On Killing a Tree (Beehive)

By Gieve Patel

It takes much time to kill a tree, 

Not a simple jab of the knife 

Will do it. 

It has grown

Slowly consuming the earth, 

Rising out of it, feeding 

Upon its crust, absorbing 

Years of sunlight, air, water, 

And out of its leprous hide 

Sprouting leaves. 

So hack and chop

But this alone won’t do it.

Not so much pain will do it.

The bleeding bark will heal

And from close to the ground

Will rise curled green twigs,

Miniature boughs

Which if unchecked will expand again 

To former size. 

No,

The root is to be pulled out — 

Out of the anchoring earth;

It is to be roped, tied,

And pulled out — snapped out 

Or pulled out entirely,

Out from the earth-cave,

And the strength of the tree exposed 

The source, white and wet,

The most sensitive, hidden

For years inside the earth. 

Then the matter

Of scorching and choking In sun and air,

Browning, hardening, Twisting, withering,

And then it is done. 

GLOSSARY

jab: sudden rough blow
leprous hide: discoloured bark
hack: cut roughly by striking heavy blows
anchoring earth: Trees are held securely with the help of the roots in the earth.
snapped out: chopped out
scorching and choking: the drying up of the tree after being uprooted.
1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?
No, a simple jab of the knife cannot kill a tree. The roots of the tree grow deep and hold it firmly in the soil. So, only a chop cannot kill the tree because it will slowly heal up and grow to its original shape and size.
2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List the words suggestive of its life and activity.
Yes, the tree has grown full by absorbing the sunlight, air and water for several years and the roots going deep into the earth.

The words suggestive of the tree's life and activity are:

grown slowly consuming the earth
rising out of it
feeding upon its crust
absorbing years of sunlight, air, water
sprouting leaves
3. What is the meaning of “bleeding bark”? What makes it bleed?
When someone hacks and chops the barks of the tree bleeds but it will heal.
4. The poet says “No” in the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?
The poet says no because the tree has a natural tendency to heal from wound of jabbing and chopping the barks. The tree is compared to human beings as they get cured of illness and injuries.

The poet Gieve Patel describes the cruelty of man in killing the tree with irony and a sense of detachment. However, his own sympathy lies with the tree and nature. Finally he says that the tree cannot withstand the cruelty of man and it dies.
5. What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?
“Anchoring Earth” means that the Earth supports the tree firmly. “Earth cave” refers to the pit in the Earth where the roots of the tree binds it firmly to the Earth.
6. What does he mean by “the strength of the tree exposed”?
“the strength of the tree exposed” means that upon being uprooted, the most sensitive and important part of the tree i.e. the roots will no longer remain hidden in the Earth. The strength of the tree is its root which is unearthed.
7. What finally kills the tree?
The poet says that in order to kill the tree, it has to be uprooted. One has to separate the tree from the Earth which supports it. The roots of the tree bind the tree with the soil in the pit of the Earth. From there, the most sensitive and hidden part of the tree - the roots have to be detached. The roots are white in color and are damp. Once the tree has been uprooted, then gradually it withers and dries up with the action of heat and wind. The trunk will become brown, twist and will harden. Finally, the tree will die this way.
8. Explain the metaphor in the poem.
Instead of stating that one thing is like another, the poet identifies one with the other. Here the word 'bleeding' is a metaphor. The poet compares the sap oozing out of the bark of a hacked tree trunk to the blood of a human being or a living creature but does not use the word of comparison.