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Table of Contents
Short Summary of the Poem: Snake
One hot July day in Sicily, the poet went to a water-trough to fill his pitcher. When he reached there, he saw a snake already drinking water. The snake was yellow-brown, long, and soft. It came out from a crack in the wall and quietly sipped water with its straight mouth.
The poet waited politely, just like a guest waits. He watched the snake drink water in a calm and peaceful way. The poet was both afraid and amazed. He thought the snake looked like a king who had come from the deep earth.
But then, the voice of his education told him to kill the snake. He had learned that golden-brown snakes are poisonous. The voice said a real man would pick up a stick and kill it.
However, the poet liked the snake. He felt honoured that the snake had visited him. When the snake finished drinking, it slowly turned and slid back into the dark hole in the wall.
As the snake left, the poet suddenly felt a mix of fear and protest. He did not want it to go. In a quick moment, he picked up a log of wood and threw it at the snake. It missed, but the snake got scared and quickly disappeared into the hole.
Right after this, the poet felt guilty and ashamed. He thought it was a mean and unkind act. He remembered the story of the Ancient Mariner who killed an innocent bird and felt sorry forever.
The poet wished the snake would come back. To him, the snake was like a king in exile—a great being who should have been respected, not hurt.
This poem shows how we sometimes do wrong things because of fear or what we’re taught, even when our heart tells us to do better.
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Detailed Summary of the Poem: Snake
1. The Poet Meets a Snake at the Water-Trough: It was a hot day in July in Sicily. The poet went out in his pyjamas to a stone water-trough to fill his pitcher. As he reached the trough, he saw a snake already there. The snake had come from a crack (fissure) in the earth wall and was drinking water quietly.
The snake was yellow-brown in colour, soft-bellied, and long. It rested its head on the stone and sipped the water silently, just like a calm guest.
2. The Poet Waits and Watches: The poet didn’t disturb the snake. He stood and waited. He felt like a second comer, like the snake had the right to drink first. The snake looked at him, flickered its tongue, and continued drinking. The poet noticed that the snake drank water just like cattle do. He called the snake earth-brown and earth-golden, saying it seemed to come from the burning bowels of the earth—deep and ancient parts of nature.
3. The Conflict Inside the Poet’s Mind: The poet felt honoured by the snake’s presence. He liked the snake and felt it was a noble creature. But another voice in his mind—“the voice of education”—told him that gold snakes are poisonous and should be killed. This voice said that if he were truly a man, he would kill the snake with a stick. But the poet did not want to hurt the snake. He began to doubt himself—was he a coward or was he showing respect?
4. The Snake Leaves and the Poet Reacts: After drinking, the snake lifted its head dreamily and started to leave slowly. The poet suddenly felt protest and fear—he did not want the snake to disappear into the black hole.
He quickly picked up a log of wood and threw it at the snake. The snake was frightened and twisted quickly, slipping into the dark hole. The poet felt instant regret.
5. The Poet Feels Guilty: After the snake vanished, the poet felt very guilty and ashamed. He thought what he did was mean and petty. He remembered the story of the Ancient Mariner who killed an innocent albatross and suffered greatly.
He thought of the snake as a king in exile—a great, noble creature who had been wrongly treated. The poet wished the snake would come back, and he knew he had to make up for his wrong action.
Message of the Poem: This poem shows the conflict between human instincts and social teachings. The poet’s heart told him to respect the snake, but the voice of society told him to kill it. In the end, the poem teaches us to trust our natural kindness and to respect all living creatures.
Pointwise Summary of the Poem: Snake
1. On a hot July day in Sicily, the poet went to a water-trough to fill his pitcher.
2. A yellow-brown snake had reached there before him and was drinking water silently.
3. The poet waited politely, feeling like a guest because the snake had come first.
4. The snake looked at the poet calmly, flickered its two-forked tongue, and continued to drink.
5. The poet admired the snake and felt honoured by its peaceful visit.
6. But the voice of education in his mind said, “Kill the snake! It’s poisonous!”
7. The poet had a conflict between his natural love for the snake and his learned fear.
8. As the snake started to leave, the poet felt a strange protest and threw a log at it.
9. The snake escaped quickly, and the poet was filled with guilt and shame.
10. He felt he had missed a chance to honour one of the lords of life and wished the snake would return.