1. “Dreams” by D. H.

Lawrence
All people dream, but not
equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.
Summary: Dreams encourage and drive people to achieve their goal. People with such dreams are the real dreamers. The
poet says all people dream but they do not dream in the same way. Some people dream when they sleep to rest after a long
day's labor. They sleep with a mind yet jammed with many wishes and wants. So some dreams of theirs are just wish
fulfillments. On waking up they find that those dreams were all pointless and futile. These dreams can have no impact on
their life. But there are some dreamers whom the poet calls dangerous people. These people dream with their eyes open
which means they make their dreams consciously and from then on they start working to make those dreams come true.

Theme of the poem: The poem is about both practical and unpractical dreams. To the poet, the dream one dreams during
sleep is unreal and meaningless. Such dreamers are great failure in practical life. But, the visionary people dream to
achieve something great. They are real dreamers and struggle fearlessly to make their dreams true.

2.“Dreams” by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Summary: Dreams are those ideals and aspirations that we set for ourselves to achieve in life. The poem opens with an
instruction from the poet to the readers to have a tight grip on their dreams .Without dreams, he says, life is like a bird
whose wings are broken. A broken- winged bird can't fly and just like that a man without a dream has life without
destination. In the second stanza the poet repeats his advice to hold on to dreams because if there is no dream life will turn
into a barren field. Life will be a field covered with snow. A snow-covered field cannot grow any crop. A barren field is
useless likewise a life without dreams is also fruitless. A life without dreams does nothing.

Theme: The poet here advises the people to stick to the dreams. To him, one’s dream should be firmly rooted in one’s
mind. A life without dream is unable to reach its goal as a wingless bird fails to fly to its destination. The poet asserts that
people should hold their dreams strongly to make life productive. Otherwise, life will be meaningless.
3. The Schoolboy by William Blake I
love to rise in a summer morn,
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman winds his horn,
And the skylark sings with me:
O what sweet company!

But to go to school in a summer morn, -

O it drives all joy away!
Under a cruel eye outworn,
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.

Ah then at times I drooping sit,

And spend many an anxious hour;
Nor in my book can I take delight,
Nor sit in learning's bower,
Worn through with the dreary shower.
Summary: The speaker is a schoolboy. The poem opens on a fresh summer morning. He loves to be out in summer,
listening to distant huntsmen and the birds, who sing along with him. He then complains against the burdens of education
and the classroom, where students suffer under the cruel eyes of their teacher. He cannot learn or take any pleasure from
his reading because of the stress it imposes. He asks rhetorically whether a bird born for joy can sing if it is confined in a
cage. In the same way, how can a child, upset by the fears of school-life, have pleasure in youthful enthusiasm? School is
nothing but a prison that limits the playful activity of childhood. The boy asks in the same way, how can there be a
fruitful 'summer for children if they, young plants, are stripped off their childhood joy and made to know sorrows and
worries?

Theme: The rigor of formal education spoils the latent potential of the youth. Boring curricular activities and
uncommunicative mentors hamper the mental growth of young generation. Instead, education in contact with nature and
in pleasant environment enhances positive developments of young minds.

(or)The Schoolboy by William

Blake How can the bird that is born
for joy Sit in a cage and sing?
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring!

O father and mother if buds are nipped,

And blossoms blown away;
And if the tender plants are stripped
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay, -

How shall the summer arise in

joy, Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,
Or bless the mellowing year,
When the blasts of winter appear?
Summary: The speaker of the poem asks his parents about a bird which is born to have pleasant and enjoyable time cannot
sing sitting in a cage. In the same way a child who is agitated and unsettled with fear cannot but sit with head downward.
Continuous fear makes him gloomy and spiritless. He becomes oblivious of the joy and happiness of his tender or young
age. He tells his parents that if buds get spoilt, if flowers fall off the trees owing to storm or rough wind and if the young
trees are deprived of the joy of spring because of sadness and fear, the summer cannot reveal itself. In that situation the
fruits of summer cannot be seen. He continues that we cannot enjoy happiness if it is destroyed by sadness. In the same
way, ripening year cannot give us anything if the strong wind of winter blows and destroys everything. The poet wants to
mean that childhood is the period when children grow up physically and mentally. So they should be allowed to grow in a
pleasant and healthy atmosphere.

Theme: The rigor of formal education spoils the latent potential of the youth. Boring curricular activities and
uncommunicative mentors hamper the mental growth of young generation. Instead, education in contact with nature and
in the delightful environment encourages positive developments of young minds.

