Snake
by D. H. Lawrence
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.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.He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do,
And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,
And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused
a moment,
And stooped and drank a little more,
Being earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels
of the earth
On the day of Sicilian July, with Etna smoking.The voice of my education said to me
He must be killed,
For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold
are venomous.And voices in me said, If you were a man
You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off.But must I confess how I liked him,
How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink
at my water-trough
And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless,
Into the burning bowels of this earth?Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him?
Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him?
Was it humility, to feel so honoured?
I felt so honoured.And yet those voices:
If you were not afraid, you would kill him!And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid,
But even so, honoured still more
That he should seek my hospitality
From out the dark door of the secret earth.He drank enough
And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken,
And flickered his tongue like a forked night on the air, so black,
Seeming to lick his lips,
And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air,
And slowly turned his head,
And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice adream,
Proceeded to draw his slow length curving round
And climb again the broken bank of my wall-face.And as he put his head into that dreadful hole,
And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders,
and entered farther,
A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing into
that horrid black hole,
Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing
himself after,
Overcame me now his back was turned.I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.I think it did not hit him,
But suddenly that part of him that was left behind convulsed
in an undignified haste,
Writhed like lightning, and was gone
Into the black hole, the earth-lipped fissure in the wall-front,
At which, in the intense still noon, I stared with fascination.And immediately I regretted it.
I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!
I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education.And I thought of the albatross,
And I wished he would come back, my snake.For he seemed to me again like a king,
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again.And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate:
A pettiness.
Summary of Snake
- Popularity of “Snake”: Snake by D. H. Lawrence, a Victorian novelist, poet, and writer, is a descriptive piece of poetry. It revolves around the speaker’s unforgettable encounter with a snake that comes to his water-trough with a king-like pose. The poem beautifully illustrates his mixed emotions while the poet observes that dangerous creature. The description of this incident, the poet’s mixed response toward it, and a touch of realism make this poem a treat to read.
- “Snake” As a Representative of Wonder: This poem is about the speaker’s memorable interaction with a snake that comes to his place to quench his thirst. It begins where the speaker goes to a water-trough to fill his pitcher. To his surprise, a yellow-brown snake is already present at the edge of the stone trough, quietly drinking the dripping water. His peaceful presence urges the writer to wait for his turn. Although the snake lifts his head and gives a quick look to the speaker, yet the speaker’s presence does not affect him even for a moment. The golden brown color of the snake indicates that he has come from the burning bowels of the earth.
After discussing his appearance, the speaker discusses how various thoughts related to that dangerous creature emerge in his mind. Finding himself in a dilemma, he intends to kill the snake, but his fascination with him stops him. During this inner conflict, there seems the speaker taking on various roles about his killing. However, after fighting this unknown battle, he picks up a stick and throws it toward the snake. Unfortunately, he misses the target but feels a never-ending regret in his life. - Major Themes in “Snake”: Respect, danger, and human nature are the major themes of the poem. Throughout the poem, the poet compares the purity and innocence of the creature with the corrupt human world. The poet contrasts the fundamental nature of venomous creatures with human perceptions conflicted by emotions and thoughts. The writer comments on the complex human world, describing the snake’s physical attributes and unharmed actions. Along with the discussion of man versus nature, the speaker also highlights how our condition as humans sometimes confines us. It forces us to perform certain acts against our will.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in “Snake”
literary devices are tools to express complex ideas impressively. D. H. Lawrence also used some literary devices in this poem whose analysis is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /ee/ in “For he seemed to me again like a king” and the sound of /i/ in “Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him?”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /n/ in “Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld” and the sound of /r/ in “And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it continues to the next line. For example,
“I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld”, “And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords” and “And I wished he would come back, my snake.
- Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked in order to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. For example, in the last part of the poem the author uses it emphasizes his point such as, “Into the burning bowels of this earth?” and “Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him?”
- Simile: It is a device used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear. For example, in the second last stanza of the poem, “For he seemed to me again like a king/Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. Here “lords of life” and “king” stand for the supremacy of that innocent creature.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “Snake”
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Free Verse: Free verse is a type of poetry that does not contain patterns of rhyme or meter. This is a free-verse poem with no strict rhyme or metrical pattern.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are seventeen stanzas in this poem with each comprising a different number of lines/verses.
Quotes to be Used
These lines are useful while narrating a memorable past incident.
“I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.
I think it did not hit him.”