Snake

 

BSEB Class 12 English Poem 9 Snake Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from Rainbow Book

 

Snake Class 12  – BSEB Class 12 English Poem 9 Snake Summary and detailed line by line explanations of the poem along with the meanings of difficult words.

 

Related: Snake Question Answers

BSEB Class 12 English Rainbow Book Poem 9 – Snake

By D. H. Lawrence

 

Snake Introduction

In the present poem ‘Snake’, Lawrence describes how a harmless snake visits the water body to quench its thirst but he hits the snake due to the inner conscious which is marred by the teachings that a golden snake is venomous and should be killed.. 

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Snake Summary

In the poem ‘Snake’, the poet ‘D. H. Lawrence’ described the conflict in his mind after he saw a snake in his water-trough. The poet was describing the simple event of his day, he was going out to his “water-trough” and he wanted to fetch water for himself and he found a snake. It was a typical summer day and how he had been wearing pajamas in order to cool himself. The fact that he was wearing pyjamas explained that he was unprepared to meet the snake. Plus, it was probably early in the morning that this encounter occurred. The poet came down and reached with his pitcher, he had to stand and wait for the snake to finish drinking because the snake reached the water-trough before the poet. The snake came out of a long deep crack or a gap in the wall of his house. It was like the snake was coming from the earth itself. The snake moved smoothly over the edge of the water-trough and finally came to rest with its throat on the bottom of the stone trough. The snake drank silently with his straight mouth and straight gums and the poet could imagine the water traveling silently through its long flexible body. The water trough was present in the deep and scented shade of the carob tree. For a moment, the poet got scared but he was also very glad to have a guest. So, he patiently waited for his turn at the water trough. The poet further described how the snake stopped drinking at one point and looked at him vaguely, in the same way that cattle drinking in ponds sometimes pause between sips. The poet admired the beauty of the snake, which appeared to be harmless. He realized that the snake had just come to drink water and quench its thirst. It would return to its home peacefully. The poet had many conflicting thoughts in his mind. He said that his education in his childhood taught him that golden brown coloured snakes are poisonous and dangerous. His inner voice was asking him to kill the snake but at the same time, he was in full admiration of the creation of God. The snake was unaware of the presence of the poet. It drank water to its satisfaction and raised its head dreamily. It flickered its forked tongue and also licked its lips. The snake looked like a God. Slowly it turned and moved away from the trough and probably it was on its way back to his hole. When the poet saw the snake moving away, he was terror struck. To prove himself that he was not a coward, he picked up a log of wood and threw it at the snake. The poet missed the target but the snake sensed danger and disappeared hastily inside the hole. However, the poet looked with fascination at the snake but at the same time, a feeling of guilt for treating his guest in a dishonorable way gripped him. He regretted his act of trying to hit the snake. In the beginning, he felt honored that it had come to his trough to drink water but later his fear forced him to kill it. He found his feelings of regret quite similar to the feelings of an ancient mariner who had killed the Albatross bird. He considered his action of hitting his ‘guest’ to be a sin. He started hating himself and his human education. The poet hoped and wished for the snake to come out of his hole so that he could apologize and make amends for his mistake. The poet thought that the snake was actually the uncrowned king. So it hid in the interior of the Earth in exile. He felt that he missed a chance to crown and honour the king. The poet ardently wished to crown the snake. 

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Snake Summary in Hindi

 

स्नेककविता में कविडी. एच. लॉरेंस ने अपने पानी के कुंड में एक सांप को देखने के बाद अपने मन में होने वाले संघर्ष का वर्णन किया है। कवि अपने दिन की एक साधारण घटना का वर्णन कर रहा था, वह अपनेजलकुंडकी ओर जा रहा था और वह अपने लिए पानी लाना चाहता था और उसे एक साँप मिला। यह एक सामान्य गर्मी का दिन था और खुद को ठंडा करने के लिए उसने पाजामा पहन रखा था। तथ्य यह है कि उसने पायजामा पहन रखा था, यह बताता है कि वह साँप से मिलने के लिए तैयार नहीं था। साथ ही, संभवत: यह सुबह का समय था जब यह मुठभेड़ हुई। कवि अपना घड़ा लेकर नीचे आया और उन्हे सांप के पानी पीना खत्म होने का इंतजार करना पड़ा क्योंकि सांप कवि से पहले पानी के कुंड तक पहुंच गया था। सांप उनके घर की दीवार में बनी एक लंबी गहरी दरार से निकला था। ऐसा लग रहा था मानो साँप धरती से ही निकल रहा हो। साँप पानी के कुंड के किनारे पर आसानी से चला गया और अंततः पत्थर के कुंड के तल पर अपने गले के साथ आराम करने लगा। साँप अपने सीधे मुँह और सीधे मसूड़ों से चुपचाप पानी पी रहा था और कवि कल्पना कर सकता था कि पानी उसके लंबे लचीले शरीर के माध्यम से चुपचाप यात्रा कर रहा है। करोब वृक्ष की गहरी और सुगन्धित छाया में जल का कुंड मौजूद था। एक पल के लिए कवि डर गया लेकिन उसे मेहमान पाकर बहुत खुशी भी हुई। इसलिए, वह धैर्यपूर्वक पानी के कुंड पर अपनी बारी का इंतजार करता रहा। कवि ने आगे बताया कि कैसे एक बिंदु पर सांप ने पानी पीना बंद कर दिया और उसे अस्पष्ट रूप से देखा, उसी तरह जैसे तालाबों में पानी पीने वाले मवेशी कभीकभी घूंटों के बीच रुक जाते हैं। कवि ने साँप की सुंदरता की प्रशंसा की, जो हानिरहित प्रतीत होता था। उसे एहसास हुआ कि सांप सिर्फ पानी पीने और अपनी प्यास बुझाने आया है। यह शांतिपूर्वक अपने घर लौट जाएगा।

