Summer Farm
Straws like tame lightnings lie about the grass
And hang zigzag on hedges. Green as glass
The water in the horse-trough shines.
Nine ducks go wobbling by in two straight lines.
A hen stares at nothing with one eye,
Then picks it up. Out of an empty sky
A swallow falls and, flickering through
The barn, dives up again into the dizzy blue.
I lie, not thinking, in the cool, soft grass,
Afraid of where a thought might take me – as
This grasshopper with plated face
Unfolds his legs and finds himself in space.
Self under self, a pile of selves I stand
Threaded on time, and with metaphysic hand
Lift the farm like a lid and see
Farm within farm, and in the centre, me.
And hang zigzag on hedges. Green as glass
The water in the horse-trough shines.
Nine ducks go wobbling by in two straight lines.
A hen stares at nothing with one eye,
Then picks it up. Out of an empty sky
A swallow falls and, flickering through
The barn, dives up again into the dizzy blue.
I lie, not thinking, in the cool, soft grass,
Afraid of where a thought might take me – as
This grasshopper with plated face
Unfolds his legs and finds himself in space.
Self under self, a pile of selves I stand
Threaded on time, and with metaphysic hand
Lift the farm like a lid and see
Farm within farm, and in the centre, me.
Summary
The poem ‘Summer Farm’ by Norman MacCaig describes a man’s existential introspections as he relaxes in the grass on a summer’s day. MacCaig’s complex depictions of the strangeness of nature and the philosophical surrealism in the poem show how the speaker feels tiny, vulnerable and insignificant. Similes, oxymorons and paradoxes are used to demonstrate this.
The poem ‘Summer Farm’ by Norman MacCaig describes a man’s existential introspections as he relaxes in the grass on a summer’s day. MacCaig’s complex depictions of the strangeness of nature and the philosophical surrealism in the poem show how the speaker feels tiny, vulnerable and insignificant. Similes, oxymorons and paradoxes are used to demonstrate this.
First stanza
Complex depictions of the strangeness of nature using simile and oxymoron in the first half of the poem show the speaker noticing insignificant details in his surroundings. The first line, “straws like tame lightnings”, is a simile. The simile is peculiar because straws are not normally compared to lightning. This foreshadows the surrealness of the world that is about to be described. Specifically, the phrase “tame lightnings” is oxymoronic, because lightning is in fact not tame, it is random and haphazard. This reinforces the previously established feeling of strangeness. The oxymoron is resolved in the second line because the phrase “zigzag on hedges” relates back to the lightning, because lightning cannot be tamed, but it is actually in a zigzag shape. The phrase “green as glass” compares water to glass. Since glass is usually clear and not green, the simile suggests that the water is pure. The fourth line evokes happiness: wobbling ducks can be visualized as cute and this is how happiness is evoked. The evocation of happiness shows that the poet is trying to make nature seem strange, and yet perfect.
Complex depictions of the strangeness of nature using simile and oxymoron in the first half of the poem show the speaker noticing insignificant details in his surroundings. The first line, “straws like tame lightnings”, is a simile. The simile is peculiar because straws are not normally compared to lightning. This foreshadows the surrealness of the world that is about to be described. Specifically, the phrase “tame lightnings” is oxymoronic, because lightning is in fact not tame, it is random and haphazard. This reinforces the previously established feeling of strangeness. The oxymoron is resolved in the second line because the phrase “zigzag on hedges” relates back to the lightning, because lightning cannot be tamed, but it is actually in a zigzag shape. The phrase “green as glass” compares water to glass. Since glass is usually clear and not green, the simile suggests that the water is pure. The fourth line evokes happiness: wobbling ducks can be visualized as cute and this is how happiness is evoked. The evocation of happiness shows that the poet is trying to make nature seem strange, and yet perfect.
Second stanza
The hen staring at “nothing with one eye” shows that the hen is seeing something where there is nothing, suggesting hallucination. Shows the insanity of the speaker and the thoughts that he has. Shows that the speaker has a one-sided view of things and he can see some things only with one eye. Looking at something sideways.
The swallow “flickering through the barn” is used to exemplify the beauty of nature. The speaker is imagining the swallow, recreating its steps as it “dives up again into the dizzy blue”. This instills a sense of calm.
The whole stanza is odd because of the paradoxes: the hen stares at nothing, then picks up nothing. Also, you cannot “[dive] up”, you can only dive down.
The sky is not usually “dizzy blue”; portrays an illusion and caesuras create many odd pauses in the stanza.
The hen staring at “nothing with one eye” shows that the hen is seeing something where there is nothing, suggesting hallucination. Shows the insanity of the speaker and the thoughts that he has. Shows that the speaker has a one-sided view of things and he can see some things only with one eye. Looking at something sideways.
The swallow “flickering through the barn” is used to exemplify the beauty of nature. The speaker is imagining the swallow, recreating its steps as it “dives up again into the dizzy blue”. This instills a sense of calm.
The whole stanza is odd because of the paradoxes: the hen stares at nothing, then picks up nothing. Also, you cannot “[dive] up”, you can only dive down.
The sky is not usually “dizzy blue”; portrays an illusion and caesuras create many odd pauses in the stanza.
Third stanza
Comparisons between the speaker and a grasshopper using simile in the third stanza show how the speaker feels tiny and vulnerable. The speaker is mentioned for the first time in “I lie, not thinking…”. The posture portrayed in the third stanza shows how relaxed the speaker is. “This grasshopper with plated face unfolds his legs and finds himself in space” shows the speaker feels exposed and stripped of all of his certainty as a result of his reflections/ The simile between the speaker and the grasshopper shows how insignificant the speaker feels; he is comparing himself to the tiny grasshopper.
Comparisons between the speaker and a grasshopper using simile in the third stanza show how the speaker feels tiny and vulnerable. The speaker is mentioned for the first time in “I lie, not thinking…”. The posture portrayed in the third stanza shows how relaxed the speaker is. “This grasshopper with plated face unfolds his legs and finds himself in space” shows the speaker feels exposed and stripped of all of his certainty as a result of his reflections/ The simile between the speaker and the grasshopper shows how insignificant the speaker feels; he is comparing himself to the tiny grasshopper.
Fourth stanza
In the final stanza, the speaker’s philosophical and metaphysical thoughts show how he feels insignificant as part of the scheme of the natural world. The word “self” is repeated. The poem is at the height of its surrealism at this point as time is brought in to the already “metaphysic land”. Accentuates the speaker’s dominance over the dream world.
The final lines refer to the farm that the poet grew up in. Shows the speaker contemplating his existence in the metaphysical universe. He is looking at the farm like he has never seen it before; links back to the chicken staring into nothing.
In the final stanza, the speaker’s philosophical and metaphysical thoughts show how he feels insignificant as part of the scheme of the natural world. The word “self” is repeated. The poem is at the height of its surrealism at this point as time is brought in to the already “metaphysic land”. Accentuates the speaker’s dominance over the dream world.
The final lines refer to the farm that the poet grew up in. Shows the speaker contemplating his existence in the metaphysical universe. He is looking at the farm like he has never seen it before; links back to the chicken staring into nothing.