky create a peaceful atmosphere, while the swans add beauty and vitality. Together, these elements help express the poet’s thoughts about life and change.
10. What message does the poem convey about time and change?
    Answer:
    The poem suggests that time changes human beings but seems to have little effect on nature. The poet has aged and become more reflective, whereas the swans remain energetic and beautiful. Through this contrast, Yeats highlights the inevitability of change in human life and the enduring qualities of nature.

Class 12 English Kaleidoscope Poetry Chapter 6 Long Answer Type Questions with Explanation.

Answer:
The swans are the central symbol of the poem and represent beauty, vitality, freedom and permanence. The poet first counted them nineteen years earlier and finds that they still appear as graceful and energetic as before. Their ability to fly, swim and live freely reflects qualities that the poet admires.
The swans also symbolize youth and passion. Their hearts have not grown old, and they continue to enjoy life with enthusiasm. This contrasts with the poet’s own experience of aging and change. As he grows older, the swans seem to remain untouched by time.
In addition, the swans represent mystery and independence. The poet does not know where they will go or where they will build their nests. Their freedom makes them fascinating and symbolic of the enduring power of nature.
Thus, the swans become more than mere birds; they symbolize qualities that human beings often wish to preserve but cannot escape losing with age.

Answer:
A major theme of the poem is the contrast between human life and the life of the swans. Human beings are subject to aging, change and loss, whereas the swans appear unchanged by the passage of time.
The poet remembers seeing the swans nineteen years earlier when he himself was young and energetic. At that time, he walked with a “lighter tread” and looked at life with excitement. Now he feels older and his heart is sore. The years have changed him physically and emotionally.
The swans, however, remain full of life and energy. They continue to fly in great circles, paddle in streams and live with passion and companionship. Their hearts have not grown old and they seem untouched by the effects of time.
Through this contrast, Yeats expresses the sadness of human aging while celebrating the enduring beauty and vitality of nature. The poem reminds readers that change is an inevitable part of human life.

Answer:
The themes of time, memory and aging are central to The Wild Swans at Coole. The poet returns to a place he visited nineteen years earlier and reflects on the changes that have occurred since then. The swans become a link between the past and the present.
Memory plays an important role in the poem. The poet remembers his first visit to Coole and recalls the excitement he felt when the swans suddenly rose into the air. These memories remind him of his younger self and make him aware of how much he has changed.
The passage of time is evident in the autumn setting, which symbolizes maturity and the later stages of life. The poet feels older and more thoughtful than before. His “sore heart” reflects the emotional impact of aging.
At the same time, the swans seem unchanged by time. Their vitality and beauty create a sharp contrast with the poet’s awareness of growing old. Through these themes, Yeats explores the relationship between memory, change and the human experience.

Answer:
Nature plays a vital role in the poem and serves as both a setting and a source of meaning. The poem begins with beautiful descriptions of autumn trees, dry woodland paths, twilight and still water. These images create a calm and reflective atmosphere.
The swans are the most important part of nature in the poem. Their beauty, grace and freedom inspire admiration in the poet. They also help him reflect on the passage of time and his own aging process.
Nature appears timeless and enduring. While the poet has changed over nineteen years, the swans seem to remain the same. This contrast emphasizes the permanence of nature compared to the temporary nature of human life.
Yeats uses nature not only to create vivid imagery but also to explore deeper themes such as memory, change, beauty and mortality. Nature becomes a mirror through which the poet examines his own life.

Answer:
The Wild Swans at Coole is considered a poem of reflection and nostalgia because the poet looks back on his past and compares it with his present condition. The sight of the swans reminds him of an earlier time when he was younger, more energetic and full of hope.
As he watches the swans, he recalls counting them nineteen years ago. The memories of that experience bring feelings of nostalgia. He remembers walking with a lighter tread and enjoying life more freely than he does now.
The poem is reflective because the poet thinks deeply about the passage of time and the changes it brings. He realizes that while he has aged, the swans appear unchanged. This realization fills him with sadness but also admiration for the enduring beauty of nature.
Through these reflections, Yeats explores universal human experiences such as aging, memory, loss and the desire to hold on to youth. These qualities make the poem a powerful and moving work of reflective poetry.