The Swing (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes
The Swing
Overview
"The Swing" is a poem by Don Paterson that explores themes of love and loss through the act of building a swing. The father-speaker constructs a swing for his sons whilst reflecting on the loss of an expected baby. The poem does not directly reveal the circumstances of this loss, but the reader understands the speaker's deep sadness about this life-changing event.
The poem explores three central themes:
- The parent and child relationship, particularly fatherhood
- Loss
- Spirituality
Form and structure
The poem consists of 36 lines organised into nine stanzas of equal length. Each stanza contains four lines (quatrains) and follows a loose ABAB rhyme scheme. This creates rhythmic precision that mirrors the back-and-forth motion of a swing, whilst also connecting to traditional ballads or lullabies.
The consistent four-line stanza structure throughout the poem creates a sense of order and control, which contrasts powerfully with the speaker's inner emotional turmoil. This structural choice reflects how the speaker attempts to maintain composure while processing grief.
The poem follows a chronological structure. The speaker works through the practical task of building and installing the swing "for the boys". Throughout the poem, straightforward descriptions of the construction work alternate with the speaker's conflicting emotions. He expresses both pride in his craftsmanship and grief over losing a child.
Enjambment appears throughout the poem. This technique conveys the speaker's emotional turmoil. However, repetition and the consistent rhyme scheme work against this, showing how the speaker attempts to think rationally about the terrible situation facing him and his wife.
The tension between enjambment (which creates a flowing, uncontrolled feel) and the regular rhyme scheme (which creates structure and control) is central to understanding the poem's emotional landscape. This mirrors the speaker's attempt to maintain control while experiencing devastating grief.
The poem maintains a quiet, understated tone. This restrained approach, typical of Paterson's style, actually emphasises the emotional weight of the experience.
Stanzas 1-3
The poem begins with the speaker setting up a new swing for his boys. He describes them as "the here-and-here-to-stay". This phrase hints at something more meaningful than a simple construction project. The speaker then reveals that his wife is the only person who knows why he "dug so solemnly". This suggests an inner mood of sadness and distress. The solemn manner of digging carries associations with grave-digging at a funeral, which foreshadows later revelations in the poem.
The phrase "dug so solemnly" is deliberately ambiguous at this point in the poem. On first reading, it simply describes digging holes for the swing posts. However, the association with funerals and graves creates a sense of foreboding that prepares the reader for the revelation about the lost child.
Stanzas two and three contain detailed, practical descriptions of the speaker's actions:
- "hammered down the pegs"
- "filled up the holes"
- "stamped the dirt"
These matter-of-fact descriptions suggest the speaker is concentrating on the immediate task to avoid thinking about his family's impending situation. The contrast between this serious atmosphere and the brightness of the "yellow seat" shows the couple's attempt to preserve joy and fun for their children.
The third stanza ends with the completed swing as the speaker admires his "handiwork". Now that the activity has finished, the poem shifts into a more reflective mood.
Stanzas 4-6
Stanza four begins with further foreshadowing. The transferred epithet describing the swing's structure as "frail" actually indicates that the expected baby "would not come", possibly due to physical weakness. This connects back to the "skinny legs" of the swing mentioned in stanza two.
A transferred epithet is a literary device where an adjective is applied to a noun that it doesn't literally describe. Here, "frail" describes the swing, but it actually refers to the baby. This indirect reference shows the speaker's difficulty in confronting the loss directly and demonstrates Paterson's subtle, understated style.
An unusual word choice appears in the final lines of the stanza:
"of what we knew had two more days/ before we sent it home"
The previous line referred to "the child", but "what" treats the subject as an object rather than a person. This could suggest emotional detachment - perhaps the speaker is creating psychological distance to protect himself or manage his feelings. The reader now fully understands the reason for the speaker's melancholy in the stark statement that the pregnancy would end in "two more days". This may reference a planned medical procedure because the pregnancy is not viable. Regardless, they know it will end soon.
In stanza five, the speaker makes a direct statement as he tries to think rationally about the loss:
"I know there is nothing here"
This creates a sombre mood and reveals the depth of his sorrow. The line could be interpreted as indicating the speaker lacks religious faith - that he does not believe in any existence beyond the life the child would have had with them ("no venue and no host"). In this interpretation, "host" could refer to communion bread, reinforcing his lack of Christian belief.
He must confront the reality of what this lost baby means when he refers to "the honest fulcrum of the hour". This suggests a turning point in his life, possibly indicating that he and his wife will have no more children. The reference to "ghost" at the end of this stanza suggests that although this child will never be born, its presence will remain with the couple throughout their lives.
The imagery of "ghost" introduces the theme of absence as presence, which becomes increasingly important as the poem progresses. The unborn child exists as a spectral presence in the family's life - never physically there, but always remembered and felt.
Stanza six opens with the speaker looking at the swing and considering what it symbolises. The contrast between "bright" and "dark to dark" expresses his conflicting emotions as he imagines what might have been:
"the bright sweep of its radar-arc/ is all the human dream"
The swing becomes a metaphor for both life and light, positioned between the darkness of the womb and the darkness of death and the grave. The lost child will be no less important than those who are here to enjoy the swing.
