John Gould Fletcher Poems

John Gould Fletcher was an innovative 20th-century poet. He associated with poets like Amy Lowell and other Imagists. He was also associated with the Fugitives, a group of poets attempting to return to a simpler, more agrarian way of life and its inherent values. Read more of John Gould Fletcher’s Biography.

The Swan

by John Gould Fletcher

‘The Swan’ by John Gould Fletcher describes the movements of a swan within a body of water and a speaker’s desire to escape his life. 

John Gould Fletcher was a prominent American poet and one of the pioneers of modernism in poetry. His poetry often explores the natural world, the complexities of the human condition, and the intersection of the two. In 'The Swan,' he uses vivid imagery and sensory language to capture the beauty and essence of the bird.

Under a wall of bronze,

Where beeches dip and trail

Their branches in the water;

With red-tipped head and wings—

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