4. September 1, 1939 W. H. Auden(1907 –1973)

I sit in one of the dives
On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives;
 The unmentionable odour of death
Offends the September night.
Summary: This poem is a historical moment in time as it marks the beginning of the Second World War. The speaker is
sitting in a dive bar (pub or bar) in New York City. He feels threatened as he sees the approaching of another war. Many
so-called policies (particularly socialist economic schemes) adopted by the then policy makers (the British intellectuals)
throughout the last 10 years (1930s) could not improve the lot of the working class except making it worse. They could
not stop the growth of capitalist economy. Now there is anger in the air overshadowing the lands of the earth, it is
bringing distress in people's personal life. The speaker can smell the "unmentionable odor" of death upsetting the month
of September because he can foresee this war will take away innumerable lives.

Theme: The speaker of the poem portrays his fear about the outbreak of the Second World War. Sitting in a bar, he
notices the war victims losing their hopes and aspirations. Anger and fear darkening the lands destroy people's private
lives. The September night spreads hatred and animosity among nations of the world.

5. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE Day

after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did
shrink; Water, water, every
where, Nor any drop to
drink.
Summary: After the unwanted killing of the albatross by the old sailor their ship got stuck in mid-ocean and stayed there
for days together. Everybody on board was stranded. They could hardly breathe or move. The heat was unbearable. And
their ship stood still, just like a painted ship- as if it were a painting of a ship upon a painted ocean. The sailors ran out of
water. Even the boards of the ship began to shrink due to hot weather. Although they were in the middle of the ocean
and encircled by water, they could not drink even a single drop.

Theme: That every sinner is to undergo dreadful sufferings and pains for his or her misdeeds is the main theme of the
poem. Here, the sailors confined in the ship cannot drink a single drop of water for their wrongdoing though water is
everywhere.
6. My Heart Leaps up William Wordsworth (1770 –1850)
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.
Summary: The speaker says that he feels a surge of joy - his heart leaps up when he sees a rainbow. The speaker says that
he has always had this same response to a rainbow. He had it as a child and he has it now. His delight in nature has not
changed. The speaker articulates the hope that he will continue to feel the same childlike joy in a rainbow when he gets
old. The desire to hold on to his inner child is so strong that he exclaims he would rather die than lose his enthusiasm for
nature. The speaker says, "The child is the father of the man.", the meaning of this famous line is debated, but in the
context of the poem it suggests that the feelings, responses and attitudes we develop as children are what we carry into
adulthood. The speaker ends the poem by wishing all the days of his life - past. present and future - could be held together
by spirituality or "piety" he experiences through nature, a feeling that leads to a natural reverence for God and the world.

Theme: The poem deals with love of nature and the happiness experienced in contact with nature. The poet feels nature
has always exerted a great influence upon him. According to him, life is not worth living without having a close
relationship with nature. He also opines habits and behavior developed in childhood shape a man's attitude to life.
 7. THOESE WINTER SUNDAYS BY ROBERT HAYDEN

Sundays too my father got up early

and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he’d call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love’s austere and lonely offices?
Summary : The poem provides a brief window into a young man's relationship with his father. He reflects on how every
Sunday his father would work hard to keep the house warm and his family comfortable. The narrator comes to realize that
he had never shown his father gratitude for everything he had done for him. In the end, he seems to realize love's
complicated nature - something he did not grasp when he was younger.

Theme: Sincere acts of fatherly love and sacrifices often remain thankless. Although the father selflessly devotes
himself to the welfare of the family, the children fail to appreciate this parental love. In retrospect, however, filial
disrespect can be felt with regret in our adult mind when we can hardly requite the love of our parents that they truly
deserve.
8.Alone Maya Angelou (1928 –2014)

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can’t use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
 The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Summary: The poem is about human bonding without which we are simply meaningless. The speaker feels pretty isolated,
but she thinks she might have come up with an answer to her problems: one cannot survive alone in this cruel, evil, rough
world; one needs someone throughout their journey with them. Money cannot buy happiness, and even the richest people
feel the pains of loneliness. The speaker speaks of terrible things that are happening at present, and will continue to
happen if people keep staying aloof from each other.

Theme: The poem highlights the importance of emotional and spiritual comfort in life. Without religious faith and mental
connection, a person becomes spiritually bankrupt. In contrast, money or wealth cannot cure emotional distresses.
Therefore, only close communion with family and social members heals human sufferings.

