Lawrence poem: The Elephant is Slow to Mate

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Originally Posted by ktd222

Yes, that’s right. But maybe for these elephants the idea of mating is not about desire, or love, for this act of mating can be perceived as one in which is used to fulfill individual “needs.” So knowing this, the elephants seem to be allowing their hearts to both become “full of desire,” and by the same processes of “waiting for their hearts to grow full of desire,” that part of “desire,” maybe the “fire” in the alternate line, is extinguished, so that that “loneliest of feast” can be experienced in another way.

Oldest they are and the wisest of beasts
so they know at last
how to wait for the loneliest of feasts
for the full repast.

And I find it strange that mating is being compared to a feasts to be consumed, or taken as food(repast). And I find it even stranger that I can’t identify if these beasts are the ones consuming this feasts, or the feasts is consuming them. Do any of you get that sense? In a way the act of waiting till one’s heart “grows full of desire” flips the act of mating so the consumers of this feasts becomes consumed by the feasts.

Ok, that’s my take on this stanza 6, any other opinions or ideas?

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Hey, I have to do a reflection on this for my senior high school class and I just thought I'd add in.

By using the word 'feast', I think he is suggesting that mating, is something to be savored, like we should savor our food(which many of us don't because of the abundance). By using this interpretation, you can then say he is suggesting our(humans) inability to savor this love that we may have with another, while elephants to savor it because they wait their entire lives for it.

..and i know I'm a bit late.

... and can somebody explain the last stanza line for line please..

its got me completely lost

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Originally Posted by Schecter85

... and can somebody explain the last stanza line for line please..

its got me completely lost

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They do not snatch, they do not tear;
their massive blood
moves as the moon-tides, near, more near
till they touch in flood.

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Lawrence had this theory of blood consciousness, that the blood contained a different knowledge than the mind, a higher knowledge. This lalst stanza is an oblique suggestion to sexual intimacy, the contact of blood consciousness. I hope that helps.

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Originally Posted by Virgil

Lawrence had this theory of blood consciousness, that the blood contained a different knowledge than the mind, a higher knowledge. This lalst stanza is an oblique suggestion to sexual intimacy, the contact of blood consciousness. I hope that helps.

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and what of the word flood

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Originally Posted by Schecter85

and what of the word flood

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Is this for school? What does flood mean? He's referring to a rush of blood.