“Snake” by D.H. Lawrence: A Critical Analysis

A snake came to my water-trough

On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,

To drink there.

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.

He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom

And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down, over

            the edge of the stone trough

And rested his throat upon the stone bottom,

And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness,

He sipped with his straight mouth,

Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body,

Silently.

Someone was before me at my water-trough,

And I, like a second-comer, waiting.

He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do,

And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,

And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused

             a moment,

And stooped and drank a little more,

Being earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels

            of the earth

On the day of Sicilian July, with Etna smoking.

The voice of my education said to me

He must be killed,

For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold

            are venomous.

And voices in me said, If you were a man

You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off.

But must I confess how I liked him,

How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink

            at my water-trough

And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless,

Into the burning bowels of this earth?

Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him?

Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him?

Was it humility, to feel so honoured?

I felt so honoured.

And yet those voices:

If you were not afraid, you would kill him!

And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid,

But even so, honoured still more

That he should seek my hospitality

From out the dark door of the secret earth.

He drank enough

And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken,

And flickered his tongue like a forked night on the air, so black,

Seeming to lick his lips,

And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air,

And slowly turned his head,

And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice adream,

Proceeded to draw his slow length curving round

And climb again the broken bank of my wall-face.

And as he put his head into that dreadful hole,

And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders,

            and entered farther,

A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing into

            that horrid black hole,

Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing

            himself after,

Overcame me now his back was turned.

I looked round, I put down my pitcher,

I picked up a clumsy log

And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.

I think it did not hit him,

But suddenly that part of him that was left behind convulsed

            in an undignified haste,

Writhed like lightning, and was gone

Into the black hole, the earth-lipped fissure in the wall-front,

At which, in the intense still noon, I stared with fascination.

And immediately I regretted it.

I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!

I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education.

And I thought of the albatross,

And I wished he would come back, my snake.

For he seemed to me again like a king,

Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,

Now due to be crowned again.

And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords

Of life.

And I have something to expiate:

A pettiness.

·         What is the significance of the snake being described as a “king in exile”?

• The snake’s portrayal as a “king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld” elevates it to a figure of both majesty and tragedy. This metaphor reflects the speaker’s admiration for the snake’s grace and primal connection to nature while lamenting its relegation to the shadows of human perception. The term “in exile” suggests that the snake, once regarded as noble, has been cast out due to societal fear and prejudice, highlighting humanity’s failure to recognize the intrinsic value of the natural world.

·         How does the poem critique societal education and conditioning?

• The poem critiques societal education through the speaker’s internal conflict between reverence for the snake and the “voice of my education” urging him to kill it. Lines such as “For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold are venomous” show how cultural conditioning instills fear and justifies violence against perceived threats. The speaker’s ultimate regret—”I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education”—underscores the poem’s argument that education can disconnect individuals from natural instincts and ethical choices.

·         What role does guilt play in the speaker’s interaction with the snake?

• Guilt dominates the speaker’s emotions after he succumbs to societal pressure and throws a log at the snake. His immediate regret—”how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!”—reflects a deep awareness of his moral failing. The speaker’s guilt is intensified by the realization that he has disrupted the snake’s peaceful existence and missed an opportunity to honor “one of the lords of life.” This regret serves as a critique of human pettiness and the inability to act with integrity in moments of moral challenge.

·         What does the poem suggest about the relationship between fear and admiration?

• The poem presents fear and admiration as intertwined emotions in the speaker’s response to the snake. While he is “most afraid” of the creature, he also feels “honoured still more” by its presence. This duality reflects the complexity of human interactions with the natural world, where fear of the unknown often coexists with awe and respect. The snake’s calm, regal demeanor—”And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air”—deepens the speaker’s admiration, even as fear drives his regrettable actions.