Wild Bees
By James K. Baxter
Often in summer, on a tarred bridge plank standing,
Or downstream between willows, a safe Ophelia drifting
In a rented boat — I had seen them come and go,
Those wild bees swift as tigers, their gauze wings a-glitter
In passionless industry, clustering black at the crevice
Of a rotten cabbage tree, where their hive was hidden low.But never strolled too near. Till one half-cloudy evening
Of ripe January, my friends and I
Came, gloved and masked to the eyes like plundering desperadoes,
To smoke them out. Quiet beside the stagnant river
We trod wet grasses down, hearing the crickets chitter
And waiting for light to drain from the wounded sky.Before we reached the hive their sentries saw us
And sprang invisible through the darkening air,
Stabbed, and died in stinging. The hive woke. Poisonous fuming
Of sulphur filled the hollow trunk, and crawling
Blue flame sputtered — yet still their suicidal
Live raiders dived and clung to our hands and hair.O it was Carthage under the Roman torches,
Or loud with flames and falling timber, Troy!
A job well botched. Half of the honey melted
And half the rest young grubs.
Through earth-black smouldering ashes
And maimed bees groaning, we drew out our plunder.
Little enough their gold, and slight our joy.Fallen then the city of instinctive wisdom.
Tragedy is written distinct and small
A hive burned on a cool night in summer.
But loss is a precious stone to me, a nectar
Distilled in time, preaching the truth of winter
To the fallen heart that does not cease to fall.
Summary of Wild Bees
- Popularity of “Wild Bees”: The poem ‘Wild Bees’ was written by James Keir Baxter, a renowned New Zealand poet and playwright. This narrative poetic piece was first published in 1949 Landfall in its 13th It was accompanied by a beautiful drawing by McCohan. The poet’s words in the poem revolve around a tragic event that occurred in the past, leaving an everlasting imprint on their psyche. It also illustrates how minor incidents bring significant changes in our lives. The poem’s immense popularity can be credited to its ability to capture the universal experiences of individuals who resort to harming others in order to achieve their desires, as the speaker’s depiction is both poignant and interesting.
- “Wild Bees” As a Representative of Sadness: This poem is a recount and analysis of the speaker’s memory. The speaker is really impressed by how strong the bees are. He sees them as a threat, like tigers. Furthermore, he praises their untiring efforts to make honey; they are mechanical workers with a passion for work. He is filled with wonder and amazement at the skillful construction of their hive, cleverly concealed within the branches of a decaying cabbage tree. After praising these little workers, he narrates that he and his friends tried to smoke the bees out to get the nectar they prepared after untiring efforts. Once the smoke got disappeared, they headed toward the beehive to satisfy their instinct, but the wounded bees attacked them. The attack, which was both uncertain and unexpected, caused them to become completely blank for a moment. Eventually, they were able to achieve their goal of acquiring gold, which was as valuable as nectar. Even though the speaker and his friends got their desired outcome, the memory of this incident has had a lasting impact.
- Major Themes in “Wild Bees”: Coming of age, violence, and realization are the major themes of the poem. The main focus of the poem is centered on a straightforward incident. He willingly supported his friends when they planned to burn a beehive to get nectar. Luck favored them, and they successfully beat the dangerous tiny bees. Unfortunately, the speaker could not find any joy in this triumph. Instead, it became a turning point for him. He realized that every creature in this universe deserves respect.
Analysis of the Literary Devices Used in Wild Bees
The purpose of literary devices is to bring depth and richness to poems. James K. Baxter used various literary devices to make the readers connect with his thoughts. The analysis of the devices used in the poem is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “Distilled in time, preaching the truth of winter” and the sound of /o/ in “A job well botched. Half of the honey melted”.
- Allusion: Allusion is a belief and an indirect reference of a person, place, thing or idea of a historical, cultural, political or literary significance. James borrowed words from Roman and Greek mythology such as “the Roman torches,” and “Or loud with flames and falling timber, Troy!”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /th/ in “then the city”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t/ in “Distilled in time, preaching the truth of winter” and the sound of /t/ and /z/ in “To the fallen heart that does not cease to fall”.
- 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,
“But loss is a precious stone to me, a nectar
Distilled in time, preaching the truth of winter
To the fallen heart that does not cease to fall.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. James has used imagery in this poem such as; “In a rented boat — I had seen them come and go”, “O it was Carthage under the Roman torches” and “And maimed bees groaning, we drew out our plunder”.
- Onomatopoeia: The poem shows the use of onomatopoeia as “crickets chitter.” Chitter shows the sound of crickets. Another one is “maimed bees groaning” where a groan is a specific sound of lugubrious feelings.
- Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate objects. The poet personified bees in the third stanza of the poem such as; “Before we reached the hive, their sentries saw us.” He has also personified the sky in the same stanza where it is stated as, “And waiting for light to drain from the wounded sky.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. “Preaching the truth of winter” symbolizes the unavoidable death that awaits us.
- Simile: It is a device used to compare something with something else to make the meanings clear to the readers. The writer has compared bees with tigers in the opening stanza of the poem such as “Those wild bees swift as tigers, their gauze wings a-glitter”.
Analysis of the Poetic Devices Used in Wild Bees
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 poem shows descriptive diction having metaphors.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is a free verse poem having no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are five stanzas in this poem, with each comprising six lines.
Quotes to be Used
The lines from “Wild Bees” are suitable to use while talking about the grave loss someone has witnessed in the past that has left has lasting memory in his mind.
A hive burned on a cool night in summer.
But loss is a precious stone to me, a nectar
Distilled in time, preaching the truth of winter
To the fallen heart that does not cease to fall.
