Question

To what is the bird's movement compared? What is the basis for the comparison?

Answer 1

Hint: Ted Hughes is the author of the poem "The Laburnum Top." It's about the Laburnum tree and the Goldfinch bird having a mutually beneficial relationship. The bird and her young ones provide life to the tree, which is yellow, silent, and death-like. The yellow bird builds her nest in the tree and feeds her young. The tree, however, becomes silent and death-like as soon as the bird departs to fly in the sky.

Complete answer:
The poem begins with a vivid and evocative description of the Laburnum tree. The Laburnum tree's summit is calm and silent. The tree's leaves have turned yellow, and the seeds have scattered across the ground. With the entrance of the Goldfinch bird, the lifeless tree comes back to life. She comes to the tree to feed her little ones.

The tree provides them with a safe haven. The tree appears to come back to life as soon as the mother returns. In a lizard-like movement, she moves to the other side of the branch.
The movement of the goldfinch in the poem has been equated to that of a lizard. The lizard's sleek, abrupt, and alert movements serve as the basis for the comparison. When the goldfinch lands on the laburnum tree, it makes the same kinds of movements.

Note: The Laburnum Top emphasises the importance of both the bird and the tree for each other's survival. It's a kind of mutualism between the two of them. According to the Laburnum Top explanation, the laburnum tree is important to the Goldfinch because it offers a refuge for its young. The tree benefits from the presence of the bird and its young because they offer life to the tree.