Poetry · Chapter
The Gallows explained
A poem describing various animals—a weasel, a crow, and a magpie—that have been killed and hung on a dead oak tree bough by a keeper, where they swing endlessly in the elements, devoid of sensation or sin.
What happens
A poem describing various animals—a weasel, a crow, and a magpie—that have been killed and hung on a dead oak tree bough by a keeper, where they swing endlessly in the elements, devoid of sensation or sin.
Themes in this chapter
The Cycle of Life and Death
The poem depicts the aftermath of death, with animals killed and displayed, emphasizing the finality and stillness of their state.
Nature and the Seasons
The animals swing in rain, wind, sun, and snow, highlighting their exposure to the natural elements in a timeless tableau.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator observes and describes the hanged animals on the gallows tree.
Key passages
“There was a weasel lived in the sun With all his family, Till a keeper shot him with his gun And hung him up on a tree, Where he swings in the wind and rain, In the sun and in the snow, Without pleasure, without pain, On the dead oak tree bough.”
A weasel and his family once lived happily in the sunlight, but a gamekeeper shot the weasel and hung its body on a tree, where it now sways in all weathers, feeling nothing.
Introduces the first victim and the gallows motif.
“There was a crow who was no sleeper, But a thief and a murderer Till a very late hour; and this keeper Made him one of the things that were, To hang and flap in rain and wind, In the sun and in the snow. There are no more sins to be sinned On the dead oak tree bough.”
A crow, active late at night as a thief and killer, was shot by the keeper and added to the hanging display, now unable to commit any further wrongs.
Highlights the crow's criminal nature and its reduction to a lifeless object.
“There was a magpie, too, Had a long tongue and a long tail; He could both talk and do— But what did that avail? He, too, flaps in the wind and rain Alongside weasel and crow, Without pleasure, without pain, On the dead oak tree bough.”
A magpie, known for its chattering and long tail, was also killed and now hangs beside the weasel and crow, its former abilities meaningless.
Emphasizes the futility of the magpie's talents in the face of death.