A powerful confessional poem in which the speaker, on a hot Sicilian
day, watches a snake drink at his water-trough. Torn between the
"voice of his education" and his instinctive reverence for the
creature, he throws a log at it — and is left with a life-long
burden of guilt to expiate.
D. H. LawrencePoet, Novelist & Essayist · 1885–1930
The Poet
D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930)
The champion of instinct — a writer who exalted primitive, natural
passions and denounced the shams of modern civilized life.
David Herbert Lawrence (1885–1930), poet,
novelist, short story writer and essayist, grew up amid the strife
between his genteel and educated mother and his coarse miner
father. As a youth in the Nottinghamshire mining village of
Eastwood, Lawrence resented the rough ways of his drunken father
and adopted his mother's refined values as his own.
However, as he grew in maturity as a writer, he
rejected the gentility his mother represented and
began to see his father's earthiness as a virtue. He wrote of
primitive and natural passions, trying to show
instinctive forces in man that might bring happiness. In his
writings he emerged as the champion of instinct.
His important works include A Collection of Poems (1909),
The White Peacock (1911), The Trespasser (1912),
Sons and Lovers (1913), The Rainbow (1915),
Plumed Serpent (1926), and
Lady Chatterley's Lover (1926).
In the present poem 'Snake', Lawrence exalts the values
of primitive life and denounces the shams and artificialities of
modern civilized life. The poem records a real incident from his
life in Sicily in July 1920, when he met a snake at his
water-trough. It is a confessional poem, in which he admits to a
"pettiness" that he feels he must expiate.
👤
Full NameDavid Herbert Lawrence
🎂
Born11 September 1885, Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
🕯️
Died2 March 1930, Vence, France
✍️
StyleChampion of instinct · Primitive passions ·
Confessional
📚
Famous WorksSons and Lovers · The Rainbow · Lady Chatterley's Lover
📖
PoemSnake
Quick Overview
Summary
Concise overview of the chapter.
Snake by D.H. Lawrence is a poem about a
memorable encounter between a man and a snake at a water-trough on a
hot day. The poem explores themes of
nature, instinct, education, and regret.
On a hot Sicilian afternoon, the poet goes to his water-trough to
drink. He finds a golden-brown snake already there,
drinking. The snake is beautiful and dignified. The poet is
fascinated but also afraid — his "education" tells him that snakes
are dangerous and should be killed.
The poet waits and watches. He feels honoured that
the snake has come to his water-trough. He compares it to a guest, a
god, a king in exile. He feels a deep connection with the creature —
a sense of kinship that is older than fear.
But then his "voice of education" speaks: if he
were a man, he would kill the snake. The poet picks up a log and
throws it at the snake. He misses, but the snake is startled and
disappears into a hole.
Immediately, the poet is filled with
regret and shame. He realises he has committed a
"pettiness" — he has betrayed something beautiful and sacred. He
wishes he could bring the snake back and apologise. He thinks of the
ancient mariner who killed the albatross — a crime against nature.
The poem is a powerful meditation on
man's relationship with nature. It criticises the
human habit of dominating and destroying what we don't understand.
It suggests that true wisdom lies in reverence, not
in fear or violence.
And I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act! / I despised
myself and the voice of my accursed human education.
— D.H. Lawrence, "Snake"
The Text
Snake
D. H. Lawrence's confessional poem of a snake at the water-trough.
Stanza 1 A Snake Came to My Water-Trough
1A snake came to my water-trough
2On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,
3To drink there.
4In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark
carob-tree
5I came down the steps with my pitcher
6And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the
trough before me.
7He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the
gloom
8And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down,
over the edge of the stone trough
9And rested his throat upon the stone bottom,
10And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small
clearness,
11He sipped with his straight mouth,
12Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long
body,
13Silently.
14Someone was before me at my water-trough,
15And I, like a second comer, waiting.
On a hot Sicilian July day, the speaker comes down to his
water-trough with a pitcher, only to find a snake already there,
drinking. The snake has come from a fissure in the earth-wall and
trailed its yellow-brown body down to the trough. It sips silently,
resting its throat on the stone bottom. The speaker stands and
waits, like "a second comer" — the snake has the right of the first
arrival.
Stanza 2 The Voice of My Education
16He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do,
17And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,
18And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused
a moment,
19And stooped and drank a little more,
20Being earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels of
the earth
21On the day of Sicilian July, with Etna smoking.
