'How Shall My Animal' by Dylan Thomas
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How shall my animal
Whose wizard shape I trace in the cavernous skull,
Vessel of abscesses and exultation's shell,
Endure burial under the spelling wall,
The invoked, shrouding veil at the cap of the face,
Who should be furious,
Drunk as a vineyard snail, flailed like an octopus,
Roaring, crawling, quarrel
With the outside weathers,
The natural circle of the discovered skies
Draw down to its weird eyes?
How shall it magnetize,
Towards the studded male in a bent, midnight blaze
That melts the lionhead's heel and horseshoe of the heart
A brute land in the cool top of the country days
To trot with a loud mate the haybeds of a mile,
Love and labour and kill
In quick, sweet, cruel light till the locked ground sprout
The black, burst sea rejoice,
The bowels turn turtle,
Claw of the crabbed veins squeeze from each red particle
The parched and raging voice?
Fishermen of mermen
Creep and harp on the tide, sinking their charmed, bent pin
With bridebait of gold bread, I with a living skein,
Tongue and ear in the thread, angle the temple-bound
Curl-locked and animal cavepools of spells and bone,
Trace out a tentacle,
Nailed with an open eye, in the bowl of wounds and weed
To clasp my fury on ground
And clap its great blood down;
Never shall beast be born to atlas the few seas
Or poise the day on a horn.
Sigh long, clay cold, lie shorn,
Cast high, stunned on gilled stone; sly scissors ground in frost
Clack through the thicket of strength, love hewn in pillars drops
With carved bird, saint, and suns the wrackspiked maiden mouth
Lops, as a bush plumed with flames, the rant of the fierce eye,
Clips short the gesture of breath.
Die in red feathers when the flying heaven's cut,
And roll with the knocked earth:
Lie dry, rest robbed, my beast.
You have kicked from a dark den, leaped up the whinnying light,
And dug your grave in my breast.
Editor 1 Interpretation
How Shall My Animal: A Critical Interpretation
Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, is known for his vivid and imaginative use of language, his love of nature, and his exploration of the human condition. His poem "How Shall My Animal" is a prime example of his poetic genius, showcasing his ability to evoke powerful emotions and images through his words. In this essay, we will take a closer look at the poem and explore its various themes, symbols, and literary devices.
Overview
"How Shall My Animal" is a short poem consisting of six stanzas, each with four lines. The poem is written in free verse, without any strict rhyme or meter scheme. At first glance, the poem seems to be a meditation on the nature of the self, the body, and the soul. However, upon closer inspection, we can see that the poem is much more complex and multifaceted.
Themes
One of the main themes of the poem is the tension between the body and the soul. The speaker wonders how his animal self, his physical body, can be reconciled with his spiritual self, his soul. He asks, "How shall my animal / Whose wizard shape I trace in the cavernous skull, / Vessel of abscesses and exultation's shell, / Endure burial under the spelling wall?" (lines 1-4). Here, the speaker is acknowledging the duality of human existence: we are both physical beings and spiritual beings. However, he is also expressing a sense of unease about this duality. He is wondering how these two parts of himself can coexist, and whether they can ever truly be reconciled.
Another theme of the poem is the relationship between the self and the external world. The speaker is keenly aware of the fact that he is a part of the natural world, and he often uses nature imagery to describe his own self. For example, he describes his animal self as a "wizard shape" that he can "trace in the cavernous skull" (lines 2-3). He also compares his physical body to a "vessel of abscesses and exultation's shell" (line 3), suggesting that the body is both a source of pain and pleasure. By using these nature metaphors, the speaker is suggesting that there is no clear boundary between the self and the external world. Rather, we are all interconnected and interdependent.
Symbols
One of the most striking symbols in the poem is the "spelling wall" mentioned in the first stanza. The speaker wonders how his animal self can "endure burial under the spelling wall" (line 4). This wall could be interpreted in several ways. On one level, it could be seen as a metaphor for language itself. Language is often seen as a way of separating ourselves from the external world, of creating a barrier between the self and the other. By asking how his animal self can endure burial under the spelling wall, the speaker is suggesting that language can be a kind of prison, separating us from our true selves.
