Snake by D.H lawrence

1. BY D.H LAWRENCE

2.  The poem “Snake” is a notable poem by D. H.
Lawrence that provides us a glimpse into the
complexities of human nature that bring us towards
rational thinking. This poem tells us the tale of a
person going to a water-trough ,who stumbles upon a
snake. The person is fascinated and feels honored that
he was able to see this magnificent sight. Yet his
upbringing and education tells that the snake ought to
be killed.

3.  In the poem, Lawrence recalls the time when he had
been living in Sicily during an extremely hot
summer. Feeling thirsty, the poet had come to the
water trough, only to find that he was not the first
visitor there, as the lines, “ And must wait, must
stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before
me.”, indicate. There was a regal golden-brown
snake, drinking leisurely.

4.  We then realize from the lines, “ looked at me
vaguely, as drinking cattle do” and “ mused a
moment”, that the snake has seen the poet
standing there and does not consider him to be a
threat. The day is very hot and the volcano is
smoking as it is the middle of July, so perhaps the
snake too feels lazy and simply wishes to quench
his thirst. Lawrence recalls that he had been
taught that in Sicily, “ the black, black snakes are
innocent and the gold are venomous.”The accursed
voices within him told him that he had to act
„manly‟ and should kill.

5.  Then, in the poet’s mind, there starts a battle
between his morality and his social conditioning.
On one hand, his education tells him to kill the
snake, as we can see by the virtue of the lines, “If
you were a man, you would take a stick and break
him now, and finish him off.” and “ If you were not
afraid, you would kill him”. The narrator confesses
that he was afraid, but honored even more and felt
that he would somehow kill the snake.

6.  But then as the snake begins to draw back into its
home, “ a sort of horror, a sort of protest” forms in
the poet’s mind and he lets himself be guided by
his instinct. Now that Lawrence could no longer
see the snake’s peaceful and docile face, the urge to
do something overcomes him and he picks up a “
clumsy log and throws it at the water trough with a
clatter”. Though the stick does not hit the snake,
but being alarmed, it “ convulses in undignified
haste.” and swiftly slithers into the hideaway.

7.  Now, the poet makes an allusion to S. T. Coleridge’s
“Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by referring to the
snake as his own personal albatross. In the same
way that the mariner had acted on impulse and
killed the albatross, resulting in the terrible way in
which the sailors had to suffer, D. H. Lawrence too
had driven away the snake. He wishes that “he
would come back, my snake.”, so that the poet
could atone for his evil act and regain the snake’s
trust. The snake had seemed to him like a king and
he had, in an act of foolish desperation, driven it
away.

8.  The poem “Snake” by D. H. Lawrence is a fascinating
text written in free verse that deals with the
complexities of the human mind and the ways in
which man faces with them. The poet builds the poem
in Sicily, Italy and conveys the soaring temperature
through the words “Etna smoking” and “burning
bowels of the earth”. Lawrence’s raw language and
creativity with the imageries is remarkable, adorned
by the person’s allusions and dilemmas.

9.  “He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle
do, And looked at me vaguely, as drinking
cattle do”. It is then that the poet’s accursed
human education steps in and makes him
question his present dealings and urges him to
finish off the “fatal” snake. But just as easily, we
find him again slipping off to the world where
the snake is just another harmless, magnificent
creation of god. The person becomes the
medium of the portrayal of a battle of the mind
and the heart, that of the Adam created vices.

10.  The person hits it with a stick and momentarily and we
find the new age victorious. But immediate guilt and
self-loathing for the cavalier act ensue and he falls to
his knees begging the snake to return so to redeem
“the uncrowned king”. Abashed by his deeds, he
despises himself for giving in to the worse half.

11.  In the poem, 'Snake„, D.H. Lawrence shows that instinct is
superior to the reasoning of mind. He was strangely
attracted by the dignified and quiet way of the snake and
accepted it as an esteemed and respected guest. Lawrence
was essentially a moralist who believed that the modern
man was gradually becoming devoid of his natural feelings.
It points out the poet‟s fascination towards the snake, since
it was not blinded by prejudice like man, but instead was
guided by instinct. The poem brings out several different
layers of thinking.


12.  The poem arouses the feeling of love and sympathy for
all creatures in the world. It was the accursed human
education that urged the poet to kill the snake to
satisfy his social needs. He has no right to deprive
others from their right to live. Although the poet hits
the snake, he feels sorry for his act. So we see that
man's natural instinct prevail at the end. He equates
his education with the forces of ignorance, cruelty and
vulgarity.. The poet seeks religious atonement for his
pettiness in hurting the snake who had not harmed
him in anyway, thus concluding that one must follow
his instinct.

13.  David Herbert Lawrence’s writing is notable for its
intensity and its sensuality. All of Lawrence’s works are
written in a lyrical, sensuous, often rhapsodic prose
style. He had an extraordinary ability to convey a sense
of specific time and place, and his writings often
reflected his complex personality. He believed in
writing poetry that was stark, immediate and true to
the mysterious inner force which motivated it. Many
of his best-loved poems treat the physical and inner
life of plants and animals.

14.  AHMED RUYEFA DF
 Class : X-K
 Roll No : 02