9. A Minor Bird By Robert Frost

I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;
Have clapped my hands at him from the door
When it seemed as if I could bear no more.
The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key.
And of course there must be something wrong
In wanting to silence any song.
Summary: The poem is about modern people who find it difficult to enjoy the beauty of nature. The narrator wants the
bird to be gone. However, he soon realizes that the song that the bird sings is not harmful at all, but that it is actually
beautiful. He later admits the fact that he has to accept it and live in harmony with nature and nature's gifts.

Theme: The poem reflects human inability to appreciate nature. Birds are a beauty of nature. Rapid industrialization and
urbanization have made the human race callous to the beauty of birds and their sweet note. Nature is conducive to our
peaceful life. Our harsh attitude to nature bespeaks our natural perversion. Therefore, humans must live in amity with
nature.
10. Because I could not stop for Death BY EMILY DICKINSON

Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.
We slowly drove – He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Summary: The speaker in the poem was so busy with life that he/she could not stop to approach death. Therefore, death in
the form of a gentleman came to take her /him to a chariot. (Here death has been personified) There was none in the
carriage and the speaker travelled with death alone. While the chariot was passing the school, they saw the children
playing in circle on their break-time. While their carriage was passing the fields, they saw that the fields were full of ripe
grain. They also witnessed the tranquility of the setting sun.
Theme: Acquisition of immortality along with the sense of piety is underscored in the poem. The
certainty of death makes us realize the shortness of life. It is, therefore, important that various
conditions of life are appreciated well.
Ultimately, reconciliation with death paves the way for reunion with God and afterlife.

11. To the Moon BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Art thou pale for weariness

Of climbing heaven and gazing
on the earth, Wandering
companionless
Among the stars that have a
different birth, — And ever
changing, like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?
Thou chosen
sister of the Spirit,
That gazes on thee
till in thee it pities ...
Summary: The poet addresses the moon and says that the moon is pale or feeble because she is tired
of constantly travelling over the sky and always gazing upon the earth. The poet says that the moon
has to travel alone among the stars which are different from her in nature and origin.

Theme: Like the waxing and waning of the moon, civilization, too, changes its path to evolve anew.
Furthermore, the moon is a symbol for joylessness and loneliness of an unhappy, discontented figure
in an ever-changing modern society.
12. Ah! Sun-flower BY WILLIAM
BLAKE
Ah Sun-flower!
weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the Sun:

Seeking after that
sweet golden clime
Where the travellers
journey is done.
Where the Youth
pined away with
desire, And the pale
Virgin shrouded in
snow: Arise from their
graves and aspire,
Where my Sun-flower
wishes to go.
Summary: The poet regrets to see the sunflower and says that it is fed up with its life on earth. So, the
sunflower spends its days counting the steps of the sun and it is waiting to make a journey to heaven.
The sunflower is looking for sweet golden climate. Here golden climate is described as heaven where
everyone desires to go for eternal peace. So, the sunflower also looks after 'golden clime' or heaven
for peace.
 Theme: The sunflower symbolizes unfulfilled human aspirations, which eventually end in death. It
represents desires for perfection and immortality. But the passage of time erases human longings.
Ultimately, it leads traveler-like every man into oblivion of nonentity.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner BY SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE

Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
Paraphrase : After the wanton killing of the albatross by the old sailor their ship got
stuck in mid-ocean and stayed there for days together. Everybody on board was
stranded. They could hardly breathe or move. The heat was unbearable. And their
ship stood stil, just like a painted ship- as if it were a painting of a ship upon a
painted ocean. The sailors ran out of water. Even the boards of the ship began to
shrink due to hot weather. Although they were in the middle of the ocean and
encircled by water, they could not drink even a single drop.

Ans (Theme) : That every sinner is to undergo dreadful sufferings and pains for his or
her misdeeds is the main theme of the poem. Here, the sailors confined in the ship
cannot drink a single drop of water for their wrongdoing though water is
everywhere.

She Walks in Beauty

BY LORD BY RON (G E ORG E G ORDON)