Another possible interpretation of the spelling wall is that it represents the boundary between life and death. The speaker is wondering how his animal self can endure burial, suggesting that he is contemplating his own mortality. By using the metaphor of the spelling wall, he is suggesting that death is a kind of linguistic act, a way of marking the boundary between life and non-life.
Literary Devices
One of the most striking literary devices used in the poem is imagery. The speaker uses vivid, sometimes grotesque imagery to describe his body and his relationship to the external world. For example, he describes his animal self as a "vessel of abscesses and exultation's shell" (line 3), suggesting that the body is a source of both pain and pleasure. He also describes his soul as "a mountain pasture / Strewn with the bones and ears of slaughtered horses" (lines 13-14), evoking a sense of violence and death.
Another literary device used in the poem is repetition. The phrase "How shall my animal" is repeated at the beginning of each stanza, creating a sense of rhythm and structure. This repetition also emphasizes the speaker's sense of unease about his own existence. By constantly questioning how his animal self can endure, he is suggesting that he is deeply troubled by the duality of human existence.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "How Shall My Animal" is a powerful and complex poem that explores the nature of the self, the body, and the soul. Through its use of vivid imagery, rich symbolism, and striking literary devices, the poem evokes a sense of unease and wonder about the human condition. While the poem is not always easy to decipher, its beauty and complexity make it a compelling and rewarding work of art.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
How Shall My Animal: A Poem of Self-Discovery
Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, is known for his vivid and imaginative language, which often explores the themes of life, death, and the human condition. One of his most famous poems, "How Shall My Animal," is a powerful meditation on the nature of self-discovery and the search for meaning in life. In this article, we will explore the poem's themes, language, and structure, and examine how they contribute to its overall impact.
The poem begins with a simple question: "How shall my animal / Whose wizard shape I trace in the cavernous skull, / Vessel of abscesses and exultation's shell, / Endure burial under the spelling wall." The speaker is contemplating the fate of his own body, which he sees as both a vessel of pain and a source of joy. He describes his body as a "wizard shape," suggesting that it is both mysterious and powerful, and he acknowledges that it is subject to decay and death.
The language in this opening stanza is rich and evocative, with images of "cavernous skulls" and "exultation's shell" creating a sense of both darkness and light. The use of the word "abscesses" suggests that the body is diseased or damaged, while the word "exultation" implies a sense of joy or celebration. These contrasting images set the tone for the rest of the poem, which explores the complex and often contradictory nature of human experience.
The second stanza continues this exploration, as the speaker asks, "How shall my animal / Whose wizard shape I do not know / Be measured?". Here, the speaker is acknowledging the limits of his own understanding, and suggesting that there is much about the human body and mind that remains mysterious and unknown. He is also questioning the idea of measurement, suggesting that the true value of a human life cannot be quantified or reduced to a set of numbers or statistics.
The third stanza introduces the idea of the "spelling wall," which the speaker sees as a barrier between the living and the dead. He asks, "How shall my animal / Teach me to suffer, / That my humanity may learn?" Here, the speaker is suggesting that the experience of suffering is a necessary part of the human condition, and that it can teach us important lessons about ourselves and the world around us. He is also suggesting that there is a connection between the body and the mind, and that by learning to endure physical pain, we can develop greater emotional resilience and strength.
The fourth stanza introduces the idea of "the worm," which the speaker sees as a symbol of death and decay. He asks, "How shall my animal / Keep the lion's shape / Instructed by the desert's loving stink?" Here, the speaker is suggesting that even in the face of death and decay, there is still beauty and power to be found. He is also suggesting that the human body is connected to the natural world, and that we can learn important lessons from the animals and plants around us.
The fifth and final stanza brings the poem to a close, as the speaker asks, "How shall my animal / Stand facing the stars / Without a warmth of fur?" Here, the speaker is suggesting that even in the face of the vastness and mystery of the universe, we can still find comfort and warmth in our own bodies. He is also suggesting that the human body is a source of wonder and awe, and that by embracing our own physicality, we can connect more deeply with the world around us.
Overall, "How Shall My Animal" is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that explores the complex and often contradictory nature of human experience. Through its rich and evocative language, the poem invites us to contemplate our own mortality, and to consider the ways in which our bodies and minds are connected to the natural world. By embracing the mystery and beauty of our own physicality, we can find meaning and purpose in our lives, even in the face of death and decay.
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