to see him, both through wonder but also through fear because of the danger he represents. The snake is later described as "Cold, dark, and splendid," and it seems clear from this that the emotions the snake creates in the watchers are thus based both on admiration and danger. In fact, so fearful are the human observers that after the snake vanishes they "took a deeper breath of day" and carried on their walk. The theme of this poem is thus based on man's vulnerability to nature and the way that creatures such as snakes represent danger that it is important to be respectful and mindful of. The title, "Hunting Snake," highlights both the danger of the snake as it was "questing through the grass," but also perhaps the need that humans have to "hunt" out such experiences in order to remind them of the healthy respect they need to have for nature and the natural order.

Judith Wright, by now, is known as the icon of Australian poetry that is replete with a consciousness for ecological preservation. Such poetry has to concentrate on the variegated forms of natural beauty in the Australian space. Wright has written famous poems about birds, like the oft-quoted "Magpies" or described the Australian countryside and bushlands and seas and mountains in her famous poems like " South of My Days", " Train Journey", " Flame Tree in a Quarry", "Request to a Year", " Platypus' etc , of which "The Hunting Snake" is one. As a poet with an eco critical awareness, Wright celebrates the special livingness and " whatness" or the exquisite incomparable inner living essence of nature, be it a tree, or a bird or a season or bushland. Here also the snake's living essence is captured with elan and grace by the poet. The poem opens with a contrast between the human and the natural animal's world. Whereas inspite of being " sun-warmed', the persona feels the frozen cold of a still autumnal afternoon, the snake is full of verve and vitality. It passes "reeling by". The word"reeling" is significant, since it suggests a rapid, effortless or violent lurching of the snake which here suggets predatory power. The process of the hunt is exquisitely described. The predator is absolutely focussed on the kill--"head down", "he quested through the parting grass". The word quest suggests that hunting is the snake's single-minded mission, just as a spiritual seeker quests for truth. The snake is awesome but beautiful; glittering "diamond scales" dazzle on his skin as it reflects the sunlight. It fascinates the seer or the persona; "and we lost breath to see him pass". Breathlessly the beauty and vitality-haunted persona can have a feel of the snake's "fierce intent" and without knowing the identity of his kill, the poet and her fellow watchers looked intent on the snake: "we stood/ Our eyes went with him as he went". The snake is biologically cold, but at the same time"dark and splendid". the word " dark" has an unmistakable connotation of mysteriousness and its splendour or dazzle is unputdownable. With the snake passing out of their sight, they " took a deeper breath of day" and went on in their journey. The expression " deeper breath of day" suggests that first, they were holding their breath at the sight of the awful beauty of the snake and second, that the snake had given them a sense of darkness or a feel of the world of death, which now the onlookers relieve them of by breathing the "day", suggesting hope and life. It is indeed a poem of celebration of the vital terrible power and beauty of the snake, an integral part of nature, which has an imposing presence on the poet's psyche.

To begin, readers of poetry must consider that a poem does not always speak to the poet's own ideologies. When referring to a poem's message, readers must refer to the speaker's intent with regards to the action. (Just a little side note on poetry.) 

This is an intriguingly ambivalent portrayal of a snake.  Wright manages to convey an impression that the snake is both strikingly important as well as nothing much to worry about.

Devices: In the image of the "sun glazed [on] his curves of diamond scale," Wright seems to emphasise the snake's special, regal qualities through her use of the diamond metaphor.  The snake glitters mesmerisingly before the speaker's eyes.  She also uses alliteration at several points to dramatise the snake's authority, such as in the phrase, "food / fled living from his fierce intent".  The alliterative words here fall on strongly stressed syllables which gives a sense of the snake's power.   Wright finishes with a pointedly nonchalant tone as they "took a deeper breath of day, / looked at each other, and went on."

Word Choices: The snake comes across as an invasive and arresting threat comparable to the famous serpent in the Genesis story in The Bible, especially in the contrast Wright's words make between the walkers' calm, warm world and the snake's active, cold one.  The sibilant words in the opening line, "Sun-warmed in this late seasons' grace", establishes a relaxed warm mood which the snake penetrates: it "froze" the walkers mid-stride.  In addition, the word "Cold" has a heavy effect at the start of the final stanza, which leaves a final impression of the snake's potent presence.  However, unlike the biblical snake, this one ultimately fails to gain dominance over the walkers.

The theme of man vs. nature in this poem is best expressed through the snake as representing the forces of nature and the audience, the "we" in the poem, made up of the speaker and her companions who see the snake pass them by. Nature is shown to be a formidable, breathtaking force, literally breathtaking, as shown by the response of the speaker, as they "lost breath" to see the snake pass by them. The snake is presented as being both beautiful and deadly: he has "fierce intent," and the way he easily "quested" through the grass presents him as a lethal predator. However, at the same time, the description of how "the sun glazed his curves of diamond scale" likewise presents a picture of natural beauty that is stunning, just as the sight is one that invokes fear. The concluding remark about the snake paints him as "Cold, dark and splendid," and these adjectives seem to highlight both the danger and fear the snake inspires but also the majesty he commands.

The speaker and her companions, as shown by the last two lines of the poem, which expresses both their fear but also the recognition of the power and might of nature:

We took a deeper breath of day,
Looked at each other, and went on.

There is a sense in which the encounter with the snake gives the speaker and her companions a newfound appreciation of nature and how deadly it can be. The phrase "a deeper breath of day," seems to indicate that having seen the snake in all of its deadly might, they are now able to appreciate nature more truly and purely, recognising their own place in it. Man vs. nature therefore is reflected in the figure of the snake and how this creates a kind of epiphany in its audience: they carry on walking, but not the same, and with a newfound respect for the territory that they recognise they are intruding upon.

The portrayal of nature is important in this poem as it focuses on a creature that is usually the object of great fear - the snake - and shows it in a positive light, in a way to command not only our respect but also our admiration. The poem describes the snake in vividly majestic terms: it boasts 'diamond scales', is of 'fierce intent', and leaves a considerable impact on those who see it: 

Cold, dark and splendid he was gone,

into the grass that hid his prey.

We took a deeper breath of day,

 looked at each other, and went on.

The last two lines here suggest that the viewers’ appreciation of the natural world, of life itself, has been enhanced by this encounter with such a magnificent creature; they now have a ‘deeper’ awareness of their surroundings. Although the element of fear is perhaps also present – ‘we lost breath to see him pass’ – this is subsumed in the wave of great awe and admiration. We can conclude that these human witnesses feel truly privileged to have seen the snake.

The poem can be compared to other pieces that celebrate the natural world such as those by the famous English writer D.H. Lawrence, who also wrote a poem about meeting a snake, which is full of praise for the animal at the expense of the humans that so often fear and mistreat snakes and other animals. The snake is described as ‘one of the lords of life’ while of himself the poet ruefully remarks, ‘I have something to expiate/ a pettiness’. In Wright’s poem there is no such condemnation of human beings but there is unquestionably the same sense that the snake is something of a superior creature.