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,

So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Lines 1-6: The poem is written by Lord Byron in 1813. The poet met the wife of his
cousin at a ball dance. He was impressed by her unusual beauty and the next
morníng, he wrote this poem. The poet says that his cousin-in-law is very beautiful.
He compares the woman to the beauty of night. She is as beautiful as the night
under a cloudless starry sky. The poet then says that the woman has dark-black hair
and bright eyes. This combination has increased her beauty just the same way as
dark night becomes clear by bright stars. As the soft tender light of a starry bright
night surpasses the brightness of the day, the harmony of the woman's dark hair and
bright eves has enhanced her attraction.
Lines 7-12 : Here the poet says that the woman has a perfect balance to her beauty.
Her beauty has a correct proportion of dark and bright. She has the right amount of
darkness and brightness. In her look, there is some darkness and has less brightness.
We see this wave of half dark and half bright in every dense black tree. The same
thing is seen in her look. Then the poet says that her beautiful thoughts express her
sweet beauty in her face. As she has pure, dear and beautiful mind, these pure
thoughts have added to her beauty.
Lines 13-18 : Here the poet talks about her looks. The poet focuses on what her looks
say about her soul. As she has a calm and good soul, the beauty of that soul is
expressed in her cheek and over her eye-brow. The goodness of her soul is expressed
through her smiles and it has increased the shining of her beauty. The poet says that
 the woman's looks reflect what kind of person she is. The woman is kind and good
and has a heart which has innocent love.

Summary: The poem is about a beautiful lady. The poet relates the lady to natural
objects. All the beautiful things find their dwelling place in this lady's aspect. Her
beauty is contrasted to the 'gaudy' daylight. In the second stanza, she is considered
the 'nameless grace', sweet, pure and dear. The final stanza returns to her face, but
again sees the silent expression of peace and calm in her cheek, brow, and smiles.
Her pleasant facial expressions eloquently but innocently express her inner goodness
and peacefulness. And finally the poet concludes that she has a heart whose love is
innocent.
Ans (Theme) : The inner beauty of a lady is the main theme of the poem. The lady
symbolizing purity or simplicity of nature, is not apparently beautiful, but walks in an
aura of beauty. She is depicted to have an innocent mind and as capable of exhibiting
beauty of both darkness and brightness alike.

I Died For Beauty Emily Dickinson

I died for beauty, but was scarce
Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.

He questioned softly why I failed?

"For beauty," I replied.
"And I for truth - the two are one;
We brethren are," he said.

And so, as kinsmen met a-night,

We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.

Lines 1-4: The poet says that the speaker of the poem died for beauty but she could
hardly adjust herself to her tomb. In her adjacent tomb, a person lay who died for
truth. He was laid the tomb next to her.
Lines 5-8 : When the two talked softly to each other and asked why they died. The
speaker replied that she died for beauty. The man laid next to her declared that he
died for truth. Then he said that both truth and beauty are the same. So the poet
and the man were brothers.
Lines 9-12 As the poet/speaker and the men were brothers for their same ideology.
The two shared close kinship and mutual understanding. So they respected each
other. They felt a connection and talked until they were completely decomposed.
Actually, men's all desires end in death.

Summary: The poem is about the speaker who seems to be dead and lying in the
tomb. The speaker says that she died for Beauty, but she was hardly adjusted to her
tomb before a man who died for Truth was laid in a tomb next to her. When the two
softly told each other why they died, the man declared that Truth and Beauty are the
same, so that he and the speaker were "Brethren." The speaker says that they met at
night, "as Kinsmen," and talked between their tombs until the moss reached their
lips and covered up their lips and names.

Ans (Theme) : Truth and beauty complement each other- the quest for truth is
beautiful, yet sacrificial. The sense of death cannot repress rightness and principles
of life. Thus, truthful beauty is an ecstasy which fights. against injustice and
corruption in society in order to establish justice and peace.

I Have Seen Bengal’s Face By Jibananando Das

Because I have seen Bengal’s face I will seek no more;
The world has not anything more beautiful to show me.
Waking up in darkness, gazing at the fig-tree, I behold
Dawn’s swallows roosting under huge umbrella-like leaves. I look around me
And discover a leafy dome-Jam, Kanthal, Bat, Hijol and Aswatha trees-
All in a hush, shadowing clumps of cactus and zedoary bushes.
When long, long ago, Chand came in his honeycombed boat
To a blue Hijal, Bat and Tamal shade near the Champa, he too sighted
Bengal’s incomparable beauty. One day, alas. In the Ganguri,
On a raft, as the waning moon sank on the river’s sandbanks,
Behula too saw countless aswaths bats besides golden rice fields
And heard the thrush’s soft song. One day, arriving in Amara,
Where gods held court, when she danced like a desolate wagtail,
Bengal’s rivers, fields, flowers, wailed like strings of bells on her feet.

