Poem 2 - The Laburnum Top

This article will help you to learn about the summary, characters and theme of the NCERT Class 11 English Hornbill – The Laburnum Top. It will help you to understand the gist of the poem and the important phrases used.

Summary

The poem The Laburnum Top, by Ted Hughes describes the relationship between a Laburnum Tree and a goldfinch. The tree is yellow because of its flowers and quite beautiful. Even the bird goldfinch is yellow, and this strikes a similarity between the two.

The Laburnum Tree is exquisite, gigantic but seems to be silent and considered to be getting naked because of shedding its leaves in winter. However, the bird, Goldfinch appears from the sky and soon the whole tree is surrounded by the sweet chirps of the bird and her young ones. The tree seems to be dull, and suddenly Goldfinch comes to the tree, and the whole tree is lively again with its chirrups. The tree gains life again by the liveliness of the bird and its family taking shelter on its branches.

In the first stanza, the poet describes the Laburnum Tree as silent as the leaves have turned yellow and the seeds have fallen off. The colour ‘yellow’ has been used to describe the beauty of the tree, bird and the sunlight. The season has caused a sense of deadly silence, and the tree seems to be dead without its leaves and seeds.

The second stanza brings a sense of positivity on the arrival of the bird Goldfinch. The bird comes to the tree along with its young ones. The bird takes shelter in the tree, and the chirping of the birds is compared to a machine, which makes noise when functioning. The whole tree trembles with the chirping of the birds. This shows the tree has come to life. The poet wants to show the transition from a silent, dead situation to a lively one. The mutual benefit of living organisms is shown. The concept of coexistence is highlighted. The birds and the young ones take shelter under the tree, and it seems that the tree has gained life because of the birds. This shows the mutual relationship between two different kinds of living beings.

In the third stanza, the bird is ready to migrate. The bird makes a chirping sound and flies away into the infinite i.e., in the sky. The tree goes back to its initial stage. The tree is again lonely and lifeless.

The poem is divided into three stanzas. There is no definite rhyme scheme. The first stanza describes the tree when it is lifeless. The second stanza describes the arrival of the bird and the final stanza tells the condition of the tree after the bird has left the tree.

The poem beautifully describes the beauty of nature. It also tries to beautify the solitude of the tree. It also tells how the solitude vanishes when the bird Goldfinch arrives with its family. There is a relationship between all the living beings in the environment, and the need to peacefully coexist can be seen. There is an interaction between every living creature, which might not be seen or heard by us, but it exists.

To know more on NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill, and for The Laburnum Top NCERT Solutions, refer to NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Hornbill PDF.

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