Analysis of a Horses by Edwin Muir

Analysis of a poem- Horses by Edwin Muir It is said that one should

forget the past and live in the present

It is said that one should forget the past and live in the present.

However, Edwin Muir’s ‘Horses’ is a poem of past memories only. The

interesting part is that it deals with many conflicts and issues which

are prevalent even today. It is thus a bridge between the past and

present and is expressed in the form of a piece of literature. Muir

himself said that in writing about horses in this poem, he was

reflecting his childhood view of his father’s plough horses, which

must have seemed huge, powerful and mysterious to a boy of four or

five. Some of his poems, including ‘Horses’, have a close equivalent

in passages from his autobiography, suggesting that seeing these

horses reminded him of certain events.

The poem begins with the poet transcending reality and reminiscing of

one of his childhood memories. In this case it is one of when he as a

child, watched a team of horses ploughing the stubble back into the

field, during a rainy day which got progressively stormier. In the

first two verses, the poet gives the reader a meaningful hint into

what the circumstances of his times were. This was most probably, the

hardships of a period of war. The few references Muir makes to an army

such as in cases where the horses “marched” and the word “conquering”

further strengthen this issue of war.

“Their hooves like pistons in an ancient mill”

This line brings up another issue which is plaguing the third world as

we know it. In the same verse he refers to a “childish hour” in which

he also compares the horses’ hooves to pistons in an ancient mill.

This refers to how child labour in factories was existent e...

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...hose memories back when he says “I must

pine…” hoping, in my perspective, to change the past. Muir now seems

to be in a state of possible turmoil and confusion. At one point, he

refers to these memories as “dreadful and fearful” while in the same

verse he calls them “bright.” Ultimately however, it seems that the

past has been greater than the present; at least it still has an

overwhelming effect on the poet’s mind. It is said “When you are

thrown from the horse, the best thing you can do is to get back on as

soon as possible”. Returning to the ‘scene of crime’ can help resolve

issues and this is exactly what Muir is doing through the course of

the poem.

The closing paragraph of the poem is very powerful in how it expresses

his mixed feelings towards the Horses. Through these animals, he has

given light to different issues that disturbed him as a child.