A man in his fifties walking through the grounds of a Galway estate. Feeling the weight of time, he reflects on his own aging and the emotional wounds of his past. He observes the natural world to find solace and stability in a period fractured by war and personal heartbreak. His sorrow eventually gives way to an understanding of artistic creation and endurance.

A group of exactly fifty-nine swans inhabiting the lake at Coole Park. They display high energy and grace. Their apparent immunity to the effects of time offers the speaker a reassuring permanence. To the poet, they serve as muses that spark creative inspiration.

An influential patron of the Irish Revival and an active playwright. She provides the physical refuge where the speaker walks and meditates. Her property serves as a sanctuary from the turbulent political climate of early twentieth-century Europe.

A passionate advocate for Irish political freedom and a working actress. She is the object of the speaker's long-standing admiration. Her multiple rejections of his marriage proposals feed the romantic sorrow he feels while observing the natural world.