Class XI

The Laburnum Top

INTRODUCTION
The poem ‘The Laburnum Top’ is written by Ted Hughes. The poem revolves around the
laburnum tree and the goldfinch bird. It presents the sweet and repaying relationship between the
tree and the bird. The leaves on the laburnum tree top have started turning yellow and the tree
stands quiet and still in the afternoon of September during the autumn season. However, it comes
to life as soon as the goldfinch arrives and perches on it to feed her young ones. As soon as she
leaves, the tree becomes elusively silent again.

THEME

The poem presents the mutual reciprocating relationship between the laburnum tree and the
goldfinch bird. The laburnum tree gives shelter to the bird and its young ones and the bird, in
turn, takes away its dead silence. Thus the poet wants to tell the readers the importance of
interdependence and having cordial relationships in life.
• Rejuvenation of nature and the celebration of energy is another theme of the poem. The
laburnum tree is silent until the goldfinch comes and enlivens the tree with its activities. There
are all sorts of sounds and movements on the tree. Soon she shoots away into the sky plunging
the tree into surging silence.
• The poet also wants to convey to the readers that life is a process of change and
transformation.

SYNOPSIS
• The poem begins with the description of the laburnum top which is still and silent on a
September afternoon.
• Due to the autumn season, the leaves have started turning yellow and the seeds have fallen on
the ground.
• The seemingly lifeless tree becomes alive on the arrival of the goldfinch.
• The goldfinch perches on the end of the branch with a chirping sound, thereby breaking the
silence of the tree.
• She enters the thickness of the tree and makes her way to the nest with a swift, abrupt and alert
movement of a lizard.
• A machine of chitterings starts up.
• The young ones start chirping and flapping their wings and the tree is filled up with a series of
short, high pitched, twittering sounds.
• Thus, the quiet and still tree becomes alive and begins to tremble and shake as if it is excited
and thrilled.
• After feeding her young ones, the goldfinch flies to the end of the branch.
• Her striped face with yellow body helps her to camouflage and she is only partly visible.
• She comes out of the branch end and flies away to the sky.
• The laburnum tree becomes calm and quiet again.

VOCABULARY
Laburnum - a short tree with hanging branches, yellow flowers, and poisonous seeds
Goldfinch - a small singing birds with yellow feathers on its wings
Twitching - sudden movement or jerk
Chirrup - repeated high pitched sound made by a bird
Startlement - feeling or showing sudden shock
Sleek- smooth or quick movement without interruption
Abrupt - rapid, suddenness
Chitterings - a series of short, high sounds
Tremor - a slight, shaking movement
Trillings - a series of quick, repeated high notes
Trembles - shakes
Thrills - a sudden feeling of excitement
Flirts out - moves briskly and abruptly
Stokes - to provide fuel to the engine
Barred – striped
Eerie - strange in a frightening or mysterious way
Infinite – limitless
Whistle chirrup - gentle whisper like the chirping of the bird
Subsides - diminishes or reduces in intensity

Literary Devices
• Alliteration - repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning of two or more consecutive
words. Examples: ‘Silent, quite still’ ‘September sunlight’ ‘tree trembles’ ‘whistle-chirrup
whisperings’

• Simile – comparison between two things using ‘like’ or ‘as’. Example: “sleek as a lizard”

• Metaphor – an indirect or implied comparison between two things. Examples: “It is the engine
of her family”; “a machine starts up” ; “showing her barred face identity mask”

• Personification – the attribution of human traits to something non-human. Example: “The

whole tree trembles and thrills”

• Onomatopoeia_ In this figure of speech, a word is formed from a sound similar to it. Examples:
‘chirrup’; ‘chitterings’; ‘trillings’; ‘whistle-chirrup’ and ‘whisperings’