"our hands had somehow swum the distance between us"
hands fold together like "a pair of wings settling after flight""
Form: Winter Swans is composed of...
seven stanzas, with the final two lines forming a distinct couplet which echoes the resolution of the couples relationship. These lines are simple and brief, but carry a weight which relieves the emotional tension built up in the poem.
Winter Swans is written by...
Owen Sheers
Structure: Throughout the poem, Sheer's uses...
enjambment and caesura to create an easy rhythm in places, which emphasises the fluid and calm motion of the swans, which swim in "unison"
Hands
Folded, one over the other like a pair of wings settling after flight
Hands
Pulled together by a divine force
Verb "swum"
Focuses on the hands which "swum" together, not on the people which moved the hands
Description
Ambiguous, vague description of the lake and the lack of specificity about who "you" is
Couple
Divided, unwhole emotionally
Swans
Able to reside in both air and water, in Greek myth this symbolised the ability to exist both on earth and in heaven
Swans
Imply the relationship takes place on two levels: spiritual and physical
Detachment
Conveys both the difficulties of the couples relationship, and also the power of the swans in uniting the couples hands again
