Summary Themes and Poetic Divices ON BAT BY DAVID HERBERT

 BAT

DAVID HERBERT

At evening, sitting on this terrace, 

When the sun from the west, beyond Pisa, beyond the mountains of Carrara 

Departs, and the world is taken by surprise ... 

When the tired flower of Florence is in gloom beneath the glowing 

Brown hills surrounding ... 

When under the arches of the Ponte Vecchio 

A green light enters against stream, flush from the west, 

Against the current of obscure Arno ... 

Look up, and you see things flying 

Between the day and the night; 

Swallows with spools of dark thread sewing the shadows together. 

A circle swoop, and a quick parabola under the bridge arches 

Where light pushes through; 

A sudden turning upon itself of a thing in the air. 

A dip to the water. 

And you think: 

'The swallows are flying so late!' 

Swallows? 

Dark air-life looping 

Yet missing the pure loop ... 

A twitch, a twitter, an elastic shudder in flight 

And serrated wings against the sky, 

Like a glove, a black glove thrown up at the light, 

And falling back. 

Never swallows! 

Bats! 

The swallows are gone. 

At a wavering instant the swallows gave way to bats 

By the Ponte Vecchio ... 

Changing guard. 

Bats, and an uneasy creeping in one's scalp 

As the bats swoop overhead! 

Flying madly. 

Pipistrello! 

Black piper on an infinitesimal pipe. 

Little lumps that fly in air and have voices indefinite, wildly vindictive; 

Wings like bits of umbrella. 

Bats! 

Creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag, to sleep; 

And disgustingly upside down. 

Hanging upside down like rows of disgusting old rags 

And grinning in their sleep. 

Bats! 

Not for me! 

    ABOUT THE POET

David Herbert Lawrence was born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England in 1885. He was a novelist, 

Short-story writer, Poet and essayist.  His first published works were poems in 1909. His poetry on evocations of the natural world have influence on many poets. Lawrence died in 1930.

SUBJECT MATTER

“Bat” is a Lyric poem. The poem reveals the poet's deep aversion towards bat,  a nocturnal creature ( a bird that sees only in the night but blind during the day). Bat is called ‘Pipistrello' in Italy meaning little piper. Bat is jot the only mammal or bird that flies in the night. Swallows also fly in the night. A swallow is a small long-winged songbird noted for swift graceful flight and the regularity of its migrations. In his careful observation of the bat, the poet-speaker also observes swallows under the bridge arches. Even though the poet knows very well that swallows also fly late in the night, his awful attention does not direct to swallows but to bat as a result of his hatred and disdain towards bat. Although the poet finds bat disgusting and repulsive, bat is highly valued in China. In China, bat is a symbol of joy and good luck. It is a highly valued edible meat in China.

LINE ANALYSIS OF THE POEM

The poem begins by giving the readers a clue on the setting of the poem. The time is evening. The physical setting is Italy. Some ancient cities like Pisa,  Florence,  Mountains of Carrara,  Ponte Vecchio and River Arno all portray the setting as Italy. 

The poet, looking towards the Ponte Vecchio,  an old bridge built in arches over the Arno River in Florence,  experiences tranquil atmosphere. The poet admires the entire beauty of natures which are radiating from mountains of Carrara down to Ponte Vecchio and to the Rover Arno. Suddenly, he sees swallows as he looks up. Those creatures are swallows with spools of dark thread sewing the shadows .

Swallows are small birds with pointed wings and forked tail. The birds hover up and down the bridge. They move in any direction they see light under the bridge. The sight seems pleasing to the poet as they do not hover in the gross darkness unlike bat.

There is a huge contrast between swallows and bats. While swallow is endearing, bat is irritating. In these lines the poet expresses open hatred towards bats. Swallows fly at sunset but bats take deep pleasure in thick darkness. The poet bitterly expresses disdain against bats.

The poet continues with his contempt against bats. The poet says the swallows gave way for the bats by the Ponte Vecchio. The poet uses ‘changing guard’ a military term to describe how this birds change operation. In his further disdainful dispositions for bats, the poet reveals how the bat ‘swoop overhead madly‘. To swoop means to carry out a sudden raid. 

The poet describes bats using more harsh and unpleasant words. Bats are called Pipistrello in Italy. As tiny as bats are, they are expressing unreasonable desire for revenge. All about bat is disgusting to the poet. Bats ooze their disgusting voices from an infinitesimal pipe.

The poet describes hats with so many vilifying imageries. They hang themselves up like an old rag,  to sleep’ and disgustingly upside down. 