22The voice of my education said to me
23He must be killed,
24For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold
are venomous.
25And voices in me said, If you were a man
26You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him
off.
27But must I confess how I liked him,
28How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at
my water-trough
29And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless,
30Into the burning bowels of this earth?
31Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him?
32Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him?
33Was it humility, to feel so honoured?
34I felt so honoured.
35And yet those voices:
36If you were not afraid, you would kill him!
37And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid,
38But even so, honoured still more
39That he should seek my hospitality
40From out the dark door of the secret earth.
The snake lifts its head and looks at the speaker vaguely, like
cattle. It flicks its two-forked tongue and drinks a little more,
"earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels of the earth."
The voice of the speaker's education tells him the snake must be
killed, for in Sicily gold snakes are venomous. Other voices urge
him: "If you were a man / You would take a stick and break him now."
But the speaker admits he liked the snake, that he was glad it had
come like a guest. He asks himself: was it cowardice, perversity, or
humility that stopped him? He felt honoured that the snake should
seek his hospitality.
Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him?
Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him?
Was it humility, to feel so honoured?
I felt so honoured.
— D. H. Lawrence
Stanza 3 A King in Exile — and the Log
41He drank enough
42And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken,
43And flickered his tongue like a forked night on the air, so
black,
44Seeming to lick his lips,
45And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air,
46And slowly turned his head,
47And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice adream,
48Proceeded to draw his slow length curving round
49And climb again the broken bank of my wall-face.
50And as he put his head into that dreadful hole,
51And as he slowly drew up, snake-easing his shoulders, and
entered farther,
52A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing
into that horrid black hole,
53Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing
himself after,
54Overcame me now his back was turned.
55I looked round, I put down my pitcher,
56I picked up a clumsy log
57And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter.
58I think it did not hit him,
59But suddenly that part of him that was left behind
60Convulsed in undignified haste.
61Writhed like lightning, and was gone
62Into the black hole, the earth-lipped fissure in the
wall-front,
63At which, in the intense still noon, I stared with
fascination.
64And immediately I regretted it.
65I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!
66I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human
education.
67And I thought of the albatross,
68And I wished he would come back, my snake.
69For he seemed to me again like a king,
70Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
71Now due to be crowned again.
72And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
73Of life.
74And I have something to expiate:
75A pettiness.
When the snake has drunk enough, it lifts its head dreamily, flicks
its black tongue, and looks around "like a god, unseeing, into the
air." Slowly it turns and begins to climb back into its hole. As it
withdraws, a horror and protest rise in the speaker. He puts down
his pitcher, picks up a clumsy log, and throws it at the trough. It
misses, but the snake convulses "in undignified haste" and
disappears into the black hole. The speaker immediately regrets his
"paltry," "vulgar," "mean act." He thinks of the albatross (from
Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner) and wishes the
snake would come back. The snake seemed to him "like a king in
exile, uncrowned in the underworld, now due to be crowned again." He
feels he has missed his chance with "one of the lords of life" and
has "something to expiate: / A pettiness."
Quick Revision
Key Themes — Snake
Six ideas that shape D. H. Lawrence's confessional poem.
🐍 The Snake as a Lord of Life
The snake is presented not as a threat but as a majestic creature
— "like a god," "like a king in exile." It is one of the "lords of
life," deserving of respect and hospitality.
⚖️ Instinct vs. Education
The central conflict is between the speaker's instinctive
reverence for the snake and the "voice of his education" — social,
cultural and superstitious conditioning that tells him to kill it.
🏛️ Hospitality and Honour
The speaker feels honoured that the snake should seek his
hospitality from "the dark door of the secret earth." He treats
the snake as a guest, waiting like "a second comer."
💔 Guilt and Expiation
After throwing the log, the speaker regrets his "paltry,"
"vulgar," "mean act." He identifies with the Ancient Mariner, who
killed the albatross, and feels he has a "pettiness" to expiate.
🌍 Human Arrogance
The poem condemns human arrogance towards nature — the instinct to
destroy what we fear. The speaker's education teaches him to kill,
but his deeper self knows this is wrong.
🎨 The Beauty of the Primitive
Lawrence exalts the values of primitive life — the snake's
earth-brown, earth-golden beauty, its slow, ceremonial movements,
its silent, dignified presence — over the shams of civilized life.
