&glosstext= <b>SYMBOL:</b><br><br>This is a word, phrase or image that describes something concrete, while at the same time suggesting some other meaning or reference. The Irish flag is, in an everyday sense, just three pieces of coloured cloth stitched together, however it has come to sybolise the culture and values of Ireland in general. It has become a symbol of Ireland.
In W. B. Yeats' 'The Wild Swans at Coole' Yeats describes a scene where swans gather on a lake at twilight. This is a concrete description of what the poet actually sees, but as the poem progresses, the swans come to symbolise youth and the enduring nature of love for the poet. 
