The Horses
Barely a twelvemonth after
The seven days war that put the world to sleep
Late in the evening the strange horses came.
By then we had made our covenant with silence,
But in the first few days it was so still
We listened to our breathing and were afraid.
On the second day
The radios failed; we turned up the knobs; no answer.
On the third day a warship passed us, heading north,
Dead bodies piled on deck. On the sixth day
A plane plunged over us into the sea. Thereafter
Nothing. The radios dumb;
And still they stand in corners of our kitchens,
And stand, perhaps, turned on, in a million rooms
All over the world. But now if they should speak,
If on a sudden they should speak again,
If on the stroke of noon a voice should speak,
We would not listen, we would not let it bring
That bad old world that swallowed its children quick
At one great gulp. We would not have it again.
Sometimes we think of nations lying asleep,
Curled blindly impenetrable sorrow,
And then the thought confounds us with its strangeness.
The tractors lie about our fields; at evening
They look like dank sea-monsters crouched and waiting.
We leave them where they are and let them rust:
“They’ll moulder away and be like other loam.”
We make out oxen drag our rusty ploughs,
Long laid aside. We have gone back
Far past our farmers’ land.
And then, that evening
Late in the summer the strange horses came.
We heard a distant tapping on the road,
A deepening drumming; it stopped, went on again,
And at the corner changed to hollow thunder.
We saw the heads
Like a wild wave charging and were afraid.
We had sold our horses in our father’s time
To buy new tractors. Now they were strange to us
As fabulous steeds set on an ancient shield
Or illustrations in a book of knights.
We did not dare go near them. Yet they waited,
Stubborn and shy, as if they had been sent
By an old command to find our whereabouts
And that long lost archaic companionship.
In the first moment we had never a thought
That they were creatures to be owned and used
Among them were some half-a-dozen colts
Dropped in some wilderness of the broken world,
Yet new as if they had come from their own Eden.
Since then they have pulled our ploughs and borne our loads,
But that free servitude still can pierce our hearts.
Our life is changed; their coming our beginning.
EDWIN MUIR
“THE HORSES” – GROUP DISCUSSION
1. Explain in some detail the events prior to the arrival of the “strange
horses”
2. Why do you think Muir chooses to employ biblical terms in the
opening sentence?
Why is this ironic?
3. How does the poet create a graphic picture of the world after a
Nuclear Holocaust?
(Simplicity of detail, everyday objects etc.)
4. The overriding impression appears to be one of silence. Which
words/ phrases help create this?
5. In what way does the second half of Muir’s poem differ from the
first? Explain.
6. Comment on the lines “We heard…hollow thunder”. What effect is
the poet trying to achieve?
7. “As fabulous steeds set on an ancient shield”
“ as if they had come from their own Eden”
What do these horses symbolise and how do the images used by
the poet help show this?
8. How would you interpret the final three lines of the poem?
The Horses Edwin Muir
This poem is told by a narrator, possibly some kind of village elder. He is telling his
audience about their past (our future?). It is like a parable, with a moral message.
1. Content
The poem starts with a reference to a disastrous war, and in 1.3 mentions the
arrival of some horses.
The narrator goes back to the past and describes the horrors of the (nuclear?)
war. He makes it clear that the survivors have rejected the technology they
hold responsible for that war.
Mid-point in the poem comes a description of the arrival of the horses, which
become, as they once were, workers with the people to produce food. They
have brought hope to the survivors as humanity can now rebuild but not using
dangerous technology. Quite an optimistic poem in a way.
2. Theme
The dangers of technology
The desire to return to a pre-industrial society.
3. Notes on techniques used.
Pt. 1. Sets the scene with archaic/ religious overtones. “twelvemonth” “seven-
days war”. Biblical refs. God created the world in seven days and it took the
same time to destroy it. L.4 “our covenant with silence” – they have taken a
holy vow not to return to mechanisation. (Echoes of the Covenanters, too-
fundamentalist Protestants in 17th Century Scotland)
L.5 The Story of the war. “so still” indicates their isolation after the frantic
noise of modern life. “On the second day” and so on makes the narrative
sound like the Book of Genesis, on the Creation of the World. In a new sense a
new world has been created but at a terrible cost, emphasised by “dead
bodies”, and the alliteration of “plane plunged”. The broken sentences indicate
how distressing the narrative is. The account ends with the finality of
“Thereafter Nothing”- a non-sentence over 2 lines which emphasises the word
“nothing” by placing it at the beginning of the line.
