THE LABURNUM TOP

-Ted Hughes

Theme
‘The Laburnum Top’ by Ted Hughes is a beautiful poem about
the progress of life. Change is always there, but the beginning
has always its own taste. Where Autumn creates a sensation of
future hopelessness, nature projects the spontaneity of a new
beginning. The little birds, the bards of nature, voice their life-
force eventuated by the presence of their mother. Even the
laburnum tree starts to live again, shedding all its future
worries, and becomes a part of the eternal enjoyment that
exists in nature, no matter how pessimistic the weather is.
Ted Hughes presents some important themes like autumnal
change, motherhood, the transience of natural beauty, and the
resonance of life. In the first section of the poem, the poet
presents the theme of autumn and the natural change
associated with this season. The “leaves yellowing” and “seeds
fallen” depict a sense of pessimism. In the following section, the
poet uses several important themes. The theme of motherhood
is introduced by the arrival of the mother-goldfinch. There is
also a reference to mother-nature in this section. Moreover, the
resonance of life gets reflected by the sound, a symbol of life,
made by the birds living in the tree. However, after the
departure of the goldfinch, the beauty of the previous section
fades away, depicting the transience of natural beauty.
Poetic Devices
‘The Laburnum Top’ by Ted Hughes contains some important
poetic devices that make the poem more interesting to read.
Likewise, in the first line, the poet uses personification. Here,
the poet personifies the “Laburnum top” or the tree itself. It is
also an example of synecdoche and the variety employed here
is “part for the whole”. There is an alliteration in “September
sunlight”. Moreover, in the second stanza, the poet uses
onomatopoeia in several instances. The words such as
“chirrup”, “chitterings”, and “trillings” resonate with the sound
of the birds. The poet uses a metaphor in the word “machine”
and “It is the engine of her family”. Here, the implied
comparison is between the mother-goldfinch and the engine of
a machine. The idea of “life-force” is associated with this line.
“the infinite” is a metonym of the sky. The last line contains a
metaphor and it depicts the absence of sound, a symbolic
reference to lifelessness.
Important questions
LONG QUESTIONS (80-90 Words)
1. The arrival of Goldfinch on the Laburnum top brings about
a change in the scene. Interpret the change in your own
words with relevance to the poem.
2. State the theme of the poem.
SHORT QUESTIONS (40-50 Words)
1. State the symbolism of colour ‘yellow’ in the poem.
2. Explain the expression:
i. It is the engine of her family.
ii. Barred face identity mask.
iii. A machine starts up.