The
Laburnum Top
By Ted Hughes
Analysis :
The story ‘The Laburnum Top’ is composed by Ted Hughes
who was an English poet, translator, and children's writer.
The poem is a beautiful interpretation of this world which
is represented by the tree and life and living people are represented by the bird.
This poem is a beautiful landscape of an autumn scene
with the remarkable use of imagery by the poet who portrays the laburnum
tree and the bird with the lively description of vibrant sounds, movements, vitality,
and fleeting moments.
The poem portrays the laburnum tree as a timeless
force that imparts life to millions of creatures such as the goldfinch bird.
The poem also beautifully emphasises the power of
nature that gives life to the existence of every living soul.
This poem is rich with poetic devices and uses vivid
imagery to describe the autumn scene along with personification, metaphor and
symbolism.
Line by Line Explanation
The Laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.
Explanation :
The poet describes the Laburnum tree, indicating that
it is motionless, quiet and seems to be lifeless until a bird comes and sits in
the tree. The setting is established as a sunny afternoon in September, with a
specific emphasis on the yellow light which symbolises the autumn season. The
tree is in the process of shedding its leaves that have turned yellow due to
autumn and the seeds have already fallen on the ground as the tree is
undergoing its natural cycle during autumn.
Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings —
The whole tree trembles and thrills.
Explanation :
Then, all of a sudden, the scene undergoes a change
with the arrival of a goldfinch, a small bird known for its bright yellow colour.
The bird's arrival is accompanied by its distinct chirping which fills the tree
with vibrant sounds and removes the dullness and silence. The bird's arrival is
sudden and startling, as it lands on a branch of the tree which shakes with
tremours and tumults. The poet uses simile to describe the bird's movements,
comparing it to a sleek lizard which is known for its alertness and sudden
actions for catching its prey. As the bird moves deeper into the thick leaves of the
tree which is, now described metaphorically as a machine which is resounding due to the sharp sounds
and sudden movements made by the baby birds. The sounds and movements of the bird and its babies within the tree create a cacophony of chirping, fluttering of wings, and tremours
of the leaves and the tree. The activity of the bird and its small baby birds within the tree causes the
entire tree to vibrate and pulsate with life as if the tree has become alive full of life, energy and joy.
It is the engine of her family.
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end
Showing her barred face identity mask
Explanation :
Now, the poet compares the tree to an ‘engine’ which is described as a driving force for the life of the bird and its family. The tree is described as the engine for the bird's family as it gives life providing for safety and shelter to them, leading their life ahead safely and happily. The engines trembles and shakes and resonates with the sharp sounds made by the baby birds. The way an engine pulls entire vehicle forward, the tree also provides for the life of its babies driving their life ahead. The bird fuels the engine of the tree providing for food, security and other necessities to her family. The bird shakes the tree completely with its sudden movements and then, it suddenly moves to the edge of a branch preparing for its launch into the sky. There, towards the end of the branch the bird is slightly visible as the leaves aren’t thick there. It is slightly visible, and its face is hidden with the streaks of flowers which are described by the poet as the bird’s mask. Here, the branches of the laburnum tree full of yellow flowers are described metaphorically as the mask that serves as an ‘identity mask’ for the bird as the branches full of flowers are yellow as well as the bird is also yellow. Hence, the tree despite hiding the bird's face becomes its identity. This mask keeps the bird and its family hidden from the dangers and threats.
Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.
Explanation :
The bird makes soft and strange sounds as it prepares to depart. These sounds are compared to the sound of a whistle. The bird flies away into the distance, symbolically moving towards the vast expanse of the sky which is infinite. With the departure of the bird, the Laburnum tree returns to its quiet and empty state, devoid of the earlier activity and life.
Overall, the poem
explores themes of nature, life, and transience of our existence in this world.
Message :
The poem conveys the message that our life is short
lived but life in general never ceases to exist. The world is lifeless and
meaningless without the existence of humans and other living creatures. Our
relation with this world is beautiful and amazing; it needs to be understood
and maintained. The poem explores themes of nature, life,
and transience of our existence in this world which becomes quiet and lifeless
without living souls emphasising the message of coexistence.
Poetic Devices :
The Laburnum top is
silent, quite still - Personification, Alliteration, Assonance
In
the afternoon yellow September sunlight, - Imagery, Alliteration, Symbolism
A few leaves yellowing all its seeds fallen. - Symbolism, Consonance
Till
the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup - Assonance, Alliteration, Imagery, Onomatopoeia
A
suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end. - Alliteration, Repetition
Then
sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt - Simile, Imagery, polysyndeton, Repetition, Assonance
She
enters the thickness, and a machine starts up - Metaphor, Imagery, Consonance
Of
chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings — Assonance, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Polysyndeton
The whole tree trembles and thrills - Personification, Alliteration, Consonance
It is the engine of her family - Assonance, Metaphor
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end - Metaphor, Alliteration, Imagery, Consonance
Showing her barred face identity mask - Metaphor, Imagery
Then
with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings - Metaphor, Imagery, Assonance, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia
She launches away, towards the infinite - Metaphor, Consonance, symbolism
And
the laburnum subsides to empty. -
RTC
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings —
Q1. What does the word 'machine' refer to?
Q2. Who is compared to a lizard? Which poetic devices is used here?
Q3. Why is the bird compared to a lizard?
Q4. Whose chitterings and trillings are described?
Q5. Which poetic device is used in third line?
Answers :
A1. The word 'machine' refers to the baby birds in the nest which is hidden in the thickness of the tree. The goldfinch has kept its chicks in the nest where the branch is thickly covered with the leaves. As the goldfinch arrives, all the babies start making sounds and movements and it appears as if a machine has started.
A2. The bird, goldfinch is compared to a lizard with the use of the poetic device, Simile.
A3. The bird is compared to a lizard due to its alertness and quickness while catching its prey. The bird is alert and quick while entering the thickness of leaves over the nest so that she can avoid the eyes of the predators and keep its babies safe.
A4. The small chicks are making sharp, shrill and happy sounds at the arrival of the mother bird.
A5. Onomatopoeia is used in the third line (due to the use of sound words)
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