L.12- “radios”. These are symbols of technology, but they are dead and not to
be reconstructed. This is highlighted by the repetition of “speak” and the
negatives in L.18, which transmit an almost panicky feeling to the reader. In
L.19 we have again a reference to a creation myth, this time to Cronus in
Greek mythology who swallowed his children. I think the poet wants us to
think of the cruelty and depersonalisation of the “of bad world”. Certainly
there is no trust left in man’s technology. In L.22 the “nations” are “Curled
blindly in impenetrable sorrow”. This is obviously a reference to the foetal
position (rebirth?) and the last two words probably refer to people’s
incomprehension about what has happened. The sudden end of a civilisation
must bring grief to the survivors.
L.24- “tractors”. Evil & greedy. What do they symbolise? Note the unpleasant
simile in L.25. They are totally rejected by the survivors L.26 & L27 rust to
loam (which brings to life). They are going back to the simple life.
Pt.2
Break in lie, break in narrative. Something is about to happen. Remember that
the poet has not mentioned the horses since L.3, which adds to the strangeness
of their arrival. Ls 32-34. “distant tapping”, “deepening drumming”, “hollow
thunder”--- the anticipation is highlighted by alliteration and onomatopoeia.
L.36 “wild wave”- speed, power, beauty. The y had rejected them for
technology but in Ls 39-40 they are seen as heroic, mythical creatures, almost
inspiring fear. Similes used to depict this.
L.44 “that long-lost archaic companionship”. What does this mean? I think in
the past horses and man had worked together to produce food, but that had
been forgotten (see Ls 37-38_
L.47 “half-a-dozen colts”. These symbolise a new beginning for horse and
man. “Eden” – a signal from God giving new hope? Man was evicted from
Eden, remember, but has been given another chance.
L.51 “free servitude”. An Oxymoron. How can servitude be free? He is
implying that their help is given willingly, I think.
What do the horses symbolise? The world of nature, and mankind being at one
with it? Certainly they are a sign of hope for the future: “their coming our
beginning”
Note: the poet’s message is very clear in this poem, but you may find his
harking back to a golden age when man and nature were at one rather
romantic. Life in pre-industrial societies tends to be nasty, brutish and short.
This should not affect your appreciation of the poem, and the poet’s skill.
“The Horses” - Edwin Muir
Question:
Choose a poem which you feel warns against a present or
future evil. Through close examination of the techniques used
by the poet show how the poet’s message is developed.
Introductory Paragraph Name of poet and poem.
Brief summary of poem incorporating
wording of question
Main Part Detailing / explanation of “how” (see question) –
literary devices / techniques
Adjectives/ Adverbs/ Verbs Word Choice
Biblical// Archaic Language
LD* Monosyllabic words/ repetition
LD Onomatopoeia Sound Patterns
LD Alliteration
LD Similes
LD Metaphors
LD Personification Imagery
LD Euphemisms
Sentence Structure
Structure of Poem Structure
Word Placing
For each technique/ device you must
1. identify technique
2. give quotation(s)
3. explain/ expand/ develop effect in terms of poet’s message i.e. present/
future evil
Conclusion: ------
* Literary device / technique
Poetic device / technique
“THE HORSES” – SPECIMEN ANSWER
Some poems raise our awareness of past, present and future evils. Choose such a
poem and with particular reference t the poet’s use of literary devices, show how
she/ he develops our understanding of his/her message.
Edwin’s Muir’s poem, “The Horses” describes the effect of a potential nuclear war on
the world and shows the survivors adjust to their new way of life. The poet uses
literary techniques and devices to develop his message of a future evil in the shape of
a nuclear holocaust possibly destroying the world.
Muir’s use of word choice, for example the repeated use of biblical and archaic
language gives the poem an extra dimension indicating the survivors’ longing for a
simpler life. It also adds irony to the poem. Muir refers to “The seven days war”. This
alludes to the creation of the world in the Bible and how the destruction of it could,
ironically, take the same amount of time. Muir carries on this idea of God’s creation
when describing the events of the war itself. He parallels the format of the Bible by
giving a day-by-day account of the unfolding events. He mentions “On the second
day…” and then subsequent days when describing events.
These religious references perhaps explain the survivors’ need for a simpler, purer
existence away from the technology-driven, largely atheist society which brought
about “the seven days war”.
