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By Ted Hughes
1) what do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
In the beginning the laburnum top is silent. Then it becomes lively when a bird comes to it. In the ending it again becomes silent.
2) To what is the birds movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
The bird’s movement has been compared to a lizard because she is abrupt,sleek and alert just like a lizard.
3) why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
A sound of machine comes from the tree, it is called the engine of her family as she provides support to her family.
4) what do you like most about the poem?
We like the comparison of a bird's movement with the lizard.
5)"The sound words" in the poem?
Chirrup, chittering, trilling, whistle-chirrup, whispering.
6)"The movement words" in the poem?
Twitching , enters, trembles, strokes, flirts, launches.
7) "The dominant colour” in the poem?
Yellow is the dominant colour in the poem. The leaves are yellowing, goldfinch has yellow feathers, and the sunlight is yellow.
8) What shows that it is the autumn season?
A few of the laburnum leaves are turning yellow. All the seeds in its flowers have fallen to the ground. All this shows that it is the autumn season.
9) What happens when the goldfinch enters the branches of the laburnum?
When the goldfinch enters the thick branches of the laburnum the whole of her brood starts chittering. There is a tremor of wings. Sweet trilling are heard .The whole tree starts trembling with a thrill of pleasure.
10) The central theme of the poem.
The poem, “The Laburnum Top” by Ted Hughes describes a mutual relationship between a Laburnum Tree which is large, beautiful but quite alone and a goldfinch bird which is quite amusing, beautiful but without a shelter. The Laburnum Tree gives the house to the bird and its young chicks and in turn it breaks the silence and loneliness of the laburnum tree. The goldfinch brings cheer, happiness and mirth to the simple and inanimate surroundings. Its happiness is infectious and all encompassing. The poet compares the laburnum tree with life of human beings who are lonely even though they have everything else in life. Relationships bring enlightenment to human life. Thus the poet, here in the poem wants to tell the reader the importance of relationships in life.
Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation, and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He served as Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death.
The poem 'The Laburnum Top' is written by Ted Hughes. It is about a repaying relationship between the Laburnum tree and the Goldfinch bird. The yellow bird has her shelter on the tree where she feeds her young ones. But as soon as the bird leaves to fly in the sky, the tree becomes silent lonely again.
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 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.
It is the engine of her family.
She stokes 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
The poem 'The Laburnum Top' is written by Ted Hughes. It is about a repaying relationship between the Laburnum tree and the Goldfinch bird. The yellow bird has her shelter on the tree where she feeds her young ones. But as soon as the bird leaves to fly in the sky, the tree becomes silent lonely again.
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 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.
It is the engine of her family.
She stokes 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.
Word Meanings
- goldfinch – a small, yellow bird
- twitching – a small, often involuntary movement of the body
- chirrup – the sound made by a bird
- startlement – amazement
- sleek – smooth
- abrupt – suddenly
- chittering – sound made by baby birds
- tremor – shaking
- trilling – to sing a series of quickly repeated high notes
- trembles and thrills – shakes violently
- the engine of her family – the goldfinch
- stokes – adds fuel (here the goldfinch is feeding her chicks)
- flirts – moves abruptly or jerkily with light steps
- barred – striped
- eerie – strange in a frightening or mysterious way
- launches – flies
- infinite – the sky
- subsides to empty – becomes silent, just as earlier
1) what do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
In the beginning the laburnum top is silent. Then it becomes lively when a bird comes to it. In the ending it again becomes silent.
2) To what is the birds movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
The bird’s movement has been compared to a lizard because she is abrupt,sleek and alert just like a lizard.
3) why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
A sound of machine comes from the tree, it is called the engine of her family as she provides support to her family.
4) what do you like most about the poem?
We like the comparison of a bird's movement with the lizard.
5)"The sound words" in the poem?
Chirrup, chittering, trilling, whistle-chirrup, whispering.
6)"The movement words" in the poem?
Twitching , enters, trembles, strokes, flirts, launches.
7) "The dominant colour” in the poem?
Yellow is the dominant colour in the poem. The leaves are yellowing, goldfinch has yellow feathers, and the sunlight is yellow.
8) What shows that it is the autumn season?
A few of the laburnum leaves are turning yellow. All the seeds in its flowers have fallen to the ground. All this shows that it is the autumn season.
9) What happens when the goldfinch enters the branches of the laburnum?
When the goldfinch enters the thick branches of the laburnum the whole of her brood starts chittering. There is a tremor of wings. Sweet trilling are heard .The whole tree starts trembling with a thrill of pleasure.
10) The central theme of the poem.
The poem, “The Laburnum Top” by Ted Hughes describes a mutual relationship between a Laburnum Tree which is large, beautiful but quite alone and a goldfinch bird which is quite amusing, beautiful but without a shelter. The Laburnum Tree gives the house to the bird and its young chicks and in turn it breaks the silence and loneliness of the laburnum tree. The goldfinch brings cheer, happiness and mirth to the simple and inanimate surroundings. Its happiness is infectious and all encompassing. The poet compares the laburnum tree with life of human beings who are lonely even though they have everything else in life. Relationships bring enlightenment to human life. Thus the poet, here in the poem wants to tell the reader the importance of relationships in life.
The poem “The Laburnum Top” is rich with rhetorical devices.
|
Lines from the poem |
Poetic device |
Explanation |
|
September
sunlight |
Alliteration |
Sunlight
in autumn season. |
|
sleek
as a lizard |
Simile |
Gold
finch is compared to a lizard. |
|
“A
machine…of chittering” “It is the
engine of her family |
Metaphor |
The
gold finch ‘s family is compared to
the engine. |
|
“the
whole tree trembles and thrills” |
Personification |
The
tree is personified. |
|
·
Her barred face identity mask |
Transferred
epithet |
The flowers of the laburnum tree are barred, here it is placed before the bird’s face and it looks as if the bird is wearing a mask that has strips on it |
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