"A Baby Running Barefoot" by D. H. Lawrence

Hello readers today in thise blog I'll be sharing about the D.H. Lawrence, one of the well read poem i.e Baby Running Barefoot. 

D. H. Lawrence 

David Herbert Lawrence whoes time span was from 11 September 1885 to 2 March 1930. He was an English novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist, and painter. His modernist works reflect on modernity, social alienation and industrialization, while championing sexuality, vitality and instinct. Several of his novels, Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley's Lover, were the subject of censorship trials for their radical portrayals of sexuality and use of explicit language.

Lawrence's opinions and artistic preferences earned him a controversial reputation; he endured contemporary persecution and public misrepresentation of his creative work throughout his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile that he described as a "savage enough pilgrimage". Later, English literary critic F. R. Leavis also championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness

A Baby Running Barefoot

When the bare feet of the baby beat across the grass

The little white feet nod like white flowers in the wind,

They poise and run like ripples lapping across the water;

And the sight of their white play among the grass

Is like a little robin’s song, winsome,

Or as two white butterflies settle in the cup of one flower

For a moment, then away with a flutter of wings.

I long for the baby to wander hither to me

Like a wind-shadow wandering over the water,

So that she can stand on my knee

With her little bare feet in my hands,

Cool like syringa buds,

Firm and silken like pink young peony flowers.

Overview

In the first line the poet talked about 'the barefoot' of baby. Who runs across the grass. He then tells about her little white feet, nod like the flowers nod in wind. He beautifully had described, how a baby child runs across the grass out of innocence to watch baby running across field is the most beautiful sight. D.H. Lawrence brilliantly and beautifully has captured the beauty of little baby's play in his poem.


The poet has compared baby's two feet with two white butterflies. Like two white butterflies settle in the cup of one flowers baby's barefoot set in the grass. The poet has compared  the grass with cup of flower and two white feet with butterflies. Baby's white feet also does not stop at one place like white butterflies. It runs away from one place to another like white butterflies fly away with flutter of wings.


The poet wants baby to wonder around him like, wind shadow wander over the water. He wants to enjoy the innocence of little baby. It also happens sometimes that, some of us do not enjoy childhood like, other and we see such little babies playing around, we see our innocence in them more than the babies. We enjoy their play as it not only smoothen our eyes but it also smoothen our soul. Then the poet wants the baby stand on his knees. Then the poet compares her little barefoot with 'syringa buds' and pink 'peony flowers'.  Baby's feet is like syringa buds and firm and silken like ' pink young peony flowers'.

Theme

The central idea of the poem is the Innocence of a baby enjoying across the grass. Childhood is a blessed stage of life that is without any burden, worries or tension. This poem shows a wonderful picture of a baby running and the pleasure of her father.

Being a profound novelist, D.H.Lawrence is a popular 20th century writer. However, his verse is also remarkable. His style in this poem is simple and light. There are some example of alliteration in the poem like,

Baby ...Beat

White...Wind

Run... Ripples

Like... Little

Wind... Wandering

She... Stand....etc...

A reader can observe here the objects of nature like grass, flowers, wind, water, butterflies and so on.

Conclusion

As we noted earlier 'child is a citizen of nature' Laurence has composed this poem with the same doctrine. Laurence describes the baby in the company of nature, a child looks more charming when it starts walking or running. The poem ends with a reflection on the transient nature of this innocence, contrasting the vitality and freedom of the child with the inevitable changes brought by the passage of time. The imagery of the baby running barefoot symbolizes a moment of pure, unspoiled joy, which Lawrence seems to treasure as a fleeting but profoundly beautiful aspect of human experience. In the Ramayana and Mahabharata, we can also find such song as a highlight of the beauty of Lord Ram or Krishna during their childhood. Ultimately, the conclusion underscores a wistful recognition of the delicate and ephemeral quality of childhood innocence.

Below I'm sharing one of the video which will help in understanding the poem more precisely.

Thank you, 

Have a happy learning.