Stanzas 7-9
In stanzas seven and eight, the speaker explores absence as presence. He reflects again on his lack of religious belief:
"the coldness of my creed"
The alliteration of hard 'c' sounds emphasises that the speaker has no comfort to draw from any belief system. Despite his rational denial, he knows he will forever carry some form of the unborn child's spiritual presence within him. He states he:
"could not weigh the ghosts we are/ with those that we deliver."
This line is deliberately ambiguous and open to interpretation. The speaker might be suggesting that we are all "ghosts" in some sense - temporary beings in the world. He contrasts this with "those that we deliver" (children we bring into the world), but cannot determine which is more significant or real. This reflects his struggle with spiritual concepts during grief.
The meaning here is ambiguous. The speaker might be referring to the act of being born ("those that we deliver") as a contrast to the "ghosts". The suggestion is that he is wrestling with spiritual concepts during a difficult time, without having certainty.
The final stanza returns focus to the speaker at the swing, now fully built and ready for use. He "gave the empty seat a push", suggesting he imagines pushing his unborn child. The statement "nothing made a sound" reinforces the reality that this child will never be born or heard. This continues the theme of absence throughout the poem, with the "empty seat" and the silence existing where there should be the noise of children playing.
The final stanza is particularly poignant because the speaker shifts from emotional detachment (using "what" instead of "who" earlier) to vividly imagining the child as a real person - a little girl with "her feet upon the ground". This shows that despite his rational attempts to cope, the emotional reality of the loss is inescapable.
In the end, he imagines her presence as a little girl enjoying the swing ("her feet upon the ground"), contrasting with the detached tone from earlier in the poem. The phrase "swung between two skies" reverses the earlier line from stanza six where the speaker reflects on life as "handing us from dark to dark/ like a rope over a stream".
The final line "her feet upon the ground" gives her a real physical presence, connecting with the earth. This, along with the final perfect rhyme, gives the poem a moving sense of finality.
Themes
Parent and child relationship
The theme of parent and child relationships runs throughout the poem.
The speaker's symbolic use of a swing represents happy childhood play and brings to mind images of children being carefree and joyous. The speaker wants to create an enjoyable activity for his children. However, this is contrasted with a far more sombre experience - the loss of a child who will never get to experience childhood as his living children do. This duality reminds us of life's fragility.
The swing serves as a powerful symbol throughout the poem. It represents not only childhood joy and innocence, but also the arc of life itself - from darkness to darkness, from birth to death. This dual symbolism enriches the poem's exploration of loss and love.
Loss
The loss in this poem is that of an unborn child. The poem never reveals the precise reasons for this, but the devastating impact on the speaker and his wife is made clear. The initial loss becomes more complex when he tries to process it alongside his own beliefs, acknowledging the importance of this moment in his life.
There is also a loss of childhood in the poem. The child will not get to use the swing being built.
Spirituality
The speaker and his wife must accept their situation and work through their trauma.
Life's fragility and the impact of this loss become clear in the poem as we learn the baby will not be born alive. The speaker processes these larger philosophical questions through the metaphor of the swing, thinking of life as a swinging arc:
"...all the human dream/ handing us from dark to dark/ like a rope over a stream"
The speaker's struggle with spirituality is central to understanding the poem. He appears to lack religious faith ("the coldness of my creed"), yet he cannot escape the feeling that the unborn child will remain as a spiritual presence. This tension between rational atheism and emotional/spiritual experience creates much of the poem's depth and complexity.
The poem suggests the speaker may lack Christian belief, though some ambiguity exists as he imagines the little girl's presence so strongly at the end.
Comparisons with other poems by Don Paterson
This poem can be compared to "Why Do You Stay Up So Late?" and "11:00 Baldovan" in terms of childhood and memories.
In "11:00 Baldovan", the poet describes young boys' first experience travelling on the bus without their parents. This highlights a meaningful moment in their childhood as they take their first steps towards independence.
In "Why Do You Stay Up So Late?", the poet tries to explain to his young son why and how he creates poetry. He does this by reflecting on memories of days spent at the beach and how they both, in their own ways, search for some 'treasure'.
Paterson's poetry collection frequently explores themes of fatherhood and childhood from different angles. While some poems celebrate moments of joy and development, "The Swing" stands apart in its focus on loss and what might have been.
"The Thread", "The Circle", and "Waking with Russell" all deal with aspects of fatherhood. The poet shares his emotional responses to being a father and spending time with his sons. Whilst "The Swing" reflects on a child who will never be born, "The Thread" and "The Circle" relate to a child who has nearly died and how this makes their life all the more precious to the father.
Just as the symbolic act of building a swing causes reflection on loss, the arrival of his sons brings joy and gratitude, enriching his life.
Key Points to Remember:
- The poem uses the act of building a swing as a framework for exploring the loss of an expected baby
- The quiet, understated tone actually emphasises the emotional gravity of the experience
- Key techniques include enjambment (showing emotional turmoil), transferred epithet ("frail" describing the baby through the swing), and metaphor (the swing representing life's arc)
- The poem explores absence as presence - the unborn child is imagined vividly despite never existing physically
- Three main themes interweave: parent-child relationships (particularly fatherhood), loss (of the unborn child and lost childhood experiences), and spirituality (processing grief alongside possible lack of religious faith)