What is the Truth?

Animal Poems #2

by Ted Hughes, R.J. Lloyd (Illustrator)

"We will speak to the people," said God. "We will ask them a few simple questions. Then you shall hear. In their sleep they will say what they truly know."

It is 2am and God and his Son look down from a grassy hilltop on the spire and roofs of a village. Summoned in their sleep, the inhabitants one by one describe truly an animal they know well.

"This is a very beautiful book: pages of English moonlight, a modern Aesop in a village where God and his Son go to visit mankind and ask a few simple quetions ... the pomes are pure enchantment.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens

1 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Edward James Hughes was an English poet, translator, and children's writer. Critics frequently rank him as one of the best poets of his generation and one of the twentieth century's greatest writers. He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984 and held the office until his death. In 2008, The Times ranked Hughes fourth on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
He married fellow poet Sylvia Plath in 1956, and they lived together in the United States and then in England, in a tumultuous relationship. They had two children before separating in 1962 and Plath ended her own life in 1963.

Reviews

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bunch of people speak (in verse) to God and his son about animals. These people (all rural folk) are asleep at the time and so probably don't remember the experience upon waking. None of these folk, however, manage to speak the fundamental Truth about the animals that God wants his son to learn - so he has to explain it himself in the end. Those villagers might not have known, but various others from different cultures around the world seem aware of it!

The poems here, being aimed at children, are not difficult but they do as a whole show the hallmarks of their author and I think the book might be a good way to enthuse kids about modern poetry.

[Courtney Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, until I picked up this book I didn't realise Ted Hughes wrote so much for children. 'What is the Truth?" is one of his late books, published just before he was made Poet Laureate.

Talking about writing for children as well as adults, Hughes said:

So - what is a poem for a young reader? If they can recognise and be excited by some vital piece of experience within a poem, very young children can swallow the most sophisticated verbal technique. They will accept plastic toys, if that's all they're given, but their true driving passion is to get possession of the codes of adult reality - of the real world.

I'm struck by the idea that children can cope with complex poem structures, if they can respond to the idea that sits within them. 'What is the Truth' is satisfying on several levels - as words to listen to, read aloud, play with, and as introductions to or reminders of all the animals that surround and live with us.

The conceit is this. God's son has been pestering Him to take him to Earth:

'I really would like to visit mankind,' he said. 'It looks quite exciting. Besides, travel broadens the mind.'
God put his arms around his Son's shoulders.
'Take my advice,' said God. 'Stay here. Mankind cannot teach you anything. Mankind thinks it knows everything. It knows everything bu the Truth.'

God eventually relents, and in the middle of the night takes his son to a hill outside a village in England, and calls up souls to speak to them: a farmer, his wife, son an daughter; a teacher, a poacher. God begins by asking the farmer to talk about one of the creatures on his farm. God and his son move between each of the villagers, quizzing and drawing them out, while the villagers complement and contradict and extend each others' stories, moving from partridges to flies, cows to owls.

The poems switch style throughout: some free verse, some rhyming. Here's the poacher on the weasel:

The Weasel whizzes through the woods, he sizzles through the brambles.
Compared to him a rabbit hobbles and a whippet ambles.

He's all the heads of here and there, he spins you in a dither,
He's peering out of everywhere, his ten tails hither thither.

The Weasel never waits to wonder what it is he's after.
It's butchery he wants, and BLOOD, and merry belly laughter.

That's all, that's all, it's no good thinking he's a darling creature.
Weight for weight he's twice a tiger, which he'd like to teach you.

It's a similar rollicking rhythm as Kenneth Grahame's 'Duck's Ditty' from The Wind in the Willows (Ducks' tails, drakes' tails, / Yellow feet a-quiver, / Yellow bills all out of sight / Busy in the river!), but with ittle bloodthirstiness that's pretty appealing.

And the poacher on honeybees:

And the air
All round the May hive
Twangs
Dangerously. Missiles.

Gingery gleams
Aslant through the ashpoles -
Telegrams
Coming in.

The bees fall
On to their knees, and humbly head-down crawl
Into their crammed church
Where they are fattening

With earth's root-sweetness
A pale idol, many-breasted,
Made of wax. The One
Who'll make their swarm immortal.

My favourite poem is one of the very earliest in the book, where the farmer's son describes a badger bought from the petshop, who takes to life in the stables:

Bess my badger grew up
In a petshop in Leicester. Moony mask
Behind mesh. Blear eyes
Baffled by people. Customers cuddled her,

Tickled her belly, tamed her - her wildness
Got no exercise. ...

