English Department
Norman MacCaig
Learning Intentions
Familiarise ourselves with the poem.
Develop our understanding of the form and
structure of the poem.
Develop our understanding of the poetic
techniques used in the poem.
Develop our understanding of the themes
in the poem and the way in which they are
conveyed through an effective use of poetic
techniques.
Sounds of the Day
When a clatter came,
it was horses crossing the ford.
When the air creaked, it was
a lapwing seeing us off the premises
of its private marsh. A snuffling puff
ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and
unblocking a hole in a rock.
When the black drums rolled, it was water
falling sixty feet into itself.
When the door
scraped shut, it was the end
of all the sounds there are.
You left me
beside the quietest fire in the world.
I thought I was hurt in my pride only,
forgetting that,
when you plunge your hand in freezing water,
you feel
a bangle of ice round your wrist
before the whole hand goes numb.
Norman MacCaig
Form and Structure
This poem is written in free verse made up of four
irregular stanzas.
The division between each of the stanzas helps to
focus the reader on the specific idea that is
contained within each one
The poem is organised in a fairly straightforward
chronological order.
Form and Structure – Stanza One
• In stanza one the speaker describes natural
sounds: horses, a bird, waves and a waterfall.
• This stanza creates a pleasant picture and
conveys the speaker’s delight in nature.
Form and Structure – StanzaTwo
• The shut door is the turning point of the poem.
• Here, the ideas move from a delight found in a
variety of natural sounds to a reflection upon
one specific experience – a parting.
Form and Structure – Stanza Three
• The speaker addresses the person who has
left.
• We get the impression of a figure, suddenly
alone, faced with the consequences of a
separation.
Form and Structure – Stanza Four
• Conveys how deeply the speaker has been
affected by the experience.
• The relationship has meant a lot to the speaker
and the separation, painful enough during the
moment itself, has left a lasting impression.
‘Sounds of the Day’ - Stanza One
Title seems straightforward as poem
begins by listing the “sounds of the
day” . Sound indicates life.
When a clatter came,
it was horses crossing the ford.
When the air creaked, it was
a lapwing seeing us off the premises
of its private marsh. A snuffling puff
ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and
Word Choice - the precision in
the way these sounds are
described convey MacCaig’s
observational skills
unblocking a hole in a rock.
When the black drums rolled, it was water
falling sixty feet into itself.
The fact such delicate sounds
can be heard suggests a still,
practically silent environment.
Here silence is something
enriching which allows the
speaker to hear and appreciate
the natural world.
Stanza One
When a clatter came,
it was horses crossing the ford.
When the air creaked, it was
a lapwing seeing us off the premises
of its private marsh. A snuffling puff
ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and
unblocking a hole in a rock.
When the black drums rolled, it was water
falling sixty feet into itself.
Inverted list – it is
the sound that
comes first rather
than the subject or
object that makes
the sound. In this
way, the speaker
emphasises the
sounds. It is
therefore the sounds
that are most
memorable about
this day.
Stanza One
When a clatter came,
it was horses crossing the ford.
When the air creaked, it was
a lapwing seeing us off the premises
of its private marsh. A snuffling puff
ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and
unblocking a hole in a rock.
When the black drums rolled, it was water
falling sixty feet into itself.
Poet uses a range of sound techniques to
emphasise vitality and energy of nature.
Onomatopoeia - ‘clatter’ / ‘creaked’ /’snuffling
puff’. Onomatopoeia of ‘clatter’ emphasises loud
noise of horses hooves / Onomatopoeia of
‘creaked’ conveys energy of location / variety of
sounds surrounding narrator.
Alliteration – ‘Clatter came” - emphasises
expected quality/ordinariness of the sound
Repetition – ‘blocking’ / ‘unblocking’ - echoes
continuous everyday sounds
Vowel sound of ‘a’ echoes rattle of horses hooves
on stones.
’O’ sounds in second line are mellow and nonthreatening just like the horses.
Sibilance of ‘horses crossing’ in second line
conveys soothing tone to emphasise his feelings
of contentment.
Nature is shown to be alive and full of sound in
contrast to the next stanza.
Word Choice ‘us’ suggests that speaker is
not alone or isolated at this point in the
poem
Stanza One
When a clatter came,
it was horses crossing the ford.
When the air creaked, it was
a lapwing seeing us off the premises
of its private marsh. A snuffling puff
Humorous image –
personification. Bird
becomes territorial like a
landlord or gamekeeper
ushering the speaker
from its domain.
ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and
unblocking a hole in a rock.
When the black drums rolled, it was water
falling sixty feet into itself.
Air creaked – very
detailed description
of the sound –
emphasises how still
and quiet the poet
must have been
Stanza One
When a clatter came,
it was horses crossing the ford.
When the air creaked, it was
Stanza finishes with the first hint
that the poem may have a darker
meaning than the first stanza
suggests
a lapwing seeing us off the premises
of its private marsh. A snuffling puff
ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and
unblocking a hole in a rock.
When the black drums rolled, it was water
falling sixty feet into itself.
CK – Sound consonance/harsh
sounding words
Metaphor- ‘Black drums rolled’ –
creates a strong image of a storm
coming. Roar of the sea illustrates
the strength and power of nature.
Connotation ‘black’ represents grief
and death. Drums rolling creates
sense of impending doom and
difficulty that lies ahead for the
speaker.
