THE LABURNUM TOP|| HORNBILL|| NCERT CLASS 11
THE LABURNUM TOP
A poem by - TED HUGHES
ABOUT THE POET :
Edward James Ted Hughes was an English poet. He was born on 17 august, 1930 in United Kingdom. He was a translator, poet, critic, children's' writer. He was one of the 20th century noted poet and writer. His sincere service led him to be appointed a Poet Laureate in 1984. Ted married famous American female poet Silvia Plath. The couple taught in college and university. They had two children. Ted died on 28 October, 1998 in London.
THE POEM - TEXT:
THE LABURNUM TOP
The Laburnum top is silent, quite still
In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen
Till the Goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a statement, at a branch end.
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,
She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterlings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings
The whole tree trembles and thrills.
It is the engine of her family
She strokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end
Showing her barred face identity mask.
Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.
ABOUT THE POEM :
This poem deals with the theme of motherly love of a bird. The name of the bird is Goldfinch. Also this poem is an appreciation of nature. The name of tree where the bird lives with its offspring is Laburnum. When the bird is absent from the tree then, the tree is silent and dull. Whereas when the bird arrives, the tree becomes lively and energetic as if an engine has been started.
However, the poet has observed the movement of the bird smoothly throughout. he notices that the bird arrives silently and sits at a branch end. Then it enters inside being alert as if a lizard moves on. When it reaches it nest, its small ones make sound of trembling, shaking and flapping of wings. When the mother bird feeds them all and goes back to the branch end, then all the sound ends. Then the mother bird leaves for infinity again in search of food, the Laburnum seems silent again.
TEXTUAL QUESTION AND ANSWERS::
THINK IT OUT
1) What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
Answer::
Both in the beginning and the ending of the poem the laburnum tree is silent and empty. There is neither any movement nor sound in it. We observe vitality and engine like commotion only when Goldfinch is present in the tree.
2) To what is the bird's movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Answer::
The movement of the bird is compared to that of lizard (🦎).
The basis of the comparison is the movement of the bird. Like a lizard, Goldfinch is also sleek, abrupt and alert in its movement towards it's nest.
3) Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Answer::
The image of an engine has been evoked by the poet here, since it is the source of energy for machine. Similarly, Goldfinch is the main driving force of it's family. Hence, she is compared to an engine.
4) What do you like most about the poem?
Answer::
I like the way that the poet has presented the activities of the bird specially when it arrives, approaches it's nest and feeds it's precocious.
5) What does the phrase " her barred face identity mask"mean?
Answer::
The phrase " her barred face identity mask" means the striped face of the bird. After feeding it's precocials, goldfinch shows it's barred face.
EXTRA// ADDITIONAL QUESTION-ANSWERS
1) What does the word 'yellow' signify in the poem?
Answer::
The word 'yellow' in the poem signifies the color of Goldfinch bird's feather. It also indicates yellow color of the laburnum tree.
2) Why is the laburnum top silent?
Answer::
The laburnum top is silent as the mother goldfinch is not present in the tree.
3) What message does the poem convey?
Answer::
The poem conveys the message that life is nothing but a process of continuous change. The mother goldfinch's arrival makes the silent tree lively and without it the tree is empty. Motherly affection is also a message that this poem conveys to us.
4) What comparison has the poet used in the poem?
Answer::
The poet has compared the movements of the bird with that of a lizard.
5) Name the season mentioned in the poem.
Answer:: Autumn season.
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