The use of archaic language throughout, also shows the need for a simpler life. Words
such as “moulder” and “loam” reinforce the farming theme of the poem. The
survivors want to live as their ancestors did, living off the land, not depending on
technology and Progress. These words reflect the period of time they appear to want
to return to.
Muir also uses words such as “fabulous steeds” and “knights” to show how alien and
mythical the horses appear. The are so unfamiliar with the horses that they have only
seen in fables and story books from medieval times. The language makes the horses
appear, simultaneously impressive and intimidating.
Verbs and adjectives are used to create dramatic and graphic images in the poem. For
example, the verb “failed” in the line “The radios failed” stresses how much the
people depended on the radios and other technology in society. It adds a hint of
personification, indicating that radios were in such constant use as to be vital to the
day-to-day existence of humans. The fact that they failed the people, stresses the
relationship between them and how let down the survivors feel.
The verb “piled” from the line “Dead bodies piled on the deck” again continues to the
effect of the poet’s message. “Piled” suggests that the bodies were thrown to one side
with little regard and no respect for the dead. It clearly emphasises the chaos and
destruction whilst suggesting also that the dead greatly out number the survivors. So
much so, that the dead are not afforded the briefest of burials.
Muir’s use of adjectives also contributes to the poem’s effect. One such adjective is
“impenetrable”. He tells us the dead are,
“Curled blindly in impenetrable sorrow,”
This is a very dramatic line, expressing the overwhelming grief and hopelessness of
the survivors. “Impenetrable” itself indicates how much suffering those who dies must
have experienced, the suggestion being that for them there will never be any escape
from the horrors they have both seen and felt. Muir refers to the horses as “strange”
on a number of occasions- This adjective makes it clear how detached individuals
have become from Nature. Their technology run world had no place for animals and
so the horses seem completely astonishing to them.
Various sound patterns are used throughout this poem producing different effects.
One such pattern is the build-up of monosyllabic wording within a line. Muir tells us
“We leave them where they are and let them rust”.
The rhythm allows the line to be more definite in showing how the people feel. They
want nothing at all to do with the tractors, just leaving them to rot away. The tractors
symbolise the technology that led to the horrific “seven days war”. The survivors are
now too scared that the cycle of progress will begin again to even touch them.
Another literary device Muir uses onomatopoeia. When the horses arrive, they area
only heard at first softly, then slowly the noise intensity increases. The words
“tapping” and “drumming” are used to illustrate this change. This approach builds up
the tension and drama indicating how important the horses will be.
Alliteration also produces dramatic and descriptive sound patterns.
“A plane plunged over us into the sea”
The “ps” in this line create a very dramatic, harsh and final feeling to the line. They
stress the horrible nature of war. The word “plunge” especially gives the impression
of the plane’s brutal and deadly decent into the water clearly ruling out any chance of
survivors.
Imagery play an important part in the poem. Dramatic and graphic scenes are
produced using different techniques. For example, we get the simile
“like a wild charging wave”
this illustrates the immense power of the horses. It makes the horses seem
unstoppable, creating a truly overwhelming vision for the people watching.
An example of Muir’s use of personification is the line:
“That bad old world that swallowed its children quick”.
This shows how immediate the world’s destruction was, implying that it was the
world that destroyed itself. The people don’t want this kind of world to return because
of their fear of history repeating itself.
Euphemism is used to try and soften the fact that millions have died.
“the nation’s lying asleep”
As well as this line gives us the chance to be optimistic. Instead of dead, the nations
are described as asleep, therefore allowing the possibility of rebirth, for the people to
start living again.
The way Muir structures his poem is significant. It is divided into two long stanzas,
the first describing the aftermath of the war and the second with the survivors
rebuilding their lives. The horses are mentioned at the beginning of the poem but not
fully introduced until the second half. This overall structure emphasises Muir’s strong
belief in the inherent strength of Man in that the poem is very clearly a path from
failure to hope, from and end to a new beginning.
Word placing is used to great effect in this poem. The word “beginning” is the final
word, creating an ironic note as the first book in the Bible starts with the phrase “I n
the beginning”. This stresses that the survivor are starting again, rebuilding their lives
and the world. Ending on this optimistic note, it is clear that there is hope for the
future, but there will always be Progress, therefore the chance of a future evil
returning.
In conclusion, Edwin Muir has successfully used a wealth of literary devices and
techniques to show how a future evil could cause untold devastation to our world.