Stanza Two – turning point in the poem
When the door
scraped shut, it was the end
of all the sounds there are.
Scraped –
Same harsh sound as at the
end of stanza one
Scraped has connotations of
pain and hurt
Shutting door is a metaphor for the end of relationship and
suggests a barrier that cannot be crossed. SENTENCE STRUCTURE
- Object rather than sound comes first . Establishes CONTRAST
between first stanza and lines that follow. Idea of the cessation of
all that has gone before, Helps to emphasise that it was ‘the end /of
all the sounds there are’.
Word choice ‘shut’ emphasises finality. ENJAMBMENT emphasises
‘end’ and conveys the absolute nature of the change.
Hyperbole / Word Choice of final statement – underlines
the significance of the moment.
No pleasure in sitting listening to sounds . Due to the
parting, nothing will ever be the same again. This
intensifies the impact of the loss he is feeling.
Change in tense at end of stanza makes clear impact on
speaker as immediacy invites reader to share his distress
Clear sense of the despair and pain that follows a parting
Idea that nothing will be the same again. Though a door can
be reopened, speaker appears convinced there is no hope of
a reunion.
(links to Memorial)
Single sentence stanza contrasts with previous one.
Stanza Three
You left me
beside the quietest fire in the world.
Poem moves away
from sounds to
feelings and
emotions
This single sentence stanza
explains the reason for this
shift in mood between
stanza one and the rest of
the poem.
The speaker implies the impact of the
parting is that he is no longer to hear
and take pleasure in sounds – the
huge impact of the loss.
Stanza Three
You left me
Word choice ‘quietest’ – again emphasises
the lack of sound. Again creates a contrast
with stanza one and a contrast in feelings
of speaker.
beside the quietest fire in the world.
Use of personal pronouns
/ Second person makes
clear who the speaker
blames. ‘Us’ of first
stanza is no more.
‘You’ emphasises blunt,
accusing tone (similar
technique used in
Memorial)
Unambiguous statement
Sentence Structure – single sentence adds impact to this statement.
Imagery of silent fire. Fire should be seen as full of warmth, light
but silence of fire suggests life without warmth, light or life about it.
This symbolises how speaker now feels due to his loss/separation.
He has lost the ‘You’ of the first line.
Enjambment emphasises ‘me’ and conveys sense of isolation and
abandonment felt by the poet.
Hyperbole conveys extreme emotional pain of
the parting. Being alone should exaggerate the
sound, but fact that it appears to mute it,
conveys that the impact of the parting is that he
is no longer able to hear or take any pleasure in
sounds so profound is his sense of loss.
Stanza Four
I thought I was hurt in my pride only,
forgetting that,
when you plunge your hand in freezing water,
you feel
a bangle of ice round your wrist
before the whole hand goes numb.
Final stanza conveys the
complexity of emotions that
comes when there is a
parting. There is the initial
jarring pain of the experience
and the subsequent feeling
of numbness it is replaced
with.
The focus of the
poem moves from
sound to touch as
he equates the
effect of the
parting to
immersing a hand
into freezing water
The final verse is
utterly bleak and
totally contrasts
with the pleasant
imagery of first
stanza
Stanza Four
I thought I was hurt in my pride only,
forgetting that,
when you plunge your hand in freezing water,
you feel
a bangle of ice round your wrist
before the whole hand goes numb.
Positioning of ‘you feel’
conveys how his positive
emotions have been overtaken
and shut down as a
consequence of the parting.
Word Choice –
‘plunge’
emphasises the
impact of his loss
will be much
greater than he
might have
thought
Repetition of ‘I’ shows he is only
concerned about himself. Word Choice
’pride only’ suggests his reaction was
initially on a superficial level.
Positioning ‘forgetting that’ signals
that he then realises emotional effects
of loss will be on a much deeper level.
Metaphor - ‘a bangle of
ice’ . Just as hand thrust
into cold ice will take
moment to react, impact
of loss will change from
initial shock to closing
down of all feeling.
emphasises the raw and
painful sense of loss of a
breakup. Word Choice
‘freezing’ creates bleak
tone highlighting his pain
Contrast
• Speaker’s life / feelings before the loss
contrasting with his feelings now.
• Idea of contrast connects with ‘Aunt Julia’ – noisy
life force that is Julia contrasts with silence after
her death / ‘Visiting Hour’ – professionalism of
nurses contrasts with raw suffering of visitor /
‘Assisi’ - external grotesqueness of dwarf contrasts
with his inner beauty
Themes
• Loss / Separation
• Connects with ‘Aunt Julia’,
‘Memorial’ , ‘Visiting Hour’.
Themes
• Loss / Separation
• Closing door IMAGE
introduces the theme of loss
and parting.
• The speaker feels his life has
been changed and his senses
altered forever.
Themes
• Loss / Separation
Poem captures initial, difficult pain
of a loss and also the lasting effect
such experiences can have on us.
Success Criteria
• We are comfortable with the poem.
• We can explain the form and structure of the poem.
• We can identify and explain the effectiveness of the poetic techniques
used in the poem.
• We can identify the themes in the poem and explain the way in which
poetic techniques are used to convey these themes.
• We understand the way in which the themes of this poem link to other
poems by MacCaig