‘Winter Swans’ Owen Sheers

Owen Sheers Owen Sheers was born in 1974 in Fuji, but grew up in Wales. As a child he had a stammer, which made him interested in words – if he couldn’t say a word properly he would search for another one. He studied English at Oxford University He then studied Creative Writing at the university of East Anglia His first poetry collection was called The Blue Book. In 2009 he travelled around Britain for the BBC and presented a programme called A Poet’s Guide to Britain. He was interested in the Romantic Poets – the theme of nature was seen in his poem Winter Swans. In 2012 he was the resident poet for the Welsh Rugby Union team – one of his poems was published in every match programme. Winter Swans comes from the poetry collection Skirrid Hill Skirrid means separation or divorce in Welsh.

The clouds had given their all – two days of rain and then a break Personification of the weather – the heavy rain might reflect the problems in their relationship STRUCTURE : Enjambment emphasises the pause in the weather – perhaps they have been arguing The clouds had given their all – two days of rain and then a break in which we walked the waterlogged earth gulping for breath at our feet as we skirted the lake, silent and apart, Literally – keeping to the edge of the lake – but keeping their distance from each other and maybe the issue that is troubling them Personification of the earth’s desperation links to how their relationship is struggling STRUCTURE: Caesura – creates a pause that emphasises their silence and separation

Meaningful for the couple Righting – healing their differences Suggests that the couple are weighed down by problems in their relationship until the swans came and stopped us with a show of tipping in unison. As if rolling weights down their bodies to their heads they halved themselves in the dark water, icebergs of white feather, paused before returning again like boats righting in rough weather. The word ‘halved’ suggests separation, but they were a whole to begin with – reflects the couples relationship Simile shows that it’s been a rough time for their relationship but things are more stable now Righting – healing their differences Icebergs have more below the surface than they do above – metaphor suggests that the couple keep things hidden and aren’t communicating or that their relationship has a strong foundation

‘They mate for life’ you said as they left, STRUCTURE: a turning point. The first time we hear them speak – suggests they have turned a corner in their relationship Porcelain is beautiful and strong – this metaphor reflects that their love will be like this Verb-represents how the disruption in their relationship is settling down ‘They mate for life’ you said as they left, porcelain over the stilling water. I didn’t reply but as we moved on through the afternoon light, slow-stepping in the lake’s shingle and sand, I noticed our hands, that had, somehow, swum the distance between us Sibilant sounds – create impression of softness – the tension is softening Their hands have crossed the physical distance between them, but also the metaphorical distance – they have come closer together Suggests dancing – they’re moving together and in unison like the swans did

and folded, one over the other, They’re no longer two separate things, but part of one whole They’re holding hands – they’re following the example of the swans and folded, one over the other, like a pair of wings settling after flight. Full stop emphasises the sense that the trouble in their relationship has been resolved

Structure and form Uneven shape and variation in line lengths – perhaps this is to show the strain in the relationship The longest lines are in the middle of the poem. These lines show the movements of the swans Each stanza has 3 lines apart from the last one which has 2 lines. These 2 lines are a couplet – 2 people coming together! No regular rhyme pattern Turning point: there is one spoken comment – ‘they mate for life’

Enjambment Separation Metaphor Peace Sibilance Simile Togetherness Conflict Hope Nature Distance Personification Resolution Enjambment Separation Metaphor Peace Sibilance Simile Togetherness Conflict Hope Nature Distance Personification Resolution Enjambment Separation Metaphor Peace Sibilance Simile Togetherness Conflict Hope Nature Distance Personification Resolution Enjambment Separation Metaphor Peace Sibilance Simile Togetherness Conflict Hope Nature Distance Personification Resolution CLOUDS – RAIN – WALKED – EARTH – GULPING – APART -SWANS – UNISON – WEIGHTS – DARK – ICEBERGS – RIGHTING – MATE – PORCELAIN – LIGHT – SLOW-STEPPING – HANDS – DISTANCE – FOLDED - WINGS CLOUDS – RAIN – WALKED – EARTH – GULPING – APART -SWANS – UNISON – WEIGHTS – DARK – ICEBERGS – RIGHTING – MATE – PORCELAIN – LIGHT – SLOW-STEPPING – HANDS – DISTANCE – FOLDED - WINGS CLOUDS – RAIN – WALKED – EARTH – GULPING – APART -SWANS – UNISON – WEIGHTS – DARK – ICEBERGS – RIGHTING – MATE – PORCELAIN – LIGHT – SLOW-STEPPING – HANDS – DISTANCE – FOLDED - WINGS CLOUDS – RAIN – WALKED – EARTH – GULPING – APART -SWANS – UNISON – WEIGHTS – DARK – ICEBERGS – RIGHTING – MATE – PORCELAIN – LIGHT – SLOW-STEPPING – HANDS – DISTANCE – FOLDED - WINGS