'The Snail'- a poem by William Cowper
Hello Friends...
Sure, we all are doing well... Be careful, we must stay fit and shouldn't fall ill getting our studies affected. We shall eat and drink healthy, exercise regularly, and won't avoid our domestic and social responsibilities. And whatever time we get for ourselves at the end of the day, we must study hard for most of the time, so that we learn to think... and learn. We simply cannot afford to stop thinking, for we are learners, and we are the chosen ones who got the scope to learn...
Let's learn to think first...
The Discussion
Here we meet once again to read the poem 'The Snail' by William Cowper together. It is a short poem translated in to English by Cowper from the original Latin poem 'Limax' composed by his teacher Vincent Bourne, a renowned and oft-discussed English man writing poems in Latin.
Why did William choose to translate this poem? What are the merits of the composition? Let's read the poem first to find out. If you know the classical language, you may however, read the Latin poem by Bourne first...
Else, let's start with Cowper's translation:
The Snail
 |
William Cowper |
The snail sticks close, nor fears to fall,
As if he grew there, house and all
Together.
Within that house secure he hides,
When danger imminent betides
Of storm, or other harm besides
Of weather.
Give but his horns the slightest touch,
His self-collecting power is such,
He shrinks into his house, with much
Displeasure.
Where’er he dwells, he dwells alone,
Except himself has chattels none,
Well satisfied to be his own
Whole treasure.
Thus, hermit-like, his life he leads,
Nor partner of his banquet needs,
And if he meets one, only feeds
The faster.
Who seeks him must be worse than blind,
(He and his house are so combined,)
If, finding it, he fails to find
Its master.
The Title
Do you find the title complex?
Not at all, right? Rather, the title seems to be quite straightforward and simplistic in its approach as it possibly points out to what has been described in the poem. We just need to go through the whole of the poem to get our assumption verified, isn't it?
By the way, do you feel snails to be inspiring enough to compose poetry on them?
The Structure
I am pretty sure that you haven't missed the structure of the poem. Isn't it quite interesting? Yes, it is a poem of six stanzas, each stanza consisting of three and half lines. The fourth, or the last line of each stanza in the poem is curtailed, and consists of just one to two words. Why the stanzas in this poem have been structured so? What is the effect realised?
The First Stanza
Do you find the first stanza a bit awkward and difficult to negotiate the meaning? You need not worry. You find the meaning of the stanza a bit difficult to comprehend because the sentence, [Yes, each of the stanzas here is technically a single sentence. Haven't you noticed?] is actually an inverted one. Why don't you try to locate the subject of the first clause?
The First Clause
Yes, the subject of the first clause, 'The snail' begins the second line of the stanza. The verb phrase of the first clause is 'sticks to'. It's a phrasal verb, to be sure. Since the first line of the stanza begins with the preposition from the verb phrase and the head verb comes much later in the following line, we the Second/Foreign Language learners find this a bit confusing. 'grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall' is the noun phrase that acts as the object of the verb phrase in the main clause. 'close' is the adjunct adverbial. It's not essential to the structure of the main clause, but provides us with additional information, and hence is treated as the remaining part or adjunct.
Do you get the meaning easily now?- Yes, the snail sticks to grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall closely...
The Second Clause
Now it's time to deal with the second clause: [nor fears to fall] It does not fear to fall. Please don't forget to note how the subject has been dropped for this clause, as it is the same snail referred to in the first clause earlier. Don't you feel that the expression 'nor fears' is much poetic than 'does not fear'? Why do you think the expression used in the poem is more poetic?
The Final Clause
And finally, we have come across the final clause. I am quite hopeful that you don't require any help to negotiate the meaning: The speaker in the poem feels that the snail sticks close to whatever surface it is on so fearlessly that it seems that it has grown there on that very surface with all its house and other possessions,-together.
The Curtailed Fourth line
Do you feel the curtailed fourth line significant to negotiate meaning now? Yes, the curtailed line highlights the most prominent theme of the argument of the stanza.
The Second Stanza
Why do you think the second stanza starts again with an adverbial referring to place? Yes, to emphasise, for sure. The house here rises to prominence in the argument. The snail hides in this secure house during storm or other dangers apart from severe weather conditions.
The Positions of Adjectives
Have you noticed how the adjectives used in this stanza have moved from their places? The adjective 'secure' that describes the noun 'house' should have come before the noun it describes, but strangely, comes after.
Would you like to study the phrase 'danger imminent' from the second line of the stanza? Do you feel that here too the adjective has changed its usual position?
Yes, indeed.
Such adjectives [epithets] that get transferred from their usual position before the noun they describe are also referred to as 'transferred epithets'.
Why do you think that poets are particularly in favour of this figure of speech?
The Meaning
In order to get the meaning of the expressions fast and easy, we may require to arrange the phrases in their usual orders: he [the snail, the subject] hides [verb] within that [is it not noteworthy how this pronoun refers to the house referred to in the first stanza and thus links up the two stanzas contributing to meaningfully to an argument?] secure house when imminent [near/close in time] danger of storm, or other harm [danger] besides (of) weather betides [happens/occurs].
