POETRY REVIEW – D H LAWRENCE – THE HE-GOAT

A domesticated he-goat has been rendered impotent and stands forlorn in a field filled with she-goats, and no rival males to compete with. He laments his loss of machismo, stamina and sexual prowess.

In the wild he was a Lothario and an alpha-male, battling hard for territory and his mating partners. Here, on a farm, his competition has been removed, and he finds that he is now unable to make a good impression on the ladies.

Lawrence plays heavily on the goat’s Pan-like Satanic Satyr facial features, and gives it an air of overwhelming sadness and tragedy in its fate. The fight imagery is impressive, with strong comparisons to anvils and hammers for the clash of goat horns and faces.

The sexual imagery is direct, and unsubtle, with the he-goat reduced to a shadow of his former glory, for having no one to fight, or show off to.

The she-goats are reduced to mere sex objects, to be used to the goat’s own selfish ends, (and of course the farmer’s need to breed his herd) but the he-goat seems unable to fulfil that purpose.

Lawrence was undoubtedly reflecting on his own condition too, with much of his work censored, ill health and being away from the England he loved, he may have felt that his own opportunities to find love were decidedly limited.

Arthur Chappell