Swans are mostly silent birds. They are beautiful, but due to little vocalization, they are a mystery, perhaps their hearts contain great light or darkness. The Greeks and Romans in their mythologies imagined that the bird remained silent until one song at death. This notion echos the inevitable decline and destruction of beauty, grace and purity that human life must endure.
On the left side of the composition, the swan sings with its mysterious heart near busting. In the center of the painting, an older woman is closing a door to her life. The face of death depicted as a hannya (a Japanese she-demon) lurks behind the door. The faces of aspiration and desire watch the woman. At the doorstep, another woman stands apprehensively. She is dressed in an ancient kimono decorated with the faces of comedy and tragedy.