कवि के मन में अनेक परस्पर विरोधी विचार थे। उन्होंने कहा कि बचपन में उनकी शिक्षा ने उन्हें सिखाया कि सुनहरे भूरे रंग के सांप जहरीले और खतरनाक होते हैं। उसकी अंतरात्मा की आवाज़ उसे साँप को मारने के लिए कह रही थी लेकिन साथ ही, वह ईश्वर की रचना की पूरी प्रशंसा कर रहा था। साँप कवि की उपस्थिति से अनभिज्ञ था। उसने अपनी संतुष्टि के लिए पानी पिया और स्वप्न में अपना सिर उठाया। उसने अपनी कांटेदार जीभ फिराई और अपने होंठ भी चाटे। सांप भगवान जैसा लग रहा था  धीरेधीरे वह मुड़ा और कुंड से दूर चला गया और शायद वह वापस अपने छेद की ओर जा रहा था। जब कवि ने साँप को दूर जाते देखा तो वह भयभीत हो गया। खुद को साबित करने के लिए कि वह कायर नहीं है, उसने लकड़ी का एक लट्ठा उठाया और सांप पर फेंक दिया। कवि का निशाना चूक गया लेकिन साँप को खतरे का आभास हो गया और वह तेजी से बिल के अंदर गायब हो गया। हालाँकि, कवि ने साँप को मंत्रमुग्ध होकर देखा, लेकिन साथ ही, अपने अतिथि के साथ अपमानजनक व्यवहार करने के अपराध बोध ने उसे जकड़ लिया। उसे साँप को मारने की कोशिश करने के अपने कृत्य पर पछतावा हुआ। शुरुआत में तो उसने सम्मानित महसूस किया कि वह पानी पीने के लिए उसकी नांद में आया था लेकिन बाद में उसके डर ने उसे सांप को मारने पर मजबूर कर दिया।

उसने पाया कि उसकी खेद की भावनाएँ एक प्राचीन नाविक की भावनाओं के समान थीं जिसने अल्बाट्रॉस पक्षी को मार डाला था। वह अपनेअतिथिको मारने के कृत्य को पाप मानता था। वह खुद से और अपनी मानवीय शिक्षा से नफरत करने लगा। कवि को आशा थी और वह चाहता था कि साँप उसके बिल से बाहर जाए ताकि वह माफी माँग सके और अपनी गलती का प्रायश्चित कर सके। कवि ने सोचा कि साँप वास्तव में बेताज बादशाह है। इसलिए यह निर्वासन में पृथ्वी के आंतरिक भाग में छिप गया। उसे लगा कि उसने राजा को ताज पहनाने और सम्मान देने का मौका गँवा दिया। कवि की प्रबल इच्छा थी कि वह साँप को ताज पहनाये।

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Video Explanation of Snake

 

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Snake Poem Explanation

Poem : A snake came to my water-trough:
On a hot, hot day, and I in Pyjamas for the heat,
To drink there. 

Word Meaning : Water-trough- a container for animals to eat and drink from

Explanation of the Poem: In the first stanza of the poem ‘Snake’, the poet ‘D. H. Lawrence was describing  the simple event of his day, he was going out to his “water-trough” which was a container for animals to eat and drink and he wanted to fetch water for himself and he found a snake there. It was a typical summer day and how he had been wearing pajamas in order to cool himself. The fact that he was wearing pyjamas explained that he was unprepared to meet the snake. Plus, it was probably early in the morning that this encounter occurred. 

Poem : 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. 

