Notes of Laburnum Top

DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, HYDERABAD
TEXTBOOK: HORNBILL
POEM –THE LABURNUM TOP
To be downloaded, saved/ take a printout
Summary
The poem starts with a description of the Laburnum tree whose top was still and silent. Its
leaves had turned yellow and seeds had fallen down. It was daytime in the month of
September when the tree was standing still and death-like.
But the life-less tree comes to life by the arrival of the Goldfinch bird. She comes to feed her
younger ones who are contained on the thickness of the branches. The tree is their shelter.
She arrives at the end of the branch with a chirping sound. She further moves to the other
side of the branches with rapid and sleek movement like a lizard. As soon as she arrives,
her younger ones’ start chirping like a machine and vibrating and flapping their wings. She
is the source of energy, both to her chicks and the tree. The death-like tree becomes alive
and it trembles and shakes with life.
After feeding them, she flies to the other side of the branch. Her dark coloured face with the
yellow body is barely visible as she vanishes behind the yellow leaves. She flies away in the
sky, leaving the tree death-like again.
Theme of the poem

The poem is about Interdependence in nature.
It is about repaying of relationships.
Mutual relationship between a tree and a bird (Laburnum tree and Goldfinch).
Both of them are yellow and beautiful, but have their own limitations.
The Laburnum tree and the gold finch are symbols of life.
The Laburnum tree signifies hardships and old age in life (symbolism)
The goldfinch is about the fluctuations we experience in life.
The poem is also about rejuvenation of nature and celebration of energy. It tells us that
people or living things have different capabilities but we all need each other.
Think it out
1. What do you notice about the beginning and the ending of the poem?
Ans: At the beginning and the ending of the poem, the laburnum tree was standing still
and silent just like death-like.
2. To what is the bird’s movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?
Ans: The goldfinch’s movement is compared to that of the lizard because she was abrupt,
sleek and alert. The same movements were observed when she arrived at the tree and
moved to the thickness side of the branch to feed her young ones.
3. Why is the image of the engine evoked by the poet?
Ans: As the engine is the source to run the machine. The bird is compared to the engine as
she is the feeder of her family. As a machine cannot work without an engine, her family
can’t last without her.
4. What do you like most about the poem?
Ans: I liked the comparison of the state of the tree before and after the goldfinch bird
arrives and it makes the death-like tree alive. (You may give your own answer)
5. What does the phrase “her barred face identity mask” mean?
Ans: The phrase “her barred face identity mask” means that the bird’s face became her
identity and symbol of recognition.
Note down
1. The sound words- Twitching, chirrup, chitterings, trillings, whispering
2. The movement words- Comes, enters, starts up, flirts out, launches away, tremble,
subside
3. The dominant colour in the poem- Yellow
List the following
1. Words which describe ‘sleek’, ‘alert’ and ‘abrupt’- Lizard, machine, and suddenness.
2. Words with the sound ‘ch’ as in ‘chart’ and ‘tr’ as in ‘trembles’ in the poem- Goldfinch,
branch, chitterings, chirrup, trillings, twitching, tremors
3. Other sounds that occur frequently in the poem- ‘ing’ sound in words like twitching,
chitterings, wings, trillings, whisperings.
FIGURES OF SPEECHES-
Rhyming scheme- Free verse (no rhyming scheme, no meter)

Alliteration - September sunlight, tree trembles thrills, alert abrupt.
Simile – Sleek as a lizard . (direct comparision)
Metaphor – “She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up” – (the noise created by the
movement of the birds is compared to the machine’s noise)
“It is the engine of her family.” ( like an engine starts a motor, the bird also starts all the activities of
her family)
“Showing her barred face identity mask” ( the birds stripped face is like an identity mask that
characterizes her. ) (an indirect comparison between two things. Generally, a quality is
compared.)
Personification – The whole tree trembles and thrills.
Transferred Epithet –her barred face identity mask (the figure of speech where the adjective is
transferred to another noun)
The laburnum tree has flowers that fall like bars and when the bird sits behind the flowers
the shadow on her face looks like she is wearing a mask that has bars on it. So, barred – is
actually an adjective for the flowers and has been transferred from there and applied to
the bird.
Symbolism- Laburnum Tree- symbol of old age and hardships
Goldfinch- symbol of fluctuations, energy, movement
Both are symbols of life
Onomatopoeia- chirrup, chitterlings, trilling.
Hyperbole- Engine
Extra questions-
1. What values do you learn from the Goldfinches in the poem laburnum top?
Goldfinches in the poem are a sign of happiness. The arrival of goldfinches made
the laburnum top lively. It spreads the message to the readers that we must always spread
happiness in life of other people.
2. What is the significance of the colour yellow in the poem?
The yellow colour paints their appearances bright. Also, the usage of the word 'yellow'
repeatedly in the first stanza, symbolizes death (refers to the yellow leaves), silence (refers
to the day time that's without rain or wind) other than beauty.
3. What is the message of the poem Laburnum Top?

The poem, “The Laburnum Top” by Ted Hughes describes a mutual relationship between a
Laburnum Tree which is large, beautiful but quite alone and a goldfinch bird which is quite
amusing, beautiful but without a shelter. The Laburnum Tree gives the house to the bird
and its young chicks and the bird, in turn, takes away its dead silence.
Thus the poet, here in the poem wants to tell the reader the importance of living with
each other. Every person has different capabilities and things. We should live with each
other and always try to lend a helping hand and the others will also do the same.
ATTEMPT THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR NOTE BOOK
1) The poem Laburnum Top talks about symbiosis in nature. Elaborate this with
examples.
2) The poet creates some beautiful imagery in this poem. Elucidate any one of these.
3) Reference to context-
The Laburnum top is silent, quite still

In the afternoon yellow September sunlight,
A few leaves yellowing, all its seeds fallen.
Till the goldfinch comes, with a twitching chirrup
A suddenness, a startlement, at a branch end.
a) What is the significance of the laburnum Top here?

b) Which season has been described here?
c) What commotion does this bird create, how?
Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,

She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up
Of chitterlings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings —
The whole tree trembles and thrills.
It is the engine of her family.
a) To what is the goldfinches’ movement compared?

b) Why does the poet use the word engine? Do you think it is an exaggeration?
c) Identify two sounds that dominate this extract.
She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end

Showing her barred face identity mask
Then with eerie delicate whistle-chirrup whisperings
She launches away, towards the infinite
And the laburnum subsides to empty.
a) Who does she refer to in the above lines?
b) Explain the phrase ‘Barred identity mask’
c) What is the significance of the phrase ‘Eerie, delicate whistle’?
Value – based
In today’s world, many older people are forced to live a life of loneliness and solitude.
They lead a silent, quiet life on their own. but when children visit them, the house
comes to life. There is joy, happiness, and a sudden rejuvenation in the house. The
house is silent again when the children leave. Draw a parallel between the above
scenario and the poem ‘Laburnum Top.’ What values have you learnt from this?

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DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, HYDERABAD

To be downloaded, saved/ take a printout

Theme of the poem

List the following

Rhyming scheme- Free verse (no rhyming scheme, no meter)

Goldfinch- symbol of fluctuations, energy, movement

Both are symbols of life

Onomatopoeia- chirrup, chitterlings, trilling.

3. What is the message of the poem Laburnum Top?

ATTEMPT THE FOLLOWING IN YOUR NOTE BOOK

The Laburnum top is silent, quite still

a) What is the significance of the laburnum Top here?

Then sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt,

a) To what is the goldfinches’ movement compared?

She stokes it full, then flirts out to a branch-end

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