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| D H Lawrence (1885 - 1930) |
(E-content developed by Dr N A Jarandikar)
“The Mosquito”
“The Mosquito” is a hilarious poem written by D. H. Lawrence. The poem
is taken from D. H. Lawrence’s collection of poems titled “Birds, Beasts and
Flowers”. It is written in free verse which adds beauty and elegance to the
poem. This poem is the best example for his effective visualization of the
animal world. In the poem the speaker describes his meeting with a mosquito. He
addresses the tiny creature as “Monsieur” which shows the poet’s respect for
this silly creature. The poet uses words such as “phantom”, “sorcerer”,
“Ghoul”, “heron”, “pointed fiend” and “Winged Victory” to describe the
superhuman qualities of mosquito. The poet attributes many human and
supernatural qualities to this small creature. Therefore the poem is an example
of a “pathetic fallacy”.
Mosquito is always considered as a hateful tiny creature that no one
likes because it is a nuisance to us in our sleep. But in this poem, D. H.
Lawrence raises this tiny, silly creature to the level of a superhuman being
which has more capabilities than man. The theme of the poem is the
conflict between Nature and Culture. The poet describes the movements
of the mosquito and how the tiny creature uses his dirty magical power to put human
mind on anaesthesia. The mosquito silently and skilfully sucks human blood
which is ‘forbidden liquor’ for the mosquito.
In a playful manner the poet speaks about the action of the mosquito.
Its centre of gravity is lifted upwards and settles on the poet’ hand. The
mosquito stands on its high thin legs. The poet remembers a woman
in Venice called the mosquito “Winged Victory”. On hearing it,
the mosquito turns to its tail and smiles at the poet. The poet wonders why
this tiny, semi-transparent creature is so wicked and cruel. It flies faster
than heron and moves like a clot of air.
The poet calls mosquito a sorcerer (जादुगार) because it can move around man silently and invisibly. He also calls it a winged ghost watching its victims reading their
thoughts. He again calls it ‘a pointed fiend.’ He challenges the mosquito to
play with him hide-and-seek game. The mosquito flies in circles and disappears
when the poet tries to catch it. The blood is forbidden liquor for the mosquito
because the mosquito stealthily sucks the poet’s blood by giving anaesthesia to
the poet by means of its dirty magical power. The mosquito is under intoxication
of the blood for some time in silence. Finally the mosquito flies away from the
poet after sounding the bugle of victory. The mosquito disappears like a blood
drop far away. There is a big stain on his hand where the mosquito has sucked
his blood.
D. H. Lawrence has composed this poem in free verse. Long lines describe
the movements of the mosquito and the short lines show the thoughts and
feelings of the poet.