Lines 1-6 : Here the poet says that he has seen the beauty of Bengal and, hence, he
does not need to search for beauty in the world. He asserts that nothing is so
beautiful as Bengal. The poet gets up at dawn and looks at the fig tree. There he sees
dawn's swallows sitting under large leaves which are similar to umbrellas. The poet
then looks around and finds piles of leaves of Jam, Kanthal, Bat, Hijol and Aswatha
trees all are in silence. All these trees are reflecting their shadows on the shrubs of
cactus and herbs.
Lines 7- 14 : The poet says that as he sees now the beauty of Bengal, long ago Chand
Sawdagor came on his boat to the blue Hijal, Bat and Tamal trees šhade near the
Champa tree and saw Bengal's unparallel beauty. One day Behula came to the river
on a raft when the moonlight decreased and sank on the river's sandbanks. She also
saw innumerable Aswathas and Bats near golden rice fields. And there she heard the
soft song of bluebirds. One day Behula arrived in Amara, where gods held meetings,
and Behula danced there like a lovely bird. And the rivers, fields, flowers of Bengal
wept on her feet.

Summary: The poet feels that his thirst for beauty has been so quenched by the
beauties of his motherland that he doesn't need to see the beauty of the world any
more. When he walkes up in darkness, he looks at the fig tree and finds the swallow
birds there taking rest under large leaves. When it is dawn he discovers a heap of
leaves of Black berry, Banyan, Jack fruit, Hijol and Tomal trees in the midst of
complete quietness. And the heap casts a shadow on the cactus, zedoary bushes.
The abundance of beautiful nature in Bengal is perpetual. The poet feels that this
incomparable beauty of Hijal, Tomal and Banyan trees as if once charmed Chand
Saudagar (a character from Hindu mythology) when he came to Champak in his
honeycombed boat.

Summary: Jibananando Das here describes the beauty as well as lost glory of Bengal. The poet wants to see a
glorious Bengal, a country that had high glory in the antiquity. The poet opens the poem with the description of
the dawn when morning bird is sitting beneath a big leaf. He can see a lot of other trees and herbs. Then he
names some of the least looked upon reminds us the heritage of the area. He says that this beauty of the Bengal
shall be for even and so he does not want to go anywhere.

1. “Dreams” by D. H. Lawrence
All people dream, but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,(wb®úÖvY g‡b wbf…‡Z)
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity. (wg_¨v/AšZ:mvik~b¨)

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,

For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.

Lines 1-3:The poet here says about the nature of dreamers. He says that all people
dream. But all people do not dream equally. There are two types of dreamers. The
first ones dream at night in their sleep. They dream with closed eyes with their weary
and troubled minds. In the morning, they get up and find their dreams in emptiness.
They forget their dreams and they never struggle to achieve their dreams.
Lines 4-6:The poet says that the second ones dream in the day. They are dangerous
people because they dream with open eyes and they act upon their dreams. They
struggle to make their dreams come true. Even they try hard to make their dreams
turn into reality.

Summary : Dreams encourage and drive people to achieve their goal. People with
such dreams are the real dreamers. The poet says all people dream but they do not
dream in the same way. Some people dream when they sleep to rest after a long
day's labour. They sleep with a mind yet jammed with many wishes and wants. So
some dreams of theirs are just wish fulfillments. On waking up they find that those
dreams were all pointless and futile. These dreams can have no impact on their life.
But there are some dreamers whom the poet calls dangerous people. These people
dream with their eyes open which means they make their dreams consciously and
from then on they start working to make those dreams come true.

Theme of the poem: The poem is about both practical and unpractical dreams. To the poet, the
dream one dreams during sleep is unreal and meaningless. Such dreamers are great failure in
practical life. But, the visionary people dream to achieve something great. They are real
dreamers and struggle fearlessly to make their dreams true.

2.“Dreams” by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Lines 1-4: Here the poet advises people that they must have dreams in their life.
Here dreams mean hopes for the future. Man cannot live long without having
dreams. So the poet says that if dreams die or if people do not have dreams, life
becomes like a bird with broken wings. As a bird with broken wings cannot fly, man
without dreams cannot live and cannot go far in life.
Lines 5-8 : The poet again advises people to have dreams in life. He adds that if there
are no dreams in life, life becomes empty like a barren field. And it becomes
cheerless. Just as a barren field cannot grow any crops, So life without dreams
cannot create anything. People without dreams will lose all hopes and inspirations.
There will be no joy, rather it will be cold like snow.
 Summary : Dreams are those ideals and aspirations that we set for ourselves to
achieve in life. The poem opens with an instruction from the poet to the readers to
have a tight grip on their dreams .Without dreams, he says, life is like a bird whose
wings are broken. A broken- winged bird can't fly and just like that a man without a
dream has life without destination. In the second stanza the poet repeats his advice
to hold on to dreams because if there is no dream life will turn into a barren field.
Life will be a field covered with snow. A snow-covered field cannot grow any crop. A
barren field does not fulfill its purpose. A life is created to give and provide life to
others. A life without dreams does nothing.

