River

The setting that opens Oliver’s poem is “the black river” on which her titular swan is “drifting, all night” (1). The calmness of the swan “drifting” on the “black river” creates the sense of peace and tranquility associated with the natural world, and the relative quietude of the swan upon the river means that the speaker is free to turn inward. Like the swan, the river is also an element of nature that represents transformation and creation – the fluidity associated with bodies of water has long been a symbol of transformation for poets and other writers.

Sky

Much of the wonder the speaker directs toward the swan seems to be focused on its ability to fly through the sky, which is the setting that predominates throughout most of the poem. Early on, the speaker sees the swan “rising into the silver air,” where it seemingly remains for the...