Mark Farnum

English 113
3/23/15

Language in "To Paint a Water Lily"

In "To Paint a Water Lily," by Ted Hughes, the speaker uses the process of
capturing nature when painting as a device to examine the natural world. The use of the
second person / imperative tense establishes a relationship between the reader and the
speaker: the speaker is telling the reader how to paint a water lily. We can see this
through the language the speaker uses to address the reader: "First observe the air's
dragonfly" (5), "Think what worse / Is the pond-bed's matter of course" (15-16), "Now
paint the long-necked lily-flower" (22). At the same time, however, the speaker is
describing the scene of nature in great detail, in the same way that a painter would
capture its detail within a painting. He also reveals that there are two opposing worlds
coexisting within the setting without awareness of each other. Through alliteration,
imagery, and comparison, he illustrates the vibrant, natural setting and reveals its
duality.
One aspect of the pond that the speaker seeks to replicate is its many sounds.
He describes some of them: "the hum" (8), "battle-shouts" (9), but many more are left to
the imagination. For example, the sounds corresponding to the described actions are
not portrayed in the text, but the use of alliteration is a sort of substitute for this. In a
way, the alliterative quality of the text reproduces some of the fluidity and liveliness of
the setting of the pond -- which is indeed noisy, with its sounds of water and insects --

without needing actual descriptions of the sounds or onomatopoeia. There are many
examples of alliteration in the text: "level of lily leaves" (1), "flies' furious arena" (3),
"bullets by" (6), "molten metal" (14), "long-necked lily-flower" (22), "Whatever horror
nudge her root" (26), and more. Each of these alliterative phrases has a purpose. In
lines 1 and 22, the repetition of the 'l' sound lends a kind of rolling, smooth feel that
accurately characterizes the lily plant. In 3 and 6, the more percussive 'f' and 'b' sounds
reproduce the quick, sharp movement of the flies. Through alliteration, the speaker is
achieving another layer of description, and representing aspects of the setting without
needing to literally describe them.
Another way the poet captures the essence of the pond is through delicate
imagery and language. The job of a painter is to represent the images of the natural
world in a different medium, and as the speaker is instructing the reader on how to paint
a water lily, he is also representing the natural world through images -- textual imagery.
With language like "roofs" and "paves," the lily leaves become more than just plants -personified, they take on a more significant quality. The mundane behavior of insects
takes on a much more fierce and warlike quality when language like "eats meat" (6),
"bullets" (6), "battle-shouts" (9), and "death-cries" (10) is introduced. The descriptive
language of the fish below the lily pad molds them into monstrous creatures:
"Prehistoric bedragoned times" (17), "crawl that darkness" (18), and "jaws for
heads" (20). All of this language and imagery simply adds another layer of description
onto the experience a painter of this pond might usually have.
A notable property of the scene of the pond is the many examples of two
opposing worlds. The lily is a sort of boundary between the world above and the one

below, which are introduced as "the two minds of this lady" (4). At the same time,
though, the lily is present in both worlds, as it both "Roofs the pond's chamber" and
"paves / The flies' furious arena" (2-3). There is great contrast between the two areas;
the top half is bright and beautiful: "the colors of these flies / Rainbow their
arcs" (12-13); contrastingly, the bottom half is dark and ugly: "crawl that darkness
jaws for heads" (18,20). Furthermore, these two worlds can interact via the lily pad, the
main focal point of the poem and of the setting: the "long-necked lily-flower" is "deep in
both worlds" and when "whatever horror nudge her root," 'the dragonfly [upon the lily
pad] alight[s]" (22-26). Something form the underwater realm touching the lily pad can
be sensed by something above the lily pad, and vice-versa. In this way, the two worlds
can interact, while still being relatively blind to each other's existence.
In a parallel situation, the speaker describes two "worlds," i.e. interpretations, of
the above-water scene: "There are battle-shouts / And death-cries everywhere" but
"[they are] inaudible, so the eyes praise" (9-12). On one hand, the scene is tranquil and
beautiful, with insects lightly buzzing and water moving smoothly. On the other hand,
the flies and birds are in a battle for death and there are screams and cries. Since these
noises are "inaudible" (11) to a painter or a poet, their "eyes praise" (11) the scene and
don't notice the turmoil. In this way, there are two opposing worlds here that are also
blind to each other.
Through comparison, imagery, and alliteration, the speaker recalls the qualities of
the pond and water lily, capturing the scene as a painter would, within the device of
instruction.