Word Meaning : Carob tree- a southern European tree with dark brown fruit

Explanation of the Poem: In the second stanza of the poem, the poet explained how the water-trough was kept in the shade of a large carob tree (southern European tree with dark brown fruit) and how that entire place had a strong strange smell. The poet came down and reached with his pitcher, he had to stand and wait for the snake to finish drinking because the snake reached the water-trough before the poet.

Poem : 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, 

Word Meaning :
Fissure- a long deep crack, gap
Gloom- feeling of being sad and without hope
Trailed- pulled behind

Explanation of the Poem: In the third stanza, the poet described how the snake came out of a long deep crack or a gap in the wall of his house. It was like the snake was coming from the earth itself. The poet further explained how the snake moved smoothly over the edge of the water-trough and finally came to rest with its throat on the bottom of the stone trough. 

Poem : And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness,
He sipped with his straight mouth,
Softly drank though his straight gums, into his slack long body,
Silently. 

Explanation of the Poem: In the fourth stanza, the poet continued explaining the event, how the water had fallen in drops from the tap, forming a small and transparent pool, from which the snake drank silently with his straight mouth and straight gums and the poet could imagine the water traveling silently through its long flexible body.

Poem : 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. 

Word Meaning :
Vaguely- not clearly
Flickered- kept going on and off as it shone
Mused- thought
Sicilian July with Etna smoking- extreme heat like the one caused when Etna erupted

Explanation of the Poem: In the fifth stanza of the poem, the poet said that generally he was the only one to drink out of his water trough, but that particular day, he himself was second to reach the water trough and he had to wait for the snake to finish first. The poet further described how the snake stopped drinking at one point and looked at him vaguely, in the same way that cattle drinking in ponds sometimes pause between sips. The snake acknowledged the poet with a flick of its tongue and then drank a little more. The snake moved its forked tongue quickly from side to side, thought for a bit and continued to drink again. The snake took advantage of his early arrival to the water trough and the poet as the second-comer had to wait. The poet described  the snake as earth-brown and earth-golden by which he meant the brownish and goldenish colour of the snake using the earth as a shade card, with the word ‘earth’ because the snake emerged from the earth. The poet referred to the day of Sicilian July with Etna smoking, Mount Etna was one of the world’s most active volcanoes, he explained about the temperature of the place using the Etna word. It was probably the heat that drove the snake to the water trough.

Poem : 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

Word Meaning : Venomous- poisonous, full of venom

Explanation of the Poem: In the sixth stanza, the poet talked about his education that while he was in Sicily, he had learnt that black snakes would not harm you, but that golden ones were poisonous. So his education told him to kill the golden snake that had come to his water trough.

Poem : And voices in me said, If you were a man
You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off. 

Explanation of the Poem: In the seventh stanza, the poet heard voices in his head guiding him to kill the snake with a stick and he would not be a man unless he killed the snake and it would prove his masculinity.

Poem : 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? 

Word Meaning : Bowels- the tube in the stomach along which the food passes

Explanation of the Poem: In the eighth stanza, the poet confessed that he quite liked the snake and was happy that it had come to drink at his water trough like a guest. The poet expected the snake to leave as peacefully as he had come to go back into the burning bowels and in the depths of the earth from which he imagined it had risen.

Poem : 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. 

Word Meaning :
Cowardice- lack of courage
Perversity- wrong or immoral thinking
Longed- wanted eagerly
Humility- the quality of being humble

Explanation of the Poem: In the ninth stanza, the poet questioned himself what it was that had stopped him from killing the snake, whether it was due to the lack of courage, or because his desire to talk to the snake was wrong or immoral thinking or because of his quality of being humble. The poet felt honoured that the snake chose to come to him, to trust him and his water.

Poem : And yet those voices:
If you were not afraid, you would kill him! 

Explanation of the Poem: In the tenth stanza of the poem, the poet again heard the voices which were telling him not to hold back but to conquer his fear and kill the snake.

Poem : 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.

Word Meaning : Hospitality- receiving with warmth

Explanation of the Poem: In the eleventh stanza of the poem, the poet confessed that he was very scared of the snake, but more than that, he was honoured that the snake had chosen to come only to his water trough while making its journey out of the earth’s crust. The fear was worthless to him than the honor of the moment. The poet wanted to present a hospitable water-trough for the snake, one that pleased him as he came out from the dark door of earth. 

Poem : 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. 

Explanation of the Poem: In the twelfth stanza of the poem, the poet explained how once the snake had finished drinking water, it lifted its head slowly, flicked its tongue and made quick movements of its tongue as if it were licking its lips in satisfaction that its thirst had been quenched. With a series of elegant and god-like movements, the snake then turned around slowly and headed back into the broken bank of the wall. Its body began to rise over the crack in the wall from which it had come.

Poem : 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. 

