The Laburnum Top Class 11 Book-Hornbill Poem-2 Summary

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.

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

She enters the thickness, and a machine starts up

Of chitterings, and a tremor of wings, and trillings —

The whole tree trembles and thrills.

It is the engine of her family.

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.

The poem "The Laburnum Top" by Ted Hughes describes a laburnum tree that is silent and still on a September afternoon. The tree has few yellow leaves left, and all its seeds have fallen, indicating the arrival of autumn.

Suddenly, a goldfinch (a small, bright-colored bird) arrives, making a quick, chirping sound. She moves swiftly and cautiously, like a lizard, and enters the dense branches of the tree. As soon as she enters, the tree comes alive with the chirping and fluttering of young birds (her chicks). The whole tree seems to tremble with excitement.

The poet compares the goldfinch and her chicks to a machine—the mother feeds her babies like fuel powering the machine of life. After feeding them, she moves to the edge of the branch, showing her barred face (striped markings on her face). Then, with soft and mysterious sounds, she flies away into the open sky.

Once she leaves, the tree becomes silent and empty again, returning to its previous stillness.

Explanation of the Poem’s Meaning

• The laburnum tree represents life, stillness, and change.

• The goldfinch symbolizes energy, motherhood, and renewal.

• The contrast between the silent tree and its sudden liveliness when the bird arrives highlights the beauty of nature and the deep bond between a mother bird and her young.

• The poem suggests a cycle of life—stillness, activity, and then stillness again.