Assessment
Test Your Understanding
Multiple choice · Fill in the blanks · Short answer. Everything is
drawn from the poem above.
🧠 Part A — Multiple Choice
Choose the best answer for each question. Click
Check Answers at the end to see your score.
Score: — /
0
✏️ Part B — Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence on the basis of the poem. Type your answer,
then click Check Answers.
Score: — /
0
📝 Part C — Short Answer Questions
Think through your answer first, then click
Show Model Answer to compare.
Textbook Exercises
Complete Exercise Bank
All questions from the Bihar Board Class 12 English Poetry textbook
— with answers and model responses.
B.1.1 Write T for True and F for False
Read the following sentences and write T for true and F for false.
Click to reveal the answer with explanation.
aIt was a hot day when the thirsty
snake came to drink water.
True (T). The poem begins: "A snake came to my
water-trough / On a hot, hot day."
bThe speaker was in a haste to drink
water.
False (F). The speaker waited patiently: "I
must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough
before me."
cThe colour of the snake was
yellow-black.
False (F). The snake is described as
"yellow-brown" and "earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning
bowels of the earth." The colour is brown-gold, not
yellow-black.
dThe speaker considered himself a
second comer to the trough.
True (T). "Someone was before me at my
water-trough, / And I, like a second comer, waiting."
B.1.2 Answer the Following Questions Briefly
1Where did the speaker meet the snake?
The speaker met the snake at his water-trough. The snake had
come there to drink water on a hot, hot day.
2Why had it come out of its hole near
the trough?
The snake had come out of its hole to drink water. It was a hot,
hot day in Sicilian July, and the snake was thirsty. It came to
the trough to quench its thirst.
3Why did the speaker decide to wait?
The speaker decided to wait because the snake was already at the
trough before him. He felt like a "second comer" and respected
the snake's right of first arrival. He did not want to disturb
the snake while it drank.
B.2.1 Write T for True and F for False
aThe snake looked at the speaker
vaguely.
True (T). "And looked at me vaguely, as
drinking cattle do."
bThe day mentioned in the poem is that
of June.
False (F). The day mentioned is "Sicilian July,
with Etna smoking."
cThere was a superstitious belief in
Sicily to kill black snake.
False (F). The belief is the opposite: "in
Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the gold are
venomous."
dThe speaker was glad playing host to a
snake.
True (T). "How glad I was he had come like a
guest in quiet, to drink at my water-trough."
eThe snake departed in an obliged way.
False (F). The snake departed "peaceful,
pacified, and thankless." It did not show any obligation or
gratitude.
fThe speaker had a desire to talk to
the snake.
True (T). "Was it perversity, that I longed to
talk to him?"
B.2.2 Answer the Following Questions Briefly
1How did the snake drink water?
The snake drank water silently. It rested its throat upon the
stone bottom of the trough, and where the water had dripped from
the tap, it sipped with its straight mouth, softly drinking
through its straight gums into its slack long body.
2What is the meaning of 'Sicilian July,
with Etna smoking'?
'Sicilian July, with Etna smoking' refers to the extreme heat of
a July day in Sicily, with Mount Etna — the famous volcano —
smoking in the background. The phrase suggests unbearable heat
and the presence of primordial, elemental forces.
3What is the belief prevailing in
Sicily about a snake?
The belief in Sicily is that "the black, black snakes are
innocent, the gold are venomous." This superstitious belief
leads the speaker's education to tell him that the golden-brown
snake must be killed.
4Why did the speaker like the snake?
The speaker liked the snake because it had come "like a guest in
quiet" to drink at his water-trough. He was glad to see it and
felt honoured that it had sought his hospitality from "out the
dark door of the secret earth." He admired its majestic,
dignified presence.
5Do you think he had a conflict in
mind?
Yes, the speaker had a deep conflict in mind. On one side were
the "voices" of his education and social conditioning, urging
him to kill the snake because it was venomous and because "if
you were a man, you would take a stick and break him." On the
other side were his instinctive reverence, admiration, and sense
of honour towards the snake. This conflict is the central drama
of the poem.
B.3.1 Write T for True and F for False
aThe speaker found the slow movement of
the snake quite impressive.
True (T). The speaker describes the snake's
movement in detail and with admiration — "slowly, very slowly,
as if thrice adream."
bThe speaker did not like the snake
going back to the dark hole.