While bat us highly disgusting to the poet, it is warmly revered and widely accepted in China. Chinese people consume bat with great relish. Apart from serving as edible meat in China, it is a symbol of good luck and happiness. 

Notwithstanding that bat is highly welcomed in China,  the poet still maintain his resolute stance on detesting bat.

THEMES 

Beauty of Nature: The poet expresses the brimful beauty of nature. These include the sun that comes beyond Pisa, the Mountains of Carrara, the flower of Florence and the landscape of Pints Vecchio. All these geographical beauties constitute sources of joy, gaiety and fulfilment in the poet. The poet becomes highly elated as he sits on the terrace to watch and admire these beauties of nature. 

Realties of Human Consciousness: The way the poet sees bat reflects the realities of human consciousness. The bat evokes a sense of sadness and bitterness in the poet. The mere sight and thought of the bat spoils the poet’s happy mood. The bat represents the pain that humans encounter in the world.   At end, the poet exclaims, ‘Not for me’. This shows his level of     consciousness. A sudden shift in the light of the swallows that are gone and replaced with the pain and fear at the grinning of the bats.

Varieties of Human Choices: Bat is a source of bitterness and concern to the poet. While the poet Finds bat disgusting,  some other people- like the Chinese- hold bat at the highest esteem and consume it with relish. To the poet, bat is ‘wildly vindictive’ ‘Black piper on an infinitesimal pipe’ ‘disgusting old rags’ but on the contrary, bat is a symbol of happiness in China. This shows that shows vary among individuals and cultures. 

POETIC DEVICES FROM THE POEM

1. Language: The poem is written in simple prose-like form. It employs ellipsis to show that the poem is a personal emotional opinion of the poet. Language: Lawrence used violent words or expression to express his hatred for bats. Words like ‘’flying madly,’’ ‘’voices indefinite, ’’wildly vindictive,’’ ‘’old rags,’’ ‘’disgusting,’’ ‘’Black Piper.’’ The use of ‘’black’’ here connotes ‘’devil’’ or ‘’evil.’’ ‘’Disgusting’’ means something bad, unfair, inappropriate that you feel annoyed and angry.

2. Tone: The poet makes use of harsh and disdainful tone that reveals his strong hatred for bat.

4. Enjambment: Each line has its meaning flow into another. 

5. Allusion: It is making reference to something which is already known by a reader or listener. ‘’Ponte Vecchio’’ is a medieval stoned-a segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy. Another way is ‘’Mountain Carrara’’—Carrara marble is a type of white or blue-grey marble of high quality, popular for use in sculpture and building decoration.

6. Simile: This is when two things that share same features but are from different nature are compared. The poet compared the ugly appearance of bats with an umbrella. ‘’Wings like bits of umbrella.’’ Others are ‘’creatures that hang themselves up like an old rag’’, ‘’like a glove, a black glove thrown up at night.’’ The descriptions of bats indicated the poet’s hatred for the creature.

7. Personification: It is when inanimate objects are given human attributes. ‘’When the tired flower of Florence.’’ Line 5. Flowers can never be tired like human beings. Bats behave like an insane person in being ‘’flying madly’’ line 33. Swallows behave like tailors when they are ‘’sewing the shadows together’’ line 11.

8. Alliteration: The repetition of same sounds was employed in this poem. ‘’When the tired flower of Florence (f,f) line 4. ‘’ A twitch a twitter’’ line 21 (t, t) . ‘’little lumps that fly (L, L)

9. Rhetorical Questions: Questions that demand no answers. ‘’Swallows?, ‘’Never Swallows! Bats!’’ ‘’Bats. Not for me!’’ All these were used to emphasize the poet’s hatred for bats.

10. Repetition: It is when an expression or a word is used more than one tome. Words like ‘’upside down’’, ‘’old rags’’ and ‘’disgusting’’ shows the poet’s strong hatred for bats. Other repeated words are ‘’glove’’, ‘’swallows’’ and ‘’Bats’’.

11. Antithesis: It is the use of two contrasting words, phrases or sentences. Bats are the symbol of happiness and good fortune in China but the poet sees bats as disgusting and ill-omen creatures.

12. Metaphor: It is the direct comparison of two things that share same qualities but different nature. The poet compared bats: ‘’And serrated wings against the sky’’ line 22, ‘’Black Piper’’ line 35. ‘’Little lumps that fly in air’’ line 36. These comparisons are based on his hatred towards bats.

13. Imagery: The creation of mental picture in reader’s mind. We could see the image of the way bats fly, sleep upside down, their wings like a wretched umbrella.