Horses
Those lumbering horses in the steady plough,
On the bare field - I wonder, why, just now,
They seemed terrible, so wild and strange,
Like magic power on the stony grange.
Perhaps some childish hour has come again,
When I watched fearful, through the blackening rain,
Their hooves like pistons in an ancient mill
Move up and down, yet seem as standing still.
Their conquering hooves which trod the stubble down
Were ritual that turned the field to brown,
And their great hulks were seraphims of gold,
Or mute ecstatic monsters on the mould.
And oh the rapture, when, one furrow done,
They marched broad-breasted to the sinking sun!
The light flowed off their bossy sides in flakes;
The furrows rolled behind like struggling snakes.
But when at dusk with steaming nostrils home
They came, they seemed gigantic in the gloam,
And warm and glowing with mysterious fire
That lit their smouldering bodies in the mire.
Their eyes as brilliant and as wide as night
Gleamed with a cruel apocalyptic light,
Their manes the leaping ire of the wind
Lifted with rage invisible and blind.
Ah, now it fades! It fades! And I must pine
Again for the dread country crystalline,
Where the blank field and the still-standing tree
Were bright and fearful presences to me.
On the bare field - I wonder, why, just now,
They seemed terrible, so wild and strange,
Like magic power on the stony grange.
Perhaps some childish hour has come again,
When I watched fearful, through the blackening rain,
Their hooves like pistons in an ancient mill
Move up and down, yet seem as standing still.
Their conquering hooves which trod the stubble down
Were ritual that turned the field to brown,
And their great hulks were seraphims of gold,
Or mute ecstatic monsters on the mould.
And oh the rapture, when, one furrow done,
They marched broad-breasted to the sinking sun!
The light flowed off their bossy sides in flakes;
The furrows rolled behind like struggling snakes.
But when at dusk with steaming nostrils home
They came, they seemed gigantic in the gloam,
And warm and glowing with mysterious fire
That lit their smouldering bodies in the mire.
Their eyes as brilliant and as wide as night
Gleamed with a cruel apocalyptic light,
Their manes the leaping ire of the wind
Lifted with rage invisible and blind.
Ah, now it fades! It fades! And I must pine
Again for the dread country crystalline,
Where the blank field and the still-standing tree
Were bright and fearful presences to me.
Summary
In the poem “Horses” by Edward Muir, the speaker continually portrays his feelings towards horses using a constant motif of mechanism combined with personification of the horse’s different body parts to show the horse’s true colors and ends with how the speaker truly feels about the horse and relates this to the clarity and freedom of emotion in his birthplace in the countryside. The entire poem is also an extended flashback in the speaker’s point of view and the poet juxtaposes the forces of good and evil.
In the poem “Horses” by Edward Muir, the speaker continually portrays his feelings towards horses using a constant motif of mechanism combined with personification of the horse’s different body parts to show the horse’s true colors and ends with how the speaker truly feels about the horse and relates this to the clarity and freedom of emotion in his birthplace in the countryside. The entire poem is also an extended flashback in the speaker’s point of view and the poet juxtaposes the forces of good and evil.
First stanza
Use of diction in the first stanza (i.e. "lumbering", "steady") suggests how tiring the horses' work is. The fact that the horses are "like magic power on the stony grange" gives the poem a sense of arcane mystery.
Use of diction in the first stanza (i.e. "lumbering", "steady") suggests how tiring the horses' work is. The fact that the horses are "like magic power on the stony grange" gives the poem a sense of arcane mystery.
Second stanza
The speaker's flashback is made apparent in this stanza. His realization that "perhaps some childish hour has come again" shows that he is taken back to being a child, which suggests that he is looking at normal things as if they are magical. The "blackening rain" connotes the becoming of a strange event. The motif of mechanism is also introduced in this stanza, as the horses' hooves are said to be like pistons, and the enjambment used fully emphasizes the horses seamlessly and restlessly shuffling.
The speaker's flashback is made apparent in this stanza. His realization that "perhaps some childish hour has come again" shows that he is taken back to being a child, which suggests that he is looking at normal things as if they are magical. The "blackening rain" connotes the becoming of a strange event. The motif of mechanism is also introduced in this stanza, as the horses' hooves are said to be like pistons, and the enjambment used fully emphasizes the horses seamlessly and restlessly shuffling.
