D.H. Lawrence and the Beauty of Animals Over Humans

David Herbert Lawrence was a bold and controversial poet known for going against traditional views. He didn’t just write about people and society. He often explored the natural world, especially animals. Some of these poems appear in The Faber Book of Beasts, edited by Paul Muldoon. In many of them, Lawrence shows a deep admiration for animals and a growing frustration with human behavior and culture.

One Animal Versus Millions of Humans

In his poem Mountain Lion, Lawrence makes a striking comment about human life. He says we could easily spare a million or two of humans and never miss them. This might sound shocking, but it shows how strongly he felt about the purity and beauty of animals. He didn’t just admire them; he saw them as something better than the people around him. The way he describes the lion’s death is full of sadness, almost like it was a loss of something sacred.

Disgust with Human Culture

In Snake, Lawrence watches a snake calmly drinking water. At first, he’s fascinated. But then he throws a log at it and immediately regrets it. He says he despised himself for doing what he thought humans are supposed to do. He even says he hated the voices of my education that told him to attack the snake. The poem clearly shows that Lawrence felt animals were more honest and graceful than people, and that human society had taught him the wrong things.

Respect for Animal Beauty

In Lizard, Lawrence is once again fascinated by a small creature. He watches the lizard closely, impressed by its movements and design. He even says that if men looked like lizards, they would actually be worth looking at. This might sound funny, but it tells us a lot about his views. He thought animals had a natural beauty and charm that humans lacked.

Lawrence’s Message

D.H. Lawrence didn’t fit in with the usual ways of thinking. He was a literary rebel, someone who challenged the values of his time and refused to accept them blindly. His poems about animals were more than just observations of nature. They were a way to express his rejection of human pride, cruelty, and false superiority.

Lawrence wasn’t just writing about animals for the sake of it. He used them to challenge how people think about life, beauty, and even themselves. Through these creatures, he reminded us of something deeper. Humans have lost touch with the honest, wild, and real parts of existence. His work encourages us to look more closely at the natural world and to question the values we have been taught to accept.

References

The Open University 2016, educational resource, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, viewed 4 July 2025.