To Paint a Water Lily

384 Words2 Pages
It is often seen in literature how an authors uses outside elements to describe the main element; such was done by Ted Hughes in “To Paint a Water Lily.” In the poem, the speaker is on a mission to create a painted representation of a water lily in a pond; however, as he observes his subject, he begins reflecting on aspects of the pond not on plain sight but still real. It is by the use of visual imagery, personification and the structure of the poem that this reflection is portrayed to the reader. As the poem begins, the speaker is beginning to observe his main attraction, “this lady” (4), the lily. However, his eye soon catches sight of a more vivid and interesting creature, a dragonfly. This intromission of an outside element take place in stanzas three through eight, making it clear that it deserves some serious consideration. The speaker begins by admiring and personifying the dragonfly, as it “eats meat” (6) or “stands in space to take aim” (7); however, in the next stanza, an unexpected turn takes place. As the speaker follows the flight of his subject, he catches a glimpse of what is “under the trees” (9), and in his mind begins understanding the reality and complexity of the scene. The following two stanzas reflect the contrast the speaker has construed when sighting the tree. “Under the trees” (9) he hears “battle-shouts/and death cries” (9-10), using auditory imagery to appeal to the reader’s senses in showing the battle taking place. Then, meditating, he ponders on why that reality is not seen by the world, why it remains unknown in its secluded setting. The cries are “inaudible, so the eyes praise/to see the colors of these flies” (11-12), unaware of the warfare unfolding at their feet. The structure of the poem and the short independent stanzas show that each thought is simply an idea in the speaker’s mind, and each break is the few seconds he
Open Document