Third stanza
The horses' personified "conquering hooves" connote power and asserts dominance. The use of diction, specifically the word "ritual", shows that the process that the horses are carrying out is very routine for them and that they are used to it. Not only are the horses portrayed as powerful in the third stanza, the speaker also makes them seem angelic and beautiful, describing them as being a "seraphim of gold". This contrasts with the fourth line of the third stanza, in which the horses are portrayed as monstrous: "or mute ecstatic monsters on the mould"; this is emphasized by alliteration.
The horses' personified "conquering hooves" connote power and asserts dominance. The use of diction, specifically the word "ritual", shows that the process that the horses are carrying out is very routine for them and that they are used to it. Not only are the horses portrayed as powerful in the third stanza, the speaker also makes them seem angelic and beautiful, describing them as being a "seraphim of gold". This contrasts with the fourth line of the third stanza, in which the horses are portrayed as monstrous: "or mute ecstatic monsters on the mould"; this is emphasized by alliteration.
Fourth stanza
Alliteration in the second line of the fourth stanza (i.e. "broad breasted", "sinking sun") emphasizes what is being said about the horses. The sibilance of "sinking sun" also foreshadows the "struggling snakes" mentioned later in the stanza. The comparison between furrows and "struggling snakes" makes the reader understand the effort put into creating each furrow and the use of the word "rapture” shows that after each furrow is created, there is reason for a small celebration; this is especially obvious in the first line of the stanza.
Alliteration in the second line of the fourth stanza (i.e. "broad breasted", "sinking sun") emphasizes what is being said about the horses. The sibilance of "sinking sun" also foreshadows the "struggling snakes" mentioned later in the stanza. The comparison between furrows and "struggling snakes" makes the reader understand the effort put into creating each furrow and the use of the word "rapture” shows that after each furrow is created, there is reason for a small celebration; this is especially obvious in the first line of the stanza.
Fifth stanza
The monstrosity of the horses is further emphasized in the fifth stanza through the use of a semantic field relating to fire. "Steaming nostrils", "mysterious fire", and "smoldering bodies" all connote fire and may link back to the fact that the horses were previously marching to "the sinking sun". The fact that a semantic field relating to fire is used shows how powerful and monstrous the horses are. This may suggest that the speaker is fearful of the horses.
The monstrosity of the horses is further emphasized in the fifth stanza through the use of a semantic field relating to fire. "Steaming nostrils", "mysterious fire", and "smoldering bodies" all connote fire and may link back to the fact that the horses were previously marching to "the sinking sun". The fact that a semantic field relating to fire is used shows how powerful and monstrous the horses are. This may suggest that the speaker is fearful of the horses.
Sixth stanza
The horses are portrayed as evil and menacing in the sixth stanza. Personification of the horses' rage, said to be "invisible and blind" shows that the horses do not seem evil on the outside, but are angered on the inside and will lash out at anything. The fact that the horses' eyes "gleamed with a cruel apocalyptic light" connotes evil, and also juxtaposes with the previous line, which describes the horses' eyes as dark.
The horses are portrayed as evil and menacing in the sixth stanza. Personification of the horses' rage, said to be "invisible and blind" shows that the horses do not seem evil on the outside, but are angered on the inside and will lash out at anything. The fact that the horses' eyes "gleamed with a cruel apocalyptic light" connotes evil, and also juxtaposes with the previous line, which describes the horses' eyes as dark.
Seventh stanza
The speaker's childhood memories fade at the beginning of the seventh stanza as the extended flashback ends. The language used in this stanza further glorifies the horses, but also goes to prove that the speaker is indeed scared of them. This is shown in the fourth line of the stanza, and this concludes the poem by saying that as a child, the speaker was awed by as well as scared of the horses.
The speaker's childhood memories fade at the beginning of the seventh stanza as the extended flashback ends. The language used in this stanza further glorifies the horses, but also goes to prove that the speaker is indeed scared of them. This is shown in the fourth line of the stanza, and this concludes the poem by saying that as a child, the speaker was awed by as well as scared of the horses.