the horses

The Horses

The Horses by Edwin Muir describes a nuclear catastrophe and the reliance people have on technology. It describes how man would react when technology was no longer available to us. Initially people would listen for anything on the radio that would give them news, then they would observe the aftermath of the war, for example “a warship passed us, heading north, Dead bodies piled on the deck.” The narrator describes how even if the radio were to come on again, they would ignore it as they wouldn’t want to risk the possibility that the nuclear catastrophe could happen again: “we would not listen, we would not let it bring that bad old world that swallowed its children quick at one great gulp”. He goes on to reinforce the rejection of technology by describing the tractors lying in the fields: “we leave them where they are and let them rust”.
The most significant moment in the poem is when the narrator describes the arrival of the horses. He briefly introduces the horses in line 3 of the poem: “Late in the evening the strange horses came”. The horses are strange and unfamiliar; man is unsure whether or not to trust them. The horses represent nature, arriving out of the devastation, mysterious and brave, like something out a story book. The coming of the horses symbolises the reawakening of the survivor’s awareness of nature and the importance of working in harmony with it.

The Horses is written as a narrative poem. The narrative is divided into three main parts. It starts with a prologue, describing the most recent event – the horses’ arrival – before going into an extended flashback to describe the aftermath of a nuclear catastrophe. The poet does this by describing events that are a reversal of Genesis, the creation of the world over seven days. He describes the destruction of civilisation over seven days.
The next part of the narrative describes how the survivors of the nuclear catastrophe have had to adapt to the consequences of the devastation. The survivors have now chosen to reject technology and return to more traditional ways of working.
The final part of the narrative is written as an epilogue. The arrival of the Horses symbolises the return of the bond and ancient partnership between man and horse and the survivors reawakening and understanding of the mutual dependency between man and nature, this is represented by the horses.
Edwin Muir creates an eerie quiet atmosphere at the beginning of the poem. He does this by using various techniques. Firstly he is using archaic language: “Barely a twelve month after”, he could have said barely a year after, but by using this old fashioned language he creates more impact to the reader, it intrigues you to read on. The mood of the poem is shown by using a metaphor: “war that put the world to sleep” This describes how the world is now completely silent, so much so that the survivors can hear their own breathing. This is then reinforced by the radios failing and being described as “dumb” – another metaphor. The silence is strange to the survivors, and creates an image of fear and isolation. The warship with bodies piled on the deck and the plane crashing into the sea are used to represent war and reinforces the feeling of fear for the survivors.
The significant moment in the poem – the arrival of the horses – is emphasised by the poets change in language and imagery of the poem. It is a contrast with the beginning of the poem which creates an eerie and frightening silence, the arrival of the horses breaks the silence and starts with a “distant tapping” a sound which is hardly heard. The poet uses a metaphor to describe the increasing volume from tapping to “deepening drumming” to “hollow thunder”. This description of sound appears to describe a storm approaching. This is weather based imagery; the writer reinforces this by the use of a simile to describe the horses arrival “like a wild wave charging”. The imagery repeats the survivors fear as they hear the horses approaching; it is a strange sound as they had grown used to the silence. When the survivors first see the horses the image is that of them “charging” which suggests the survivors were fearful of an attack from the horses. This fear is then replaced, by the use of a simile “as fabulous steeds set on an ancient shield”, the image is changed to that of something from a fairy tale, something magical.
The poem has an optimistic ending. The author uses the horses to symbolise the rebirth of the world. The use of the colts represent the relationship between man and horse being rebuilt, a new beginning. He uses a simile to describe them “as if they had come from their own Eden”. The colts are an image of innocence and new life; the survivors can develop a new relationship with them and rebuild “that long lost archaic partnership”. The poet reinforces this by using an oxymoron “free servitude”. The horses are willingly working for man; this is a rewarding relationship for both man and horse.
The poet uses strong biblical connotations throughout the poem. The nuclear catastrophe initialised the destruction of the world, and this is described in direct contrast with the creation story from the Book of Genesis. The poet uses direct quotes from Genesis, “on the second day”, “on the third day” and so on. The horses symbolise a new beginning. This is a reversal of the horses being used to represent the apocalypse in the Book of revelations. The poet reverses the biblical description of the world’s creation and its prediction of the end of the world.
The Horses by Edwin Muir is very effective in portraying how it might feel if there were a nuclear war. It gives the reader a strong feeling of isolation and sadness felt by the survivors in the aftermath of a war. It also creates a sense of complete helplessness after the failing of technology shown by the loss of radio communication. Many of the fears described in the poem still exist today, no-one knows the consequences of a nuclear war and there will always be that underlying fear that man could in effect destroy the world.