Theme: The poet here advises the people to stick to the dreams. To him, one’s dream should be
firmly rooted in one’s mind. A life without dream is unable to reach its goal as a wingless bird
fails to fly to its destination. The poet asserts that people should hold their dreams strongly to
make life productive. Otherwise, life will be meaningless.

Those Winter Sundays

BY ROBE RT H AY DE N

Sundays too my father got up early

and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he’d call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love’s austere and lonely offices?

Line 1-2: The poet recalls his childhood memories and says that his father would
wake un early on Sunday mornings. Though Sundays were holidays, he would wake
up in freezing cold early in the morning. Then he put on his dress in biting cold.
Line 3-5: On other days, his father worked hard. Due to hard manual labour, his
hands were rough and pained him. Yet with those hands, he would light fire in the
house to keep the house warm. But no member of the family would thank his father
for his selfless jobs.
Line 6-9: Soon after, the poet would wake up and he would hear the sound of ice-
break due to the warmth of the fire his father would light. When the house was all
warmed up, his father would call him. Then the poet would get out of bed and get
dressed slowly. But he would feel afraid of angers of the other members of the
family because they did not like to get up early.
Line 10-12 : Here the poet says that he used to talk to his father indifferently/
carelessly even though he removed the cold and polished his shoes to0. That time
the poet was unable to appreciate the sacrifice of his father.
Line 13-14 : The poet admits that in his childhood, he did not know how tough it was
to be a loving father. The poet in those days could not realize the sacrifice and
selfless responsibilities of his father. Now, the poet regrets that he did not know that
he should have appreciated his father's work.

Summary : The poem provides a brief window into a young man's relationship with
his father. He reflects on how every Sunday his father would work hard to keep the
house warm and his family comfortable. The narrator comes to realize that he had
never shown his father gratitude for everything he had done for him. In the end, he
seems to realize love's complicated nature - something he did not grasp when he
was younger.

Ans (Theme) : Sincere acts of fatherly love and sacrifices often remain thankless.
Although the father selflessly devotes himself to the welfare of the family, the
children fail to appreciate this parental love. In retrospect, however, filial disrespect
can be felt with regret in our adult mind when we can hardly requite the love of our
parents that they truly deserve.

The Schoolboy

William Blake

I love to rise in a summer morn,

When the birds sing on every tree;

The distant huntsman winds his horn,

And the skylark sings with me:

O what sweet company!

But to go to school in a summer morn, -

O it drives all joy away!

Under a cruel eye outworn,

The little ones spend the day

In sighing and dismay.

Ah then at times I drooping sit,

And spend many an anxious hour;

Nor in my book can I take delight,

Nor sit in learning's bower,

Worn through with the dreary shower.

Lines 1-5 : Here the speaker is a schoolboy. He says that he loves to get up in a
summer morning because this time the birds sing on the trees. He hears the sound of
shooting from the gun of hunter from far away. He listens to the song sung by the
skylark and the boy and the skylark sing and enjoy the summer morning together.
The boy is entertained by the sweet company of the birds in the morning.
Lines 6-10 : The school boy is disappointed in an unpleasant atmosphere in school.
He says that the school removes all his joys and pleasure in the morning because he
becomes tired in school and he becomes puzzled under the strict supervision of his
teacher. Actually, he likes enjoy the summer morning but does not get that friendly
environment in school. He has to spend the day in fear and becomes bored in school.
Lines 11-15 : The boy says that he spends many anxious hours sitting in the
classroom. He cannot get pleasure from books and even he cannot enjoy sitting at
the reading table. He has to listen to his teacher's boring and unpleasant lectures.

Summary: The speaker is a schoolboy. The poem opens on a fresh summer morning.
He loves to be out in summer, listening to distant huntsmen and the birds, who sing
along with him. He then complains against the constraints of education and the
classroom, where students suffer under the cruel oversight of their teacher. He
cannot learn or take any pleasure from his reading because of the stress it imposes.
He asks rhetorically whether a bird born for joy can sing if it is confined in a cage. In
the same way, how can a child, upset by the fears of school-life, not fail to droop and
lose his youthful enthusiasm? School is nothing but a prison that negates the playful
activity of childhood. The boy asks in the same way, how can there be a fruitful
'summer for children if they, young plants, are stripped off their childhood joy and
made to know sorrows and worries?