True (T). "A sort of horror, a sort of protest
against his withdrawing into that horrid black hole... Overcame
me now his back was turned."
cHe threw the pitcher at the snake.
False (F). He put down the pitcher and threw a
"clumsy log" at the water-trough.
dHe later regretted for having hit it.
True (T). "And immediately I regretted it. / I
thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!"
eHe compares it to a sea-bird,
albatross.
True (T). "And I thought of the albatross" —
referring to Coleridge's
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
fThe snake appeared like king in exile.
True (T). "For he seemed to me again like a
king, / Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld, / Now
due to be crowned again."
B.3.2 Answer the Following Questions Briefly
1What thing about the snake did appeal
him most?
What appealed to the speaker most was the snake's majestic,
dignified presence. It seemed to him "like a god, unseeing, into
the air" and "like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
now due to be crowned again." Its slow, ceremonial movements and
its silent, peaceful drinking filled him with a sense of honour
and reverence.
2Why did he not like it going back to
the dark hole?
The speaker did not like the snake going back to the dark hole
because he felt a "sort of horror, a sort of protest" against
its withdrawal into "that horrid black hole." He wanted the
snake to stay, to remain in the light, to continue to grace his
presence. The snake's return to the darkness seemed like a loss
— a departure of something sacred and beautiful.
3What was his reaction after hitting
the snake?
Immediately after throwing the log, the speaker regretted it. He
thought his act was "paltry," "vulgar," and "mean." He despised
himself and "the voices of my accursed human education." He
thought of the albatross and wished the snake would come back.
4Why did the speaker consider it 'a
king in exile'?
The speaker considered the snake "a king in exile" because of
its majestic, regal bearing. It moved with a slow, ceremonial
dignity and looked around "like a god." Its earth-brown,
earth-golden colouring made it seem to belong to the primordial
earth. "Uncrowned in the underworld," it was a fallen sovereign
— a lord of life temporarily exiled from its rightful place, but
"due to be crowned again."
C.1 Long Answer Questions
Prepare detailed answers. Click to reveal model responses.
1The speaker was fascinated by the
snake. Do you think the time mentioned and the place it belonged
to has anything to do with this fascination?
Yes, the time and place are deeply connected to the speaker's
fascination. The poem is set in Sicily on a "hot, hot day" in
July, "with Etna smoking." This is a place and time of extreme
heat and elemental power — Mount Etna, the volcano, is a symbol
of the earth's primordial energy. The snake is "earth-brown,
earth-golden from the burning bowels of the earth" — it emerges
from the same source as the volcano's fire. In this setting, the
snake is not just an animal but a creature of myth, a "lord of
life." The heat, the darkness of the carob-tree, the gloom, the
"strange-scented shade" — all create an atmosphere of primitive
mystery. The speaker's fascination is inseparable from this
setting: he is in a place where the boundaries between the human
and the elemental are blurred, and the snake seems to belong to
an older, deeper order of being.
2What does he mean by 'the voice of my
education'?
By 'the voice of my education' the speaker means the socially
and culturally conditioned voice within him that tells him to
kill the snake. This voice is the product of human society,
superstition, and received wisdom — it is not his own authentic
voice. In Sicily, the belief is that gold snakes are venomous,
and so his education tells him, "He must be killed." Other
internal voices urge him: "If you were a man / You would take a
stick and break him now." The speaker calls this "the voices of
my accursed human education" — meaning that this education,
which teaches humans to dominate and destroy nature, is a curse.
It separates him from his instinctive reverence for the snake
and leads him to commit a "mean act."
3There was a conflict in the mind of
the poet. How did he analyse this conflict?
The speaker analysed his conflict through a series of
introspective questions: "Was it cowardice, that I dared not
kill him? / Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him? /
Was it humility, to feel so honoured?" He considers three
possible explanations for his hesitation. Cowardice — perhaps he
was too afraid to kill the snake. Perversity — perhaps his
desire to talk to the snake was a perverse, unnatural impulse.
Humility — perhaps his feeling of being honoured by the snake's
presence was true humility. He concludes, "I felt so honoured."
Yet the voices persist: "If you were not afraid, you would kill
him!" And he admits, "truly I was afraid, I was most afraid, /
But even so, honoured still more." The conflict is between fear
and honour, between his social conditioning and his instinctive
reverence. It is a conflict between the human world and the
natural world, between education and instinct.
4In what roles did he find the snake
and himself? Describe.