... Till a girl
Bought her, to free her, and sold her to me.

What's the opposite of taming? I'm unteaching
Her tameness. First, I shut her in a stable.

But she liked being tame. That night, as every night,
At a bare patch of wall the length of her cage
To-fro, to-fro, she wore at the wood with her nose,
Practising her prison shuffle, her jail walk.

... Already she hardly needs me. Will she forget me?
Sometimes I leave black-treacle sandwiches,
A treat at her entrance, just to remind her -
She's our houseproud lodger, deepening her rooms.

Or are we her lodgers? To her
Our farm-buildings are her wild jumble of caves,
Infested with big monkeys. And she puts up with us -
Big noisy monkeys, addicted to diesel and daylight.

The poems are affectionate, occasionally humorous, but never cutesy, and beg to be read aloud. At the close of the book though, I still don't know where the truth lies, and God's son has chosen to remain on Earth, listening to the cocks crow as the sun rises.

[Márcio · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Fred Kohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first heard tell of this book from a little book I read called A Rumination of Cows which contained an excerpt of this book. I was intrigued because I had recently read The Iron Giant. I didnt especially care for The Iron Giant, but it wasnt so bad that I ruled out reading this book. As it turned out, I enjoyed this book more than The Iron Giant, so it turned out the whole rigamarole worked out for the best.

[Jaimie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Normally I'm a huge fan of Ted Hughes, especially when he's exploring mythology, but this book was particularly strange. That it wass allegedy a narrative rather than a group of thematic poetry definitely threw me, but mostly I disliked the over the top extended metaphor of a group of country folk attempting to explain the Truth to God and Jesus through farm animals. They're a common enough motif for religious literature, but I'm surprised that hughes would stoop to this - even for a child audience. I didn't find most of the poetry particularly engaging, nor are the observances about the animals particularly clever or unique. At least now I know to steer clear of Hughes' work for children!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

God the Father and his Son come down to earth. The Son is curious of what mankind thinks and doesn’t want to keep in the safety of Heaven. So “What is the Truth? ” begins. It is a book of poetry written for children, second in a series of four “Animal Poems”.
Does the poet have some divine wisdom to impart? No, this is not a Christian book. Hughes held paganistic beliefs. It is but but a well-crafted fable that adults will appreciate for the imagery of words and illustrations. Read it aloud for full effect.

[Alice Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection feels like Hughes' display of religion through his respect for the planet. For a guy with so much love, you would think he would've been more successful in marriage. The poems are mediocre to what he has written before. Just Hughes making me feel bed for not being a vegetarian to be honest.
Cool quotes to add:
- 'With a jangle of cries
As if the car had crashed into a flying harp

So that the driver's nerves flail and cry
Like a burst harp.'

[Ralph Burton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ted Hughes seems to have had a higher appreciation for animals than for mankind. He begins this book with a charming parable about God teaching his son nothing can be learned from mankind. Hence we then get a bunch of so-so ditties about animals. The most curious of which is about bees getting married; the only one of which feels personal and revealing. I keep thinking that for Hughes his wedding day was the most significant of his entire life.

[Emily Gerrard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most accurate amazing collection of nature poems I have ever read. So few words say so much.

[Georgina Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was soooo Ted Hughes (obvs) loved the poem about the fly ‘They hoover up the rot, the stink, and the goo.’ So good hehe
3 stars cos ted Hughes is a bit annoying

[Healthy Dose of Self-Destruction · Rating 2 out of 5]

★★★✩✩✩✩✩✩✩
3/10 Ruim

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading and trying to like Ted Hughes for a couple of years. So far, I have finished all the books I have started, but not kept any of them. The dodgiest are his children's books, and this is an illustrated book of poetry for children. I have no problem with the way he uses descriptions of animals to question our view of god, that's fine, but if there was a point or a new revelation, I missed it. There are some nice poems, some I do not find compelling, and one I found just wonderful. A mixed reaction. I am not the fan that some are, but I keep reading Ted Hughes.

[Ilze · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no doubt that Hughes knows his subject extremely well - as poet, fisherman, farmer and hunter. These poems are truly beautiful and the illustrations (by RJ Lloyd) are magnificent. If anything, it felt as if the tale would never find an end and the reader would be left to discover the truth for himself! So maybe a child would get a bit frustrated reading it. I really enjoyed it.