“The Wild Swans at Coole” by W.B Yeats and “Stony Grey Soil” by Kavanagh both convey their views of nature and landscape.
Throughout their poetry, both Yeats and Kavanagh convey very different views about the themes of nature and landscape. In “The Wild Swans at Coole”, Yeats is reminiscing of his first visit to Coole Park, nineteen years prior, where the beauty and immortality of “nine and fifty swans” inspired him to reflect upon his own self and his poetry. Kavanagh, however, is bitterly expressing his frustration with his homeland of Monaghan. He addresses the soil directly, accusing it of robbing him of his youthful hope with its “grey” influence.
Yeats primarily addresses themes of swans and the freedom and strength of nature. He views the swans as “mysterious, beautiful”, creating a sense of immortality, which he then contrasts with his own old and withered self, being now 50 years old. As Yeats reflects on the beautiful nature of theses swans he finds himself exploring themes of loneliness and depression – he likens himself to the one swan that will remain after all “nine and fifty” had mated for life, expressing his desire for an intimacy similar to that found in nature. Kavanagh, however explores themes of nature and landscape in a more bold manner, repeating the title in the opening line “O stony grey soil of Monaghan” creating a sense of bland, barrenness from the outset of the poem. He adds to this unpleasant view by further exploring the theme of landscape from a bitter aspect, “You clogged the feet of my boyhood”, making the Monaghan countryside seem harsh and dirty to the reader.
“Stony Grey Soil” is composed of 8 quatrains and uses an alternate rhyme scheme to maintain a smooth flow of thought as Kavanagh further highlights the inadequacies of his rural hometown. Kavanaghs simple structure emphasises the banality of the soil to reader, reflecting his feelings towards it and making it seem uninteresting and uninspired. “The Wild Swans at Coole” contrasts to Kavanaghs form, being composed of 6 sestets and a loose rhyme scheme. Yeats opts for loose rhyme to convey the freedom of nature to the reader and also the idea that it isn’t always perfect and nature is subject to change.
Yeats use of imagery and language conveys a profound sense of awe for the beauty of nature and its inhabitants. Yeats creates a sense of time through his use of autumnal imagery – “The trees are in their autumn beauty”. He couples this with the reflective image of the “October twilight”, creating a sense of the crisp serenity associated with autumn; it is a fresh, uplifting feeling that creates a sense of calm and peace for the reader. In comparison to Yeats, Kavanaghs nature imagery is harsher in an attempt to catch the reader’s attention. Images such as “steaming dunghills” are intentionally vivid, overwhelming the readers senses and thus, effectively conveying Kavanaghs distaste for the bad smell that is the Irish countryside. He couples this vivid imagery with farmer stereotypes, “You perfumed my clothes with weasel itch”, reinforcing his negative attitude towards the Irish countryside and portraying the farmers (whom he is one of) as lower class citizens who must survive on the leftovers of “swinish food”.

Yeats makes use of evocative swan imagery throughout “The wild swans at Coole” in order to emphasise the beauty and vitality to be found amongst the wildlife at Coole park. He labels them “brilliant creatures” and demonstrates their brilliance by juxtaposing the initial “brimming water” on which they rested with ease, with their “scatter wheeling” and “clamorous wings”, creating a tone of admiration for the strength and power of these creatures. Yeats captures the rhythmic quality of the swans wings through alliteration, “bell-beat”, and the mood is one of being in awe of the movement of these powerful creatures. He pairs this with the phrase “Trod with a lighter tread”, emphasising the weightlessness and grace of these birds, encouraging the reader to envision and admire both the strength and beauty of nature.
Kavanagh uses imagery to portray the Monaghan Countryside as a perilous monster whom has robbed him of his inspiration, “O can I still stroke the monsters back”. He is trying to create a negative view of Monaghan, using agricultural imagery – “you flung a ditch on my vision”, in order to criminalise the rural setting for causing him dissatisfaction with his writings. He emphasises this negative image by personifying the soil through the repetition of “You”, in order to establish an accusatory tone and elevate it as his enemy in the readers mind. Kavanaghs feels he has been drained of his childish ambition by the “Stony grey soil”, using the metaphor “You burgled my bank of youth” to depict to the reader how his poems once had “the poise and stride of Apollo”, but now, having been robbed of inspiration by the “stony grey soil of Monaghan” Kavanagh is no longer able to write with the same passion that he once had – “Or write with unpoisoned pen.”.
Yeats further embellishes his swan imagery through the use of imagery surrounding the landscape and water. He describes the swans as paddling in “the cold companionable streams”, through the use of this oxymoron Yeats paints an image in the readers’ mind of nature being at one with itself, creating a sense of contentment and awe at this natural environment. Like Kavanagh, Yeats also uses repetition to place emphasis on his meaning. The word “still”, in its’ many forms, is used throughout “The Wild Swans at Coole”, creating a tone of peacefulness which further adds to our contentment, giving an overall effect of the beauty of nature being unchanged by time. This reflects Yeats idea of the swans being immortal, like the surrounding landscape “their hearts have not grown old” and they shall remain forever young and beautiful.
In conclusion, both Yeats and Kavanagh have very strong, although very different, views of nature and the landscape. Yeats portrays a positive view of nature, describing the “nine and fifty swans” in the highest possible manner as “mysterious, beautiful” in order to emphasise his idea of the nature and landscape of Coole park as beautiful and full of passion. In contrast, Kavanagh portrays the Irish countryside negatively, making it seem barren and disinteresting through language such as “Stony” and “clogged”, in order to reflect upon his feelings of dissatisfaction with it. The two poets effectively and clearly express their opinions however Yeats, through his evocative swan imagery portrays a more vivid image to the reader, which in my opinion makes it stand out when compared to “Stony Grey Soil”.