The speaker found the snake in the role of a guest, and himself
in the role of a host. The snake came "like a guest in quiet, to
drink at my water-trough." The speaker waited "like a second
comer" and felt honoured "that he should seek my hospitality /
From out the dark door of the secret earth." The snake is also
presented as a "lord of life," "like a god," "like a king in
exile." The speaker, by contrast, is the humble host, the
servant, the one who waits. Later, after he throws the log, the
roles reverse: the speaker becomes the aggressor, the destroyer,
and the snake becomes the victim. But even then, the speaker
acknowledges the snake's majesty: "he seemed to me again like a
king." The speaker also compares himself to the Ancient Mariner,
who killed the albatross — a man burdened by guilt.
5The snake seemed like 'a king in
exile'. What are the qualities that make the snake so majestic?
The snake's majesty lies in several qualities. First, its
appearance: it is "earth-brown, earth-golden
from the burning bowels of the earth" — a colouring that
connects it to the primordial earth. Second, its
movements: it moves with a slow, ceremonial
dignity — "slowly, very slowly, as if thrice adream." It lifts
its head "dreamily, as one who has drunken," and looks around
"like a god, unseeing, into the air." Third, its
silence and self-possession: it drinks
silently, departs "peaceful, pacified, and thankless," without
any display of fear or aggression. Fourth, its
ancient, elemental nature: it comes from "the
dark door of the secret earth," from the same source as the
volcano's fire. Fifth, its
innocence and dignity: it does not threaten the
speaker; it simply drinks and leaves. These qualities make the
snake seem like a king — an exiled sovereign, "uncrowned in the
underworld, now due to be crowned again."
6What makes you think that hitting the
snake was quite against the sensibility of the speaker?
Several things show that hitting the snake was against the
speaker's sensibility. First, throughout the poem, he expresses
admiration and reverence for the snake — he calls it "a guest,"
"a god," "a king in exile," "one of the lords of life." Second,
he feels "honoured" by the snake's presence and waits patiently
for it to finish drinking. Third, after throwing the log, he
immediately regrets it: "And immediately I regretted it. / I
thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!" Fourth, he
despises himself and "the voices of my accursed human education"
— showing that the act went against his true self. Fifth, he
wishes the snake would come back and thinks of the albatross,
the symbol of the burden of guilt for killing a harmless
creature. All of this shows that the act of violence was
contrary to his deepest instincts and values.
7What is the 'sin' committed by the
speaker that he wanted to 'expiate'?
The 'sin' committed by the speaker is the act of throwing the
log at the snake — a "mean," "vulgar," "paltry" act of violence
against a harmless, majestic creature. He calls it "a pettiness"
— a small, mean-spirited act that goes against his own deeper
values. He wants to expiate this sin because he feels he has
betrayed his own instinctive reverence for the snake and missed
his chance with "one of the lords of life." The sin is not just
the physical act but the psychological and spiritual failure —
allowing his "accursed human education" to override his
instinctive respect for nature. To expiate it, he must
acknowledge his guilt and carry the burden of it, like the
Ancient Mariner with the albatross.
C.2 Group Discussion
Discuss the following in groups or pairs.
Negative impact of customs and belief on our way of thinking.
Animals and birds, too, have a right to live.
C.3 Composition
Write a short essay in about 150 words on the following.
Human greed and environmental degradation.
Religion teaches tolerance and humility.
D.1 Dictionary Use
Ex 1Correct the spelling of the
following words: fishure, straight, flickered, mazed, parvasity,
deliberately, convalved, wreehed, fascination, uncruned.
Add prefixes 'un-', 'in-', 'im-', 'il-', 'ir-', 'dis-' to the
following words and fill in the blanks: logical, responsible,
respect, mortal, known, ability.
iPragya could not get good marks in
'writing test' because of her ____________ to write fast.
inability
iiMan becomes ____________ because of
his action.
immortal
iiiHis ____________ behaviour is not
liked by us.
disrespectful
ivYou cannot win the case by your
____________ arguments.
illogical
vThere are still many ____________
planets and stars in the universe.
unknown
viHis blunt refusal to come was a sign
of ____________.
irresponsibility
D.3 Word-meaning
Fill in the blanks with appropriate phrases listed: looked at,
looked around, drew up, put down, left behind, thought of.
iVarsha ____________ her papers on the
table and went out.
put down
iiWe could not ____________ a better
plan.
think of
iiiHe ran slowly and soon was all other
runners ____________.
left behind
ivWe ____________ the paintings in
admiration.
looked at
vThe acrobat ____________ himself
before jumping over the rope.
drew up
viThe thirsty man ____________ in
search of water.
looked around
E. Grammar — Adjectives
Change the following nouns into adjectives and use them in the
sentences: slackness, clearness, cowardice, perversity,
hospitality, blackness, pettiness, humility.
iMr John has very ____________ ideas on
the success of democracy in India.
slack (or slackened)
ii____________ men die several times.