Word Meaning :
Horrid- horrible
Deliberately- intentionally

Explanation of the Poem: In the thirteenth stanza of the poem, the poet described what he did when he saw the snake putting its head into the dreadful crack hole of the wall and slowly slithered his shoulders and then the rest of its body in after that. It was sort of a horror going back into the horrible black hole intentionally. The poet protested against its leaving and going back into the blackness of the hole. 

Poem : I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
I picked up a clumsy log
And threw it at the water trough with a clatter. 

Word Meaning :
clumsy Iog- awkward/ not proper piece of wood
Clatter- a loud noise

Explanation of the Poem: In the fourteenth stanza of the poem, the poet looked around and put down his pitcher, he picked up some wood and threw it at the water trough with a loud noise in a desperate attempt to stop the snake from leaving.

Poem : I think it did not hit him,
But suddenly that part of him that was left behind
convulsed in undignified haste.
Writhed like lightening, 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. 

Word Meaning :
Convulsed- caused a sudden shaking movement
Undignified- appearing foolish and unseemly
Haste- excessive speed or urgency of movement or action
Writhed- twisted or moved body out of pain
Fascination- strong attraction

Explanation of the Poem: In the fifteenth stanza of the poem, the poet said that he thought the wooden log had not hit the snake, but he was wrong. As a result, the snake suddenly in the shaking movement speeded up its motion and disappeared into the black hole in the wall in a flash like lightning. The poet kept looking at the crack in the wall in strong attraction in the intense noon.

Poem : 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. 

Word Meaning :
Paltry- meagre, two small
Vulgar- not decent
Despised- hated strongly
Accursed- having a curse, a bad magic spell

Explanation of the Poem: In the sixteenth stanza of the poem, the poet immediately started to feel regret that he had acted in such a cruel, indecent and petty way with the snake. He hated himself and the voices of human education that had urged him to act in such a manner.

Poem : And I thought of the albatross,
And I wished he would come back, my snake.

Word Meaning :
Albatross- a large white sea-bird, it is sportingly killed in Coleridge’s the Ancient Mariner resulting in psychological and spiritual crisis

Explanation of the Poem: In the seventh stanza of the poem, the poet thought of the albatross which was a large white sea-bird, who was sportingly killed in Coleridge’s the Ancient Mariner resulting in psychological and spiritual crisis, he felt like he killed the albatross for no reason and he wished that the snake would come back to the water trough once again.

Poem : For he seemed to me again like a king,
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again. 

Word Meaning : Exile- the state of being barred from one’s native country

Explanation of the Poem: In the eighteenth stanza of the poem, the poet explained how he thought that the snake should have been the king, a king who had been barred and not crowned in his place which was beneath the surface of the earth. However, the poet felt that the snake would be crowned soon in the future.

Poem : And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate:
A pettiness.

Word Meaning :
Expiate- to accept punishment for sin
Pettiness- small and unimportant

Explanation of the Poem: In the nineteenth and the last stanza of the poem, the poet said that he missed his chance to welcome a lord of life into his home and he must apologize and accept his punishment for the sin for his petty behaviour in the matter.

 

Literary Devices

Following poetic/literary devices have been used in the poem ‘Snake’ :

 

1. Simile- The subject of the poem is described by comparing it to another object or subject, using ‘as’ or ‘like’. Examples are- 

  1. “He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do, 
  2. And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do 
  3. And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken, 
  4. For he seemed to me again like a king,

2. Metaphor- Metaphor is a poetic device where an object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object. Examples are-

  1. “From out the dark door of the secret earth.”  Dark door refers to the hole. 
  2. “The voice of my education said to me He must be killed”, “The voice of my education” refers to the poet’s previous lessons concerning the snake. 

 3. Alliteration- Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound at the start of a series of words in succession whose purpose is to provide an audible pulse that gives a piece of writing a lulling, lyrical, and/or emotive effect. Examples are- 

  1. And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless, 
  2. Being earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels of the earth

4. Personification- Personification is a poetic device where animals, plants or even           inanimate objects, are given human qualities – resulting in a poem full of imagery and description. Example – “Sipped with his straight mouth”. The snake is not a man that can sip drinks.

5. Allusion- Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. Examples are- 

  1. And I thought of the albatross, ​​”Albatross” in the poem refers or alludes to the killing of a bird by a sailor in Coleridge’s epic poem titled “Ancient Mariner”.
  2. Again, “Sicilian July” and “Etna smoking” are equal events in history.

6. Repetition- Repetition is a literary device that involves using the same word or phrase over and over again in a piece of writing or speech. For example- On a hot, hot day, and I in Pyjamas for the heat,

7. Anaphora – when consecutive lines start with the same word / words. For example – 

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. 

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BSEB Class 12 English Lessons Explanation

 

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