Hello friends today we are discuss this question, the question is -“And out of its leprous hide/ Sprouting leaves.”—What does the expression ‘leprous hide refer to? What does ‘its leprous hide’ bear? Bring out the irony suggested here.
Here ‘leprous hide’ refers to the rough bark of a tree, having marks. The ‘leprous hide’ of a tree bears the ‘sprouting leaves’. A leper’s skin is patchy and contains various shades of colour. The bark of a tree is also patchy and has different shades of brown and green. Therefore, the bark of a tree is compared to that of a leper’s skin. In the line mentioned above, the poet ironically suggests that a huge and destructive creature like a tree deserves to be killed brutally.