MATING by D. H. Lawrence: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
Lawrence's "Mating" celebrates sexual energy as a force that flows through everything — from clouds and ducks to toads, stallions, pollen, and two human lovers, all swept up in the same irresistible spring urge to reproduce and connect.
The poem
ROUND clouds roll in the arms of the wind, The round earth rolls in a clasp of blue sky, And see, where the budding hazels are thinned, The wild anemones lie In undulating shivers beneath the wind. Over the blue of the waters ply White ducks, a living flotilla of cloud; And, look you, floating just thereby, The blue-gleamed drake stems proud Like Abraham, whose seed should multiply. In the lustrous gleam of the water, there Scramble seven toads across the silk, obscure leaves, Seven toads that meet in the dusk to share The darkness that interweaves The sky and earth and water and live things everywhere. Look now, through the woods where the beech-green spurts Like a storm of emerald snow, look, see A great bay stallion dances, skirts The bushes sumptuously, Going outward now in the spring to his brief deserts. Ah love, with your rich, warm face aglow, What sudden expectation opens you So wide as you watch the catkins blow Their dust from the birch on the blue Lift of the pulsing wind--ah, tell me you know! Ah, surely! Ah, sure from the golden sun A quickening, masculine gleam floats in to all Us creatures, people and flowers undone, Lying open under his thrall, As he begets the year in us. What, then, would you shun? Why, I should think that from the earth there fly Fine thrills to the neighbour stars, fine yellow beams Thrown lustily off from our full-blown, high Bursting globe of dreams, To quicken the spheres that are virgin still in the sky. Do you not hear each morsel thrill With joy at travelling to plant itself within The expectant one, therein to instil New rapture, new shape to win, From the thick of life wake up another will? Surely, and if that I would spill The vivid, ah, the fiery surplus of life, From off my brimming measure, to fill You, and flush you rife With increase, do you call it evil, and always evil?
Lawrence's "Mating" celebrates sexual energy as a force that flows through everything — from clouds and ducks to toads, stallions, pollen, and two human lovers, all swept up in the same irresistible spring urge to reproduce and connect. The poem moves from expansive natural scenes to an intimate, almost desperate question aimed at the speaker's lover. In the end, Lawrence asks: if the entire universe is doing this, why would you think it's wrong?
Line-by-line
ROUND clouds roll in the arms of the wind, / The round earth rolls in a clasp of blue sky,
Over the blue of the waters ply / White ducks, a living flotilla of cloud;
In the lustrous gleam of the water, there / Scramble seven toads across the silk, obscure leaves,
Look now, through the woods where the beech-green / spurts / Like a storm of emerald snow,
Ah love, with your rich, warm face aglow, / What sudden expectation opens you
Ah, surely! Ah, sure from the golden sun / A quickening, masculine gleam floats in to all
Why, I should think that from the earth there fly / Fine thrills to the neighbour stars,
Do you not hear each morsel thrill / With joy at travelling to plant itself within
Surely, and if that I would spill / The vivid, ah, the fiery surplus of life,
Tone & mood
The tone is passionate and convincing — this is a man fully engaged in his argument. It begins broad and nearly hymn-like, flowing through sky, water, and woodland, then tightens into something urgent and personal. There's an undercurrent of barely-contained excitement throughout, and by the last stanza, the speaker is nearly breathless, using "ah" like a gasp. It never crosses into aggression, but it remains persistent.
Symbols & metaphors
- The stallion — The bay stallion heading out to "his brief deserts" represents the purest form of masculine sexual energy in the poem. He embodies pride, physicality, and instinctive behavior — Lawrence presents him as an ideal rather than a cautionary figure.
- Catkin pollen — The birch catkins releasing pollen into the wind are when the lover's face lights up. Pollen represents what the speaker is offering — it moves, it searches, it brings life. The lover's instinctive reaction to it shows that she already gets it.
- The sun — Lawrence's sun isn't merely light and warmth; it's a dynamic, masculine, and nurturing force that "begets the year" in all living things. It transforms human desire from something that feels like a personal choice into a fundamental law of nature.
- The seven toads — An unusual, intentionally unadorned detail. By featuring toads alongside ducks, stallions, and stars, Lawrence emphasizes that mating isn't about looks or romance — it's a natural part of life for every creature, no matter how modest.
- The brimming measure — The speaker's "brimming measure" of life refers to his own sexual energy, viewed as abundance instead of mere appetite. He describes "spilling" it into the lover as an act of generosity — he is sharing a surplus rather than taking something away.
- Round clouds and round earth — The opening roundness — clouds, earth, and the rolling motion of everything — creates a world that leans toward connection. This roundness implies wholeness, fertility, and the perpetual cycle of nature's reproduction.
Historical context
D. H. Lawrence wrote "Mating" in the early twentieth century, a time when openly discussing sexuality in literature was risky both legally and socially — his novel *Lady Chatterley's Lover* was famously banned for decades. Lawrence felt that modern industrial life had disconnected people from their bodies and from nature, and much of his poetry seeks to mend that disconnection. He drew inspiration from the Romantic tradition of discovering spiritual truth in the natural world, but he took it further into the physical realm than Wordsworth or Keats ever did. This poem is part of a body of work that views sexual desire not as something to be ashamed of or merely personal, but as a powerful force that drives the movement of planets and the growth of forests — a philosophy he labeled "blood consciousness." In this context, the final question to the lover isn't just about seduction; it's a profound theological challenge.
FAQ
It explores sex, but Lawrence presents it as part of a bigger picture. By referencing mating in nature — ducks, toads, a stallion, pollen — he suggests that human sexual desire is the same force that binds the universe. The poem functions as both a love poem and a philosophical argument.
He’s speaking to a lover, referred to as "love" in stanza five. Together, they gaze at the spring landscape, and her radiant face shows him she shares his feelings. The closing stanzas contain his heartfelt, intimate plea to her.
"Deserts" in this context is an archaic term referring to what someone deserves or is entitled to. The stallion is heading out to assert his rightful claim—his mares, his breeding season. Lawrence employs this term to present the animal's sexuality as a noble and valid assertion, rather than just a matter of instinct.
Abraham in the Bible received a promise from God that his descendants would be as countless as the stars. By likening a proud drake to Abraham, Lawrence achieves two effects: he grants the duck a sense of comical grandeur and implies that the urge to reproduce holds a sacred significance akin to any divine covenant.
Each stanza features an ABABA rhyme scheme over five lines, where the second and fourth lines are shorter than the rest. This structure creates a fluid, wave-like rhythm that reflects the physical energy Lawrence is portraying — a sense of movement surging forward and then retreating.
He suggests that the sun's warmth and light trigger the mating instinct in all living beings — it's the original force of fertilization. According to Lawrence, when humans feel desire in spring, they're responding to the same signal as toads and stallions.
Both, really. The speaker has dedicated the entire poem to building a thoughtful case, and the question hits hard. Yet, there's a sense of vulnerability — he's pleading with her not to judge his feelings, and that desire for acceptance adds a layer of tenderness beneath the argument.
Lawrence believed that modern life—factories, cities, and social norms—had disconnected people from their bodies and from nature. He referred to the alternative as "blood consciousness," which emphasizes understanding through physical sensation rather than rational thought. "Mating" directly reflects this idea, using the natural world to demonstrate that desire is sacred, not something to be ashamed of.