Snake and Other Poems

by D.H. Lawrence, Bob Blaisdell (Editor)

Best known as the author of Lady Chatterley's Lover and Women In Love , D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) also wrote some of the twentieth century's finest poetry. Lawrence is noted for his use of words in a richly textured manner that produces vivid images and expresses deep emotion. This ample collection of his verse covers a wide thematic range, including love, marriage, family, class, art, and culture, all treated with extraordinary exuberance, intensity, sensitivity, and occasional humor.
These selections originally appeared in Love Poems and Others (1913), Amores (1916 ), Look! We Have Come Through! (1917), Tortoises (1921), and such periodicals as The Dial and English Review. In addition to the celebrated title poem, individual works include "A Collier's Wife," "Monologue of a Mother," "Quite Forsaken," "Wedlock," "Fireflies in the Corn," "New Heaven and Earth," and many others.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 1999

About the author

David Herbert Richards Lawrence was an English writer of the 20th century, whose prolific and diverse output included novels, short stories, poems, plays, essays, travel books, paintings, translations, literary criticism, and personal letters. His collected works represent an extended reflection upon the dehumanizing effects of modernity and industrialisation. In them, Lawrence confronts issues relating to emotional health and vitality, spontaneity, human sexuality and instinct.

Lawrence's opinions earned him many enemies and he endured official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile he called his "savage pilgrimage." At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had wasted his considerable talents. E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as "the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation." Later, the influential Cambridge critic F. R. Leavis championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness, placing much of Lawrence's fiction within the canonical "great tradition" of the English novel. He is now generally valued as a visionary thinker and a significant representative of modernism in English literature.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D.H._Law...

Reviews

[Dana]

I have actually read only the poem "Snake" and I really liked it! The irony in this poem is that the poet has a dual attitude toward the snake.The poet is caught between his human instinct and the voice of education. The human instinct and emotions make him appreciate and respect the snake's beauty, harmlessness and dignity. Whereas his voice education says that he should kill it no matter what. The poet points out how the feelings and affections are being crushed by the society and led to the path of cruelty and ignorance. Lawrence has created a visual and sensory effect in his descriptions.

[Luke]

In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob tree
I came down the steps with my pitcher
And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.
-- excerpt, Snake

[Laura Verret]

I was so weary of the world
I was so sick of it
everything was tainted with myself,
skies, trees, flowers, birds, water,
people, houses, streets, vehicles, machines,
nations, armies, war, peace-talking,
work, recreation, governing, anarchy,
It was all tainted with myself, I knew it all to start with
because it was all myself.

- "New Heaven and New Earth" 2.1-9

I'm very curious to read more of Lawrence's poetry and to begin to explore his prose.

[Marti Ann OMalley]

Masterful poetry

I like the turtle poem the best, though all the animal poems are original. I like that a turtle can be called a dirty matron of a type.

[Tona]

One thing I love about D.H Lawrence is his eloquent ways of expressing his experiences. He presents his thoughts carefully and smoothly. In Snake, one of my favorite poems among many, he describes a scene where most could only say a thing or two, like an entire story. One could say, he is a storyteller. Through the smiles, and personifications he creates tiny scene in your head. In Snake he gave the snake, that he describe as “earth-brown, earth-golden” which are venomous and dangerous, a playful character. He tells us where he places a setting. In Italy (Sicily to be exact) on a hot day in July. Somewhere around the lake. Just like a narrative story.

He was scared. He thought a lot about his actions. Having his conscious tell him one thing, and his feelings saying another. Though he was scared, he still want to play with the snake because it excites him. He gambles in his thoughts, knowing what to do because of, as he said “the voices of my accursed human education.” What we know usually over powers what we feel. He struggled with either taking the chance or not letting his knowledge over power his decision. But without knowledge he could’ve been dead. He truly brings the question to my head, can we truly forget what we know is right to do we believe is right? D.H Lawrence excites my brain. His thoughts leaves you with hunger for more.

[David Weller]

I'm going to re-read several of the poems. This book almost asks me this, not unlike many other poetry books. I especially enjoyed the more accessible animal poems.

After the second reading, I might change my rating of the book.

[Matthew]

Here we have D.H. talking about animals. Comparing animals to other things. Saying what an animal does. Describing an animal's appearance. Admiring the animal.

[Risa]

Snake and Other Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) by D.H. Lawrence (1999)

[Jim]

more than anyone needs to know about turtle sex