The poem follows a unique rhyme scheme over the course of its eight lines: ABBCCBAC. The most idiosyncratic feature of the scheme is the placement of the A rhymes, which fall six lines apart, essentially at the beginning and end of the poem. Both A-rhyme lines describe the sight of the swans flying overhead. In between the two swan sightings, the narrator’s perspective shifts. The first sighting offers metaphorical swans. The second sighting offers swans closer to their essential state.
