". . . Cage after cage seems empty, or
Stinks of sleepers from the breathing straw.
It might be painted on a nursery wall."
The bars of the cages may as well be murals on the walls of a nursery for the animals are still all sleeping like babes. In rest they all seem to be harmless and innocent.
"Under the trees. There are battle-shouts
And death-cries everywhere hereabouts
But inaudible, so the eyes praise
To see the colors of these flies."
It's all a matter of perspective. To a human, the dragonflies fluttering about a pond are beautiful and desirable for their dramatic colors. Looking closer, however, one can see that they are engaged in warfare. Their flights are intent with violence.
"Between Westminster and sunstruck St. Paul's
The desert has entered the flea's belly."
The landscape of London, amid the grips of a heatwave, has become plagued by pests. As Hugh describes, the very landscape has been transformed by the heat, touched by the soaring temperatures so that even the insects feel a change approaching.
"Walked in the park pastoral
With bird and bee but no man
Where children were catching armful
Of the untouched sun."
Hughes watches a prostitute stroll through the park. Compared to her haggard and wasted appearance, the children playing seem especially innocent. They notice her lack of escort, but they are too naive to care. Their only concern is play.