Ans (Theme): The rigor of formal education spoils the latent potential of the youth.
Boring curricular activities and uncommunicative mentors hamper the mental
growth of young generation. Instead, education in contact with nature and in
pleasant environment enhances positive developments of young minds.

The Schoolboy

William Blake

How can the bird that is born for joy

Sit in a cage and sing?

How can a child, when fears annoy,

But droop his tender wing,

And forget his youthful spring!

O father and mother if buds are nipped,

And blossoms blown away;

And if the tender plants are stripped

Of their joy in the springing day,

By sorrow and care's dismay, -

How shall the summer arise in joy,

Or the summer fruits appear?

Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy,

Or bless the mellowing year,

When the blasts of winter appear?

Lines 1-5 : The speaker of the poem asks his parents about a bird which is born to
have pleasant and enjoyable time cannot sing sitting in a cage. In the same way a
child who is agitated and unsettled with fear cannot but sit with head downward.
Continuous fear makes him gloomy and spiritless. He becomes oblivious of the joy
and happiness of his tender or young age.
Lines 6-15: He tells his parents that if buds get spoilt, if flowers fall off the trees
owing to storm or rough wind and if the young trees are deprived of the joy of spring
because of sadness and care's fear, the summer cannot reveal itself. In that situation
the fruits of summer cannot be seen. He continues that we cannot enjoy happiness if
it is destroyed by sadness. In the same way, ripening year cannot give us anything if
the strong wind of winter blows and destroys everything. The poet wants to mean
that childhood is the period when children grow up physically and mentally. So they
should be allowed to grow in a pleasant and healthy atmosphere.

Ans (Theme): The rigor of formal education spoils the latent potential of the youth.
Boring curricular activities and uncommunicative mentors hamper the mental
growth of young generation. Instead, education in contact with nature and in the
delightful environment encourages positive developments of young minds.

Alone Maya Angelou 1928 –2014

Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

There are some millionaires

With money they can’t use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Now if you listen closely

I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Alone, all alone

Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Line 1-5: The poet is in a sad mood. Last night she lay down and thought about her
life. Then she asked herself how she could find peace of mind because her Soul is not
at peace. She feels disconnected from the world. She wishes to nourish her soul for
peace and happiness because her soul is thirsty and hungry for connection or peace.
Line 6-10 : During her contemplation, the poet finds an answer to her problem. And
she believes that she is right. She realizes that nobody alone can get peace and
happiness. None can alone survive in this world. To survive happily and peacefully in
this world, people need to be connected and they need the support and company of
others.
Line 11-13: The poet feels sad and laments that she is alone. She affirms that no one
can survive in this world without support or community.
Line l4-16 : The poet says that there are some wealthy people in the world but they
do not know what to do with their wealth. They cannot utilize their wealth. Thus
they fail to find peace and happiness. Their wives are like 'banshees'. In Irish legend
banshees are female spirits who wait for the death of a member of the family. Like
banshees, their wives are frantic and anxious despite their wealth. Their wealth
cannot save them from worry and panic.
Line 17-19 : The children of the millionaires spend their time without responsibility
and they express their sadness as they feel sad. To cure these sufferings, millionaires
often spend much money to consult doctors. But the doctors cannot cure these
emotional diseases because the children cannot feel anything. Their hearts are like
stone.
Line 20-22 : Here the poet repeats her realization and says that no one can alone
make the world happy and money cannot buy happiness.
Line 2325 : Here the poet repeats the second stanza. The poet laments her loneliness
again. She wants to mean that other people also suffer from the sane pain caused by
loneliness. She again affirms that nobody can get peace and happiness without
human connection.
Line 2630 : Here the poet wants to give a message to mankind. And she says that
cruelties and conflicts are increasing in the world due to the lack of human
connection. She says that people (human race) are afflicted with problems and
troubles are becoming apparent.
Line 31-34 : The poet says that something terrible is happening to the world and she
can hear the human beings moaning from despair. This is happening due to the lack
of human connection. She again says that nobody can alone remove these sufferings.
For this, all need to have connection.
Line 35-37 : The poet concludes the poem by repeating the second stanza. By
repeating these words, the poet wants to remind us that nobody can survive alone.
For a better and peaceful world, all the nations and all the people must develop
human connection and solidarity.