Rhythm
Why did I put the preposition 'of' from the fourth line of the stanza within brackets? Do you have any idea?
Yes, to indicate that you get the meaning anyway without the preposition. Then why did the poet choose to use the preposition which is not at all required to convey the meaning?
Why don't you count the syllables of the expression 'Of weather' in the fourth line of the second stanza? How many have you counted? Three? Well, I too have counted three.
Now, would you like to count the syllables present in the fourth lines from the other stanzas as well? Do they all contain three syllables?
Do all the fourth lines from all the stanzas rhyme together as well? That's a very important discovery...
Do you have anything else to add to the rhyme scheme of the poem?
Yes, all the first three lines of a stanza rhyme together in the poem.
Rhythm is very important in a poem. It is mostly for the sake of this rhyme that poets often have to violate the usual sequences of words and phrases in a sentence or line, and we have frequent inversions and transferred epithets in poems apart from inclusion [do you now understand why the poet has chosen the not-required preposition 'of' in the fourth line of the second stanza] and omission of syllables.
The Third Stanza
Isn't this stanza easier than the previous two? It is. However, have you noted the use of 'but' in the first line to refer to an 'if' condition? Even if you come across such an use for the first time, you do get the meaning anyway, right?
More about Adjectives
Here in this stanza too, we have two interesting adjectives used. The first one, 'slightest' refers to the utmost sensitivity of the snail's horn. Do you think that it would have hinted at the same intensity of meaning if the adjective was used in some other degree than superlative?
What is the second one? Yes, I know you have marked it correct. But have you noted that this is a compound word? Please do note how the word 'self', mostly used as noun is compounded with the present participle adjective 'collecting' to form the compound adjective defining the power [pow'r] of the snail. Please make a note how skillfully the poet chooses to modify the disyllabic 'power' to monosyllabic 'pow'r', thus omitting syllable for the sake of rhythm.
Do I need to ask what is the most prominent theme referred to here in this stanza? I know you are all ringing loud and clear... Yes, it is the displeasure of the snail expressed when it is touched at its horns.
The Fourth Stanza
Wherever [Where'er] the snail [he] dwells [lives], he lives alone;- be it on the grass, or leaf, or fruit, or wall. Why do you think the 'v' from 'wherever' is dropped here? Do you think it has got something in connection with the rhythm?
Have you noted that the subject gets dropped again from the second clause of the stanza? The snail has no other possession [chattel] than himself. Is he unhappy to be without anybody else? Well, the poet believes that the snail is quite pleased and contended with his solitude.
The Fifth Stanza
The Hermit
Does that sound awkward to you? Are you wondering how can one stay contended being all alone? Well, now you have the clue: the snail leads his life like a hermit, or a saint, and not like a social being as us. So, he doesn't require to be fussy while choosing a partner to dance to the tunes of the social banquets/parties which we all so keenly look forward to.
The Hermaphrodite
And the last two lines must sound puzzling to your ears if you don't know that snails are hermaphrodites, organisms with fully functional reproductive organs of both the male and the female, and that they accept a partner to reproduce playing either the role of the male, or the female arbitrarily. So, if the snail gets to meet a partner, the snail chooses only the one who approaches faster. Interesting, isn't it? You may visit the link below if you want to learn further:
The Sixth Stanza
If you have googled about snails a bit by the time, I am sure you now know how the poet hints to a bare fact that the snails cannot see. Who may seek such a hermit-like [plain-living solitary figure] creature as his/her mate, by the way, save a blind one?
However, those who seek, may find him quite easily, for a snail and his house are a single entity [so combined], and therefore, to find the house is akin to find its master, the snail inside.
Summing up
Shall we try to sum up now? What do you think may be the possible theme(s) of the poem?
Is the snail itself the theme? Why?
Is it his hermit-like lifestyle? Why?
Is the snail's house [the shell] the theme? Why?
What are the other possibilities that come to your mind? Why don't you share your argument?
What is the clue hinted at in the very title of the poem? Would you like consider the title helpful for the purpose?
Could it be some social issue? The poet was vocal against social issues and discriminations like the contemporary slavery. Is this poem a subtle hint to some social discrimination or marginalisation?
Or maybe the poem is all about an individual crisis? William Cowper is considered to be one of the most prominent forerunners of the Romantic poets. Is it impossible that the poem might have some subjective reflection?
All the above suggestions are valid, it just depends on how you rationalise your argument. And there are many more possibilities that you are coming up with right now. Please feel free to share them so that we may continue the discussion.
Let me know if you feel the urge to translate the poem once again to your native tongue, if English is your second. Why do you want to translate it? What have you found so vital in the poem? Do you think that William himself might have felt the same way when he read 'Limax' by Vincent Bourne?
Or do you find this English translation not expressive enough, and want to retranslate the Latin poem to English once again? Where do you find this translation by William falling short, or different from your reading?
Comments
Post a Comment
Please feel free to share another perspective, suggest an upgrade, and ask for information, or about a doubt or confusion...