River God
by Stevie Smith
The River God
• Have you ever heard the expression ‘Still
waters run deep’?
• It’s sometimes used to describe someone
who, like a river, has a calm appearance that
hides deep and dangerous undercurrents. The
River God in the poem seems to represent
this idea – he is the dangerous spirit of the
river that lies hidden beneath its surface.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEaF_dc5
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SUMMARY:
The poem is about a beautiful woman who
drowns in the river. The river is presented as
a weird old God who doesn’t understand life
and death.
Four adjectives with unattractive connotations
Is a giving God
to the rest of
the natural
world
I may be smelly and I may be old,
Rough in my pebbles, reedy in my pools,
But where my fish float by I bless their swimming
And I like the people to bathe in me, especially women.
But I can drown the fools
Who bathe too close to the weir, contrary to rules. The river also
Pun on the phrase
‘rough and ready’?
Tone changes here,
river becomes
dangerous– takes
pleasure in the killing.
has a sense of
independence
and certainty in
its ability (and a
preference for
women!)to
drown these
women.
Eccentric and whimsical yet
destructive, sadictic and
spiteful
Rhyme links the words in a
sinister contrast – the river takes
pleasure in playing with its
victims
And they take a long time drowning
As I throw them up now and then in the spirit of
clowning.
Hi yih, yippity-yap, merrily I flow,
O I may be an old foul river but I have plenty of go.
Sounds proud of his power
Fairytale – like opening to a story /
anecdote
Sinister environment –
sets up what happens
next
Once there was a lady who was too bold
She bathed in me by the tall black cliff where the
water runs cold,
So I brought her down here
Allusion to hell (the underworld).
To be my beautiful dear.
Sacrificial act to the God?
Link to drowning.
Emphasises woman’s beauty in comparison to
the dirty river.
The river also in the sense of time
frequently symbolizes the impermanence
of things.
Repetition of the word
‘beautiful’ might imply that
the river has a simple world
view or lower intelligence
Oh will she stay with me will she stay
This beautiful lady, or will she go away?
She lies in my beautiful deep river bed with
many a weed
To hold her, and many a waving reed.
Ambiguous- suggests
gentle but also
possessive.
Sinister pun on the word ‘bed’ –
refers to the euphemisms we
use to describe death as
sleeping
Shocking contrast between the
woman’s frightened face and
the loving river.
Oh who would guess what a beautiful white face lies
there
Waiting for me to smooth and wash away the fear
She looks at me with. Hi yih, do not let her
Go. There is no one on earth who does not forget her
Now. They say I am a foolish old smelly river
But they do not know of my wide original bed
Where the lady waits, with her golden sleepy head.
If she wishes to go I will not forgive her.
The river god is unforgiving and
has power over the women.
Connotes princesses from fairy tales –
Sleeping Beauty? Talks as if she is alive,
the river doesn’t see death as final.
FORM: First person – like a dramatic
monologue – personification of river.
Rhyming couplets give the poem a
songlike quality. The river is
personified (made human) by being
given a voice to speak to us.
Structure – varied line lengths
to reflect the varied flow of the
river. Look at it sideways it
looks like waves.
CONTRAST: The poem uses contrasts
of the smelly river with the beautiful
woman. It also contrasts affectionate
language with the shocking reality of the
woman’s death- which other poem could
this link to?
ATTITUDES AND FEELINGS:
Love- the river God desires women. He’s
obsessed by the woman’s beauty.
Arrogance- He’s powerful but careless
and treats the dying humans like toys.
This suggests that he considers human
life as quite insignificant.
Selfishness- He’s possessive over the
woman and doesn’t want to share her.
Discussion…
Below are four different interpretations of the poem. Which do you
agree with most and why? Are there any comments that you
disagree with? Why? Do you have your own interpretation of the
poem which is different from any of the thoughts below?
1.
The River God is telling humans that while we may think that he is just
a smelly, old river he is actually a powerful force – watch out!
2.
It’s clear that the River God is lonely and misunderstood. He is
punishing the people who do not respect him and reminding us that
while we may dismiss him as smelly and old he has many good
qualities. Perhaps we should feel sorry for him.
3.
This is a love poem; the River God has fallen in love with a human.
The River God reminds us that while all of us have forgotten the
beautiful lady (we’re only human and don’t last very long after all!), he
will never forget her or forgive her if she leaves.
4.
The poem is showing us how we take aspects of nature for granted
when each part of it has its own inner life and secrets that we know
nothing about.
How is the River God presented in this poem?
In pairs, choose four adjectives from the list below which you
think best describe the speaker of this poem.
Are there any that you think don’t apply at all?
Playful
Lonely
Friendly
Humorous
Argumentative
Dangerous
Apologetic
Boastful
Threatening
Cruel
Powerful
Secretive
Misunderstood
2. Choose a line or two from the poem which you feel best
demonstrate these characteristics.
Sad