Snake BY D. H. LAWRENCE | Class X | CBSE

Snake is one of Lawrence's most famous poems. In the poetry collection Birds, Beasts and Flowers, he gives brief category introductions. Under "Reptiles" he writes:
"Homer was wrong in saying, 'Would that strife might pass away from among gods and men!' He did not see that he was praying for the destruction of the universe; for, if his prayer were heard, all things would pass away--for in the tension of opposites all things have their being--"
(p. 348/Complete Poems/Penguin, 1993)
Lawrence is set in opposition to the snake in the above poem. They are having a face-off at the water-trough. There is also tension represented in Lawrence's divided feelings about the snake. He is both honored by the snake's presence and horrified. Even his actions are dialectic. He humbly waits for the snake to finish its drink and then aggressively throws a log at it in disrespect.
The snake, itself, is the ultimate symbol of the "tension of opposites." It is a king of the underworld and a lord of life. Snakes are a symbol of Mother Earth's female power, enlightenment, and wisdom. It comes out as through "from the burning bowels of the earth / On the day of Sicilian July, with Etna smoking." Lawrence is imagining that the snake is descended from the mythological serpent Typhon. Here is the myth of the volcano Mt. Aetna and Typhon:
Typhon was born from Gaia (Mother Earth) and Tartarus. TyphonThis was Gaia's youngest offspring, but by far the deadliest and the largest monster ever conceived. Its thighs were gigantic coiled serpents; its arms could spread across the heavens, and its head (in the shape of an ass's head) touched the stars. When it took flight, its wings blotted out the sun, and when it opened its mouth, out came burning boulders. Typhon was so frightful even the gods of Olympus refused to fight, fleeing instead to Egypt when Typhon attacked their mountain home. Each god disguised itself into an animal: Zeus transformed himself into a ram, Dionysus a goat, and so on. Aphrodite and Eros both disguised themselves as fish and swam up the Nile to escape the monster. Typhon was eventually defeated, due in large part to the brave and level-headed Athene, who convinced Zeus to take up his thunderbolts and make battle. Typhon actually captured Zeus and placed him in a cave, but Hermes and Pan were able to free him. To make a long story short, Zeus then took the battle to Typhon, chasing him to Sicily. There Zeus threw Mount Aetna at the monster, finally subduing it. But under the earth, the buried monster still spews up fire and boulders every so often. The ancient inhabitants used this myth to explain the activity of the volcano.
Snakes are associated with the mysteries of life, hence the snake in medical insignias. And yet it's also a "golden" venomous snake, an evil thing, a serpent in the Garden of Eden.
A snake sheds its skin and is reborn anew, just as Lawrence has shed his formal dress and confronts the snake in his pajamas. If only they could have held onto that "undressed or naked" wonder of two creatures meeting. But, alas, education and social conventions overruled--poisonous snakes must be killed and brave men should undertake the task. For the briefest moment Lawrence lacked the faith of his own intuition, and thus missed his chance "with one of the lords/Of Life."
Through this poem, Lawrence has illustrated his point about strife and the clash of opposites. The snake slithering away, "convulsed in undignified haste," and Lawrence standing in pajamas, rather ridiculous, with his empty water jug in hand--they both "have their being" and are made very real for us. The snake is first on the scene and the first to leave--regal and lordly throughout. Lawrence wonders why "petty" mankind always tries to rob the dignity from all Godly creatures.
#themesong
#Anger
#Animals
#Creation
#Death
#pacifism
#cbseclass10
#cbseschool
#education