The Pigeons
By Richard Kell
They paddle with staccato feet
In powder-pools of sunlight,
Small blue busybodies
Strutting like fat gentlemen
With hands clasped
Under their swallowtail coats;
And, as they stump about,
Their heads like tiny hammers
Tap at imaginary nails
In non-existent walls.
Elusive ghosts of sunshine
Slither down the green gloss
Of their necks in an instant, and are gone.Summer hangs drugged from sky to earth
In limpid fathoms of silence:
Only warm dark dimples of sound
Slide like slow bubbles
From the contented throats.Raise a casual hand –
With one quick gust
They fountain into air.
Summary of The Pigeons
- Popularity of “The Pigeons”: The poem ‘The Pigeons’ was written by Richard Alexander Kell, an Irish Methodist missionary, writer, poet, and critic. It is an interesting poem about pigeons. The poem was first published in In New Poetry Workshop, held in 1983. The poem shows an exceptional poetic structure juxtaposed with its casual depiction of pigeons. The poem’s excellence can be attributed to its skillful presentation of the pigeons, using metaphorical and comparative language to showcase both their actions and their lighthearted nature.
- “The Pigeons” As a Representative of Natural Life: Painting the pigeons as an enchanting bird is an excellent touch to the poem when he compares their paddling with staccato through a metaphorical representation and alliterative busy activities. Through the use of figurative language, the poet presents the activities of pigeons in a human-like manner, while incorporating musical-like notes, thus reflecting their responsible attitude towards nature, akin to that of a conservationist. He compares their feet, activities, heads, and even their shiny feathers to conclude that when the season changes, so does their behavior and so does the poetic mood. All that is needed for their disappearance is either a sudden gust of wind or a casual hand from someone, or the presence of the poet and the pigeons, or the gradual disappearance of nature itself.
- Major Themes in “The Pigeons”: Preservation of nature, natural life, and pleasures of natural life are some of the major thematic strands of this poem. The poem begins with the joyous dance of the pigeons, likening their movements to various human activities. This comparison highlights the cyclical nature of both natural and human life, as well as the departure of the pigeons, mirroring the transient nature of existence. Therefore, this transient pleasure must be enjoyed transiently and preserved like a precious thing.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Pigeons
literary devices play a vital role in enhancing the aesthetic appeal and value of poem or prose writing. The analysis of these devices in the poem is given below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /a/ in “They paddled with staccato feet”, the sound of /o/ in “Under their swallowtail coats” and the sound of /a/ in “Tap at imaginary nails”.
- Alliteration: It is the use of successive consonant sounds in the initials of the successive words, such as the sound of /b/ in “blue busybodies” and the sound of /d/ in dark dimples”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /l/ in “In powder-pools of sunlight”, the sound of /g/ in “Summer hangs drugged from sky to earth” and the sound of /r/ in “But give me your sun from yonder skies!”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
Raise a casual hand –
With one quick gust
They fountain into air.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. The poem shows the use of imagery such as “Small blue busybodies”, “With hands clasped” and “Under their swallowtail coats”.
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of metaphors such as staccato, busybodies, and dimples.
- Personification: The poet shows personification by the use of summer, dimples, and wind as if they have life and emotions of their own.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of natural objects such as feet, coats, walls, sky, and earth to show his conservationist mind.
- Similes: The poem shows the use of similes, such as ‘Their heads like tiny hammers’, ‘Only warm dark dimples of sound / Slide like slow bubbles’ and ‘Strutting like fat gentleman’.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in The Pigeons
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.
- Diction: The poet has used highly figurative language full of metaphors and similes, as the analysis shows but its mood is that of a conservationist who wants to preserve it.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is a free verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. Three are three stanzas, with each having different verses such as the first one has 13, the second has five and the last one has only three.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “The Pigeons” are relevant to use when comparing nature to human life.
They paddle with staccato feet
In powder-pools of sunlight,
Small blue busybodies
Strutting like fat gentlemen