Ted Hughes

Crow Goes Hunting

Crow Decided to try words. He imagined some words for the job, a lovely pack- Clear-eyed, resounding, well-trained, With strong teeth. You could not find a better bred lot. He pointed out the hare and away went the words Resounding. Crow was Crow without fail, but what is a hare? It converted itself to a concrete bunker. The words circled protesting, resounding. Crow turned the words into bombs-they blasted the bunker. The bits of bunker flew up-a flock of starlings. Crow turned the words into shotguns, they shot down the starlings. The falling starlings turned to a cloudburst. Crow turned the words into a reservoir, collecting the water. The water turned into an earthquake, swallowing the reservoir. The earthquake turned into a hare and leaped for the hill Having eaten Crow's words. Crow gazed after the bounding hare Speechless with admiration.

art & creativity narrative poem dreamlike
Crow Goes Hunting - poem by - Ted Hughes

Crow Goes Hunting - meaning Summary

Language Meets Changing Reality

The poem presents Crow trying to use language as a hunting tool. His words seem powerful at first, but the hare continually changes form, turning each verbal weapon back into another uncontrollable force. By the end, the hare has consumed Crow's words, leaving him silent. The poem suggests that language cannot fully master a shifting, self-renewing reality.

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