About the Poet

Ted Hughes

Born: 1930Died: 1998

He grew up in Mexborough, a coal-mining town in Yorkshire.The beauty of the natural landscape and the industrial scars inflicted upon it by man significantly influenced his writing.

He attended Cambridge University.

He initially studied English ...but switched to Anthropology.

During his time at Cambridge he met the American poet and feminist, Sylvia Plath.

After dating for four months, the couple married.

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His first collection ‘The Hawk in the Rain’ was published in 1957.

In 1960, ‘Lupercal’ was published.This collection sealed his reputation as a major poet. The poem ‘Pike’ was published in this collection.

He was appointed Poet Laureate in 1984.

Assia Wevill, the woman with whom Ted Hughes had an affair also committed suicide, taking their daughter, Shura, with her in 1969.

Sylvia Plath committed suicide in 1963.

Pike

Pike

Pike are found in sluggish streams and shallow, weedy places in lakes, as well as in cold, clear, rocky waters. Pike are typical ambush predators; they lie in wait for prey, holding perfectly still for long periods and then exhibit remarkable acceleration as they strike.

Due to their cannibalistic nature, young pike need places where they can take shelter between plants so they are not eaten.

Before striking they bend their body and dash out to the prey using the large surface of tail fin, dorsal fin and anal fin to propel themselves. The fish has a distinctive habit of catching its prey sideways in the mouth, immobilising it with its sharp backward pointing teeth, and then turning the prey headfirst to swallow it. It eats mainly fish, but on occasion water voles and ducklings have also been known to fall prey to pike. Young pike have been found dead from choking on a pike of a similar size, an observation referred to by the renowned English poet Ted Hughes in his famous poem 'Pike‘.