Snake - D H LAWRENCE

TOPIC :- SNAKE

POET’S NAME :-D.H. LAWRENCE

ABOUT THE POET.

D.H Lawrence Born: 11 September 1885. Eastwood,

Nottinghamshire, England. Died: 2 March 1930. Vence, France Occupation: novelist. Nationality: English Period: 1907–1930. Genres: Modernism. Notable works:Novel: Sons and Lovers, The

Rainbow, Women in Love, Lady Chatterley's Lover Short Story: Odour of Chrysanthemums, The Virgin

and the Gipsy, The Rocking-Horse Winner Play: The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd

THE POEM IS A FREE VERSE, HAVING NO SPECIFIC RHYMING PATTERN. THE POEM’S FIRST PART TALKS ABOUT THE ARRIVAL OF THE POET AND THE SNAKE

WITH A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SNAKE. THE SECOND DIVISION TALKS ABOUT THE MODE OF THE

DRINKING OF THE SNAKE AND THE PATIENT ATTITUDE OF THE POET. FURTHERMORE, THE THIRD SEGMENT

FEATURES THE POET’S MIND CONFLICT ON WHETHER TO KILL OR SPARE THE SNAKE. THE NEXT SEGMENT

PORTRAYS THE RETURNING OF THE SNAKE AND LASTLY, THE REMORSE SHOWN BY THE POET WAS EXPRESSED.

STYLE / STRUCTURE

THEME1. UNITY CO-EXISTENCE BETWEEN MAN AND ANIMAL2. PATIENCE3. HARMLESS ATTITUDE OF ANIMALS4. REGRET5. HOSPITALITY

Extracts from the POEM A snake came to my water-trough On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat , To drink there. In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-tree I came down the steps with my pitcher And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me…..

On a very hot day, the narrator in his pyjamas, headed towards his water trough to drink some cool and refreshing water, in order to beat the heat. Little did he know that a wild snake from the neighbouring jungle had crawled towards the water-trough too. The two are about to encounter each other in a subtle way. In the deep strange-scented shade of the great dark carob-trees, the narrator came down the steps with his pitcher. He suddenly saw the snake, stopped and waited, for there the snake was at the trough before him.

…..He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down, over the edge of the

stone trough And rested his throat upon the stone bottom, And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness, He sipped with his straight mouth, Softly drank through his straight gums into his slack long body, Silently….. Someone was before me at my water-trough , And I, like a second comer, waiting .

The snake reached down from a fissure: a narrow opening, cleft or crevice; a splitting apart or break; cleavage; to crack, split or cleave; in the earth wall in the gloom; a dark place: and trailed its yellow brown slackness soft-bellied down, over the edge of the store trough and it rested its throat upon the stone bottom. The water had dripped from the tap in a small clearness. The snake sipped with its clear mouth and softly drank through its straight gums into his slack long body, very silently. Someone was before the narrator at his water trough and he is waiting like a second comer.

MEANING OF DIFFICULT WORDS

1. Water-trough - It consists of a long trough filled with water

2. Pitcher - a container, usually with a handle and spout or lip, for holding and pouring liquids.

3. Fissure - a narrow opening produced by cleavage or separation of parts.

4. Muse – ponder, contemplate5. Bowels – the inward or interior parts

Poetic devices used in the poem are:-

1) Personification.2) Alliteration.3) Repetition.4) Simile.