Prepared By:- Atul Kumar

Class- 11-B
About the Poet

Introduction

Summary
About the Poet
Edward James Hughes, popularly
known as Ted Hughes was one of
the most well-known literary figures
in the 20th century. He served as the
Poet Laureate of the United
Kingdom from 1984-1998. He was
also the husband of an equally
renowned poet and author, Sylvia
Plath.
 His love for nature and animals permeates
most of his works. In poems such as ‘The
Laburnum Top’ one can see how closely and
intricately he observed his surroundings.
 INTRODUCTION
The Poem The Laburnum Top" is a beautiful poem by Ted Hughes. In this
poem, the poet has used the Laburnum tree and goldfinches as a symbol
of life and its fluctuations. He describes the visiting of goldfinches on the
Laburnum tree and how she has made a nest on it. When the goldfinches
have chicks, it brings alive the tree as the chicks start to rustle and chirp.
Hughes is trying to convey the message that life is a process of exchange
and transformation. People are alive because they undergo exchange of
energy. The goldfinches transform the tree and make it alive, without the
goldfinches and the chicks the laburnum is just another tree.
Lines 1 – 3
In the first stanza, the poet says that he saw a Laburnum Tree (with its yellow flowers).
In his words, “The Laburnum top is silent”. The tree is still and looks dead-like in the
day time of September. Even the sunlight is also yellow. As it is the time of autumn, the
leaves of the tree have turned yellow and its seeds have fallen off it.
In this stanza, the poet uses the image “yellow” colour repeatedly. First the tree’s flowers
are yellow, then its leaves have also turned yellow and the sunlight is also yellow.
Lines 1 - 3 continued….
The yellow color symbolises beauty (because of flowers, which, though
have fallen off in the form of seeds), death (because of yellow leaves) as
well as silence (day time without rain or wind). In the whole stanza, the
poet is trying to describe the miserable condition of the Laburnum Tree
which is silent, dying and without seeds (useless).
 Lines 4 – 8
The death-like scene however changes as soon as the goldfinch comes
with a twitching chirrup. Goldfinch is a bright yellow coloured
bird. Twitching chirrup means “short chirping sounds”.
The poet uses similes comparing the bird’s movement to that of a lizard to
describe the alertness and abrupt movements of the bird.
The poet uses onomatopoeia to bring the poem alive. In line 8, word like
chitterings and trillings are onomatopoeic words. He has also used the
phrase “tremor of wings” to make the poem three dimensional by adding
movements to it. The tree comes alive with all that is happening in it.
Lines 9 – 12
Now the whole tree trembles and thrills because of the mother bird and her young ones.
The poet probably wants us to feel how a dead-like tree becomes alive because it has
given space to the bird and her young ones. The birds have gotten shelter and the tree in
return has got life.
 Lines 9 – 12 continued …..

The goldfinch is thus the engine of her family which includes

the Laburnum tree as well. According to the poet it fills them
with fuel i.e. it gives food to the young ones and thrill to the
tree. Having done that, she again flies to a branch-end. Only
her dark- coloured striped face is visible as it is yellow and
hence becomes invisible in the yellow leaves of the tree.
 Lines 13 – 15

Reaching the branch -end of

the tree, it makes strange but
sweet chirping sounds and
then begins his journey
 towards the infinite  i.e.
the sky and the Laburnum
Tree again becomes silent and
dead-like.
THANK YOU!