Cowardly
iiiFilms should not glorify
____________ sex-behaviours.
perverse
ivThe sky suddenly turned ____________.
black
vHe often perturbs his parents with
____________ demands.
petty
viThough he occupies a high post, he is
quite ____________.
humble
viiHis ____________ approach aggravated
the problem.
unclear (or clear)
viiiMrs Juber was quite ____________
with her guests.
hospitable
F. Activities
Ex 1In different religions, a snake has
been represented in different ways. Find out how a snake has
been represented in the Hindu and Christian mythologies, and
write a report on it.
Report: The Snake in Hindu and Christian Mythologies
Hindu Mythology: In Hinduism, the snake (naga)
is both revered and feared. Shesha (or Ananta) is the cosmic
serpent on which Vishnu reclines. Vasuki was used as a rope in
the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan). Nagas are
associated with water, fertility, and wisdom. Shiva wears a
snake around his neck, symbolizing his mastery over death and
poison. However, snakes are also associated with the underworld
(Patala) and can represent danger and deceit.
Christian Mythology: In Christianity, the snake
is primarily a symbol of evil and temptation. In the Book of
Genesis, the serpent tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit,
leading to the Fall of Man. The snake is identified with Satan.
However, in some traditions, the serpent also symbolizes wisdom
and healing — as in the bronze serpent raised by Moses in the
wilderness (Numbers 21:9). In the New Testament, Jesus tells his
disciples to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves"
(Matthew 10:16).
Ex 2There are over 500 varieties of
snakes and not all of them are venomous. Draw a picture of a
snake and label the parts of its body. Write in red ink the
immediate steps to be taken after a snake bite.
Immediate Steps After a Snake Bite (in red ink):
1. Move the victim away from the snake.
2. Keep the victim calm and still — panic increases heart rate
and spreads venom faster.
3. Immobilize the bitten limb and keep it below heart level.
4. Remove tight clothing, rings, watches near the bite.
5. Do NOT cut, suck, or apply ice to the wound.
6. Do NOT apply a tourniquet.
7. Note the time of the bite and the snake's appearance.
8. Get the victim to a hospital with antivenom as quickly as
possible.
Ex 3Find out a poem in Hindi or in any
language you know on snake and read that poem in the class.
(Suggested approach) Select a poem on a snake from Hindi or a
regional language — for example, poems by Nirala, or folk songs
about the naga. Read it aloud in class and discuss how the snake
is represented in that poem, comparing it with Lawrence's
portrayal.
📚 Glossary & Notes
Key words from the poem with their meanings.
water-trough (n): a container for animals to
eat and drink from
carob-tree (n): a southern European tree with
dark brown fruit
fissure (n): a long deep crack, gap
gloom (n): feeling of being sad and without
hope
trailed (v): pulled behind
vaguely (adv): not clearly
flickered (v): kept going on and off as it
shone
mused (v): thought
Sicilian July ... Etna smoking: extreme heat
like the one caused when Etna erupted
venomous (adj): poisonous, full of venom
bowels (n): the tube in the stomach along which
the food passes
cowardice (n): lack of courage
perversity (n): wrong or immoral thinking
longed (v): wanted eagerly
humility (n): the quality of being humble
hospitality (n): receiving with warmth
horrid (adj): horrible
clumsy log (n.phr): awkward, not proper piece
of wood
clatter (n): a loud noise
convulsed (v): caused a sudden shaking movement
writhed (v): twisted or moved body out of pain
fascination (n): strong attraction
paltry (adj): meagre, too small
vulgar (adj): not decent
despised (v): hated strongly
accursed (adj): having a curse, a bad magic
spell
albatross (n): a large white sea-bird,
sportingly killed in Coleridge's The Ancient Mariner,
resulting in psychological and spiritual crisis
