On Killing A tree
By Gieve Patel

About the Poet

Image: thehindu.com

Gieve Patel is an Indian poet, playwright, painter, as well as a practicing doctor. He belongs to a group of writers who have subscribed themselves to the ‘Green Movement’ which is involved in an effort to protect the environment. His poems speak of deep concerns for nature and expose man’s cruelty to it.

Patel was born on 18th August, 1940 in Mumbai. His parents were from a small village called Nargol in southern Gujarat. He started his education at St. Xavier’s High School and Grant Medical College, Mumbai. He lives in Mumbai where he is a general practitioner. 

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Poem: On Killing A tree

It takes much time to kill a tree,
Not a simple jab of the knife
Will do it. It has grown
Slowly consuming the earth,
Rising out of it, feeding
Upon its crust, absorbing
Years of sunlight, air, water,
And out of its leprous hide
Sprouting leaves.

So hack and chop
But this alone wont do it.
Not so much pain will do it.
The bleeding bark will heal
And from close to the ground
Will rise curled green twigs,
Miniature boughs
Which if unchecked will expand again
To former size.

No,
The root is to be pulled out —
Out of the anchoring earth;
It is to be roped, tied,
And pulled out — snapped out
Or pulled out entirely,
Out from the earth-cave,
And the strength of the tree exposed
The source, white and wet,
The most sensitive, hidden
For years inside the earth.

Then the matter
Of scorching and choking
In sun and air,
Browning, hardening,
Twisting, withering,
And then it is done.

Gieve Patel

Meanings of difficult words and phrases

Jab: sudden rough blow
Leprous hide: discoloured bark
Hack: cut roughly by striking heavy blows
Anchoring earth: Trees are held securely with the help of the roots in the earth.
Snapped out: chopped out
Scorching and choking: the drying up of the tree after being uprooted

Introduction

This poem conveys the message that trees are living beings just like any other form of life. A plant takes sunlight, water, air and nutrients from the soil to become a huge tree. It develops a strong trunk and gets numerous branches and leaves. It is not easy to kill them, for they have a never-say-die attitude to life. Every time they are attacked, injured or chopped, they heal themselves and regain their glory. If we want to kill it, it should be uprooted entirely and left out to wither in the sun and air.

Summary

The poet tells us that killing a tree is not easy. If we wish to kill a tree it takes a lot of time. A simple jab of the knife can’t kill a tree. A tree grows up by getting food and other nutrition from the earth. It absorbs sunlight, air and water for years and becomes very strong. If we try to hack and chop it, it does not feel much pain. Its bleeding bark heals very soon. Small twigs begin to shoot up from it and soon they become very big and strong.

The poet says that the real strength of a tree lies in its roots. If we want to kill a tree forever, its roots should be pulled out completely. They should be left in open to withering in sun and chock in the air. A tree cannot be destroyed with a few cuts and blows. The pain caused by the hacking and chopping is not enough to kill it. Its injured and mutilated bark would repair after some time and tender, green twigs will rise up from its hacked base. If these small boughs are not cut, they will soon attain the original size of the tree. According to the poet, the actual process that can kill a tree involves cruelty and ruthlessness. The root of the tree is to be pulled out from the earth which is holding it securely. It is to be ripped up by forceful pulling and snapping. This root is the true strength of the tree. It is sensitive to heat and light as it remains concealed under the surface of the earth for years. Hence, it is to be left exposed till it dries up and stops drawing nutrients from the soil for the tree. When left exposed to sun and air, the root gradually dries, withers and hardens. Life drains out of it and the tree is finally killed.

Textual Questions

Q1. Can a “simple jab of the knife” kill a tree? Why not?

Ans. A simple jab of a knife can’t kill a tree. It can merely injure it and cause its sap to ooze out like blood. The real life of a tree comes from the roots that provide it nourishment and firmly hold it.

Q2. How has the tree grown to its full size? List words suggestive of its life and activity.

Ans. The tree has grown to its full size gradually. It has grown by slowly consuming the earth. It has risen out of the earth and has fed upon its crust. It has also absorbed light, air and water for years. Leaves have sprouted out of its discoloured bark.

Q3. What is the meaning of ‘bleeding bark’? What makes it bleed?

Ans. The ‘bleeding bark stands for the sap oozing out of the tree trunk when it is attacked with a knife or an axe. The word ‘bleeding’ is metaphorically used to compare the sap to the blood from a wound of a human being. It signifies the pain of the tree.

Q4. The poet says “No” at the beginning of the third stanza. What does he mean by this?

Ans. The poet uses ‘No’ to emphasize the fact that merely hacking and chopping are not sufficient for killing a tree. They can injure it, make it bleed, and cause pain. But killing a tree requires more ruthlessness and much more effort.

Q5. What is the meaning of “anchoring earth” and “earth cave”?

Ans. “Anchoring earth” means the earth which gives a firm grip to the tree and keeps it from falling. Just as a ship anchored in the sea stays in its place securely and steadily, similarly the tree stands secure and stable with the support of the earth.

‘Earth cave’ refers to the depth under the earth where the root of a tree remains sheltered safely for years. It is firmly attached to this point and a cave-like hollow is created when the root is pulled out.

Q6. What does the poet mean by the strength of the tree exposed”?

Ans. The expression ‘the strength of the tree exposed’ means the root of the tree is pulled out of the earth and thrown open at the mercy of harsh weather. Root is the source of the tree’s power. Once exposed to the scorching and choking sun and air, it withers away and the tree finally dies.

Q7. What finally kills the tree?

Ans. Pulling out the tree from the mother earth and scorching and choking it in the sun and air kills the tree. It becomes brown, dry and gets hard. Eventually, it dies.

Additional Short Answer Questions

Q1. In the phrase ‘consuming the earth’, who consumes the earth and how?

Ans. It is the tree that consumes the earth by drawing its nourishment from the soil through its root. The diet required by the tree lies deep inside the earth and the root sucks and absorbs nutrients and nourishes the tree.

Q2. What is meant by ‘years of sunlight, air and water’?

Ans. Years of sunlight, air and water means that the tree takes years together to grow up fully. In this course of time, it draws energy from sunlight, air and water.

Q3. Why has the tree’s ‘hide’ been called leprous?

Ans. The bark of the tree is uneven in texture and colour. Leprosy also robs the skin of the leper of its colour and evenness. Hence, the poet has drawn a metaphorical comparison between the discoloured bark of a tree and the diseased skin.

Q4. What will rise from ‘close to the ground’? Why?

Ans. Curled green twigs and miniature boughs will rise from the stump of the tree that is close to the ground. They will rise because the tree rejuvenates and revives itself as long as its root is intact.

Q5. What will happen if the miniature boughs are left ‘unchecked’?

Ans. ‘Unchecked’ here means left free to grow without any harm or danger. If left ‘unchecked’, the new, green, delicate branches from the stump of a tree will expand and regain their original size.

Q6. What is ‘the most sensitive’ part of the tree? What is it sensitive to and why?

Ans. The root of the tree is its most sensitive part. It is sensitive to the heat and vagaries of weather on the open surface of the earth. It is so because it remains hidden safely under the earth.

Q7. What message is conveyed by this poem?

Ans. The poem conveys the message that human beings have destructive temperament towards nature, but Mother Nature has regenerative powers and cannot be destroyed easily. It has the ability to resurrect itself. Mere physical assaults cannot ruin it. As long as its root is intact, it can rise again.

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