In 'The Laburnum Top,' Ted Hughes depicts an autumn afternoon where a laburnum tree sits silent and still until a goldfinch arrives, bringing the tree to life with its energetic movements and sounds. The poem emphasizes the connection between nature and the beauty found in the relationships among living beings, while also highlighting the themes of solitude and interaction. Through the use of vivid imagery and various poetic devices, Hughes showcases the delicate balance of life within the environment.

1. 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.
Ted Hughes
The Laburnum Top

2. In the poem, ’The Laburnum Top’ the poet talks about an
autumn afternoon. The laburnum tree is standing still. There
are no movements in branches, flowers or leaves. The sun
shines bright on the tree. The yellow sunlight intensifies the
aura of the yellow laburnum tree. Along with the bountiful
growth of yellow flowers on the tree, the leaves are also
yellowing. All the seeds have fallen down.
This peaceful silence is interrupted by the arrival of goldfinch.
Her entry causes startlement in the tree. The one end of a
branch seems to come alive. The goldfinch, with her lizard-like
swift movements, enters the rustling end of the branch. Her
movement is alert and abrupt. The birdlings chitter with joy.
The whole tree trembles with this series of events. The tree
and the birdlings are the engine of her family.
Goldfinch birds generally have patches across their faces.
Hence, her face looks like a mask covering her true identity.
After lingering around the tree for some time, she flies away
towards the infinite heaven, that is, the sky.
Summary Of The Poem

3. Alliteration – repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning
of two consecutive words. For eg:- September sunlight.
Simile – comparison between two things using like or as. For
e.g:- Sleek as a lizard.
Metaphor – an indirect comparison between two things.
Generally, a quality is compared. For e.g:- “It is the engine of
her family.”
Personification – the attribution of personal nature
characteristics to something non-human. For e.g:- The whole
tree trembles and thrills.
Transferred Epithet – the figure of speech where the adverb
is transferred to another noun. For e.g:- “her barred face
identity mask.”
Poetic Devices

4. The first stanza describes the tree when it is lifeless.
The second stanza describes the arrival of the bird.
The final stanza tells the condition of the tree after the bird
has left the tree.
The poem is divided into three stanzas. There is no definite rhyme
scheme.
The poem beautifully describes the beauty of nature. It also tries to
beautify the solitude of the tree. It also tells how the solitude
vanishes when the bird Goldfinch arrives with its family. There is a
relationship between all the living beings in the environment, and the
need to peacefully coexist can be seen.
There is an interaction between every living creature, which might
not be seen or heard by us, but it exists.
Rhyming Scheme

5. Ted Hughes

6. About The Poet
Early Life:- Hughes attended Mexborough Grammar School,
where his teachers encouraged him to write poetry. He studied
english at Pembroke College under M. J. C. Hodgart.
Career:- Hughes was appointed Poet Laureate in December
1984. A collection of animal poems for children had been
published by Faber earlier that year, What is the Truth?, he
won the annual Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once in a
lifetime award.
His Work and Books:-
The Hawk in the Rain
Lupercal
Wodwo
Meet my Folks!
How the Whale Became
The Earth-Owl and Other Moon-People
Edward James Hughes (17 August 1930 – 28 October 1998) was an
English Poet, Translator and Writer. Critics rank him as one of the
Best Poets of 20th century.
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7. Thank You