Summary: The poem is about human bonding without which we are simply
meaningless. The speaker feels pretty isolated, but she thinks she might have come
up with an answer to her problems: one cannot survive in this cruel, evil, rough
world; one needs someone throughout their journey with them. Money cannot buy
happiness, and even the richest people feel the pains of loneliness. The speaker
speaks of terrible things that are happening at present, and will continue to happen
if people keep staying aloof from each other.

Ans (Theme) : The poem highlights the importance of emotional and spiritual
comfort in life. Without religious faith and mental connection, a person becomes
spiritually bankrupt. In contrast, money or wealth cannot cure .emotional distresses.
Therefore, only close communion with family and social members heals human
sufferings.

September 1, 1939 W. H. Auden

1907 –1973

I sit in one of the dives

On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives;
The unmentionable odour of death
Offends the September night.

Lines 1-4: The. poem is written by an American poet W. H. Auden. The title of the
poem refers to the beginning of World War II, the day when Adolf Hitler invaded
Poland. In the first line, the poet sits in a bar in midtown Manhattan. As the Second
World War has begun, the poet feels uncertain and afraid and expresses his fear of
the future. He fears that hopes for peace in the world have ended.
Lines 5-8: The beginning of World War II has made the poet worried. He now says
that the world leaders of 1930s failed to prevent war. So he expresses his distrust of
the leaders. The Second World War has created the atmosphere of anger and fear
which has darkened the earth. People all over the world have become afraid.
Lines 9-11 : The fear of war affects their private lives and activities. The anxiety and
fear of the war have possessed their mind completely. Then the poet says that he
senses the unpleasant smell of death due to the war. And this smell of death has
damaged the atmosphere of the September night.

Summary : This poem is a historical moment in time as. it marks the beginning of the
Second World War. The speaker is sitting in a dive bar (pub or bar) in New York Cíty.
He feels threatened as he sees the approaching of another war. Many so-called
policies (particularly socialist economic schemes) adopted by the then policy makers
(the British intellectuals) throughout the last 10 years (1930s) could not improve the
lot of the working class except making it worse. They could not stop the growth of
capitalist economy. Now there is anger in the air overshadowing the lands of the
earth, it is bringing distress in people's personal life. The speaker can smell the
"unmentionable odor" of death upsetting the month of September because he can
foresee this war will take away innumerable lives.

Ans (Theme) : The speaker of the poem portrays his fear about the outbreak of the
Second World War. Sitting in a bar, he notices the war victims losing their hopes and
aspirations. Anger. and fear darkening the lands destroy people's private lives. The
September night spreads hatred and animosity among nations of the world.

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

BY WILLI AM BU T LE R Y E AT S
I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping
slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket
sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day

I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.
Lines 1 4 : The poet declares that he will get up now and then go to the Isle Lake of
Innisfree. A place near the coast of Ireland. There he will build a small cottage with
mud and the fences of twisted sticks. He will make a garden of beans, and there he
will make nine bean rows. He will also make beehives for the bees. The poet says
that he will live alone there in an open passage through the wood and listen to the
sound of bees. The poet wants to go there to live in the midst of natural beauty and
enjoy the peace in a quiet place.
Lines 5-8: Here the poet says that he will find some peace of mind in Innisfree. There
peace comes dropping slowly from the foggy morning. There the cricket sings in the
evening. The midnight is lit with the soft light of stars or the moon. The midday-noon
is full of purple light. And in the evening, the brown-coloured singing birds keep on
flying.
Lines 9-12 : The poet in the last stanza restates that he will leave for Innisfree at once
because he hears the lake water making low sounds when it reaches the shore/bank.
The poet hears this sound day and night. So he must go. The poet then says that
even when he stands on the roads in the city or he stands on pavements, he hears
the sound of water in the depth of his heart because he always dreams of going to
the lake.

Summary : The poet intends to go beyond the sorrows and chaos of daily life. He
imagines a world of absolute peace. Its name is Innisfree. It is an island with all
allurements of life. Sweet birds sing and the bees hum, The murmuring of the stream
will keep the poet awake. On the other hand city life is full of grey troubles. Hence,
he intends to make a flight to the lake Isle of Innisfree. It will provide him with
absolute happiness.

Ans (Theme) : Urban life with the manifestations of its atrocities and artificialities
often becomes unbearable. The mechanized city life fails to give peace of mind and
as such the poet grows eager to go in contact with the beauties and bounties of
nature of the rural areas. The poet longs for living in the lap of nature to receive
peace of mind.

A Minor Bird By Robert Frost

I have wished a bird would fly away,

And not sing by my house all day;

Have clapped my hands at him from the door

When it seemed as if I could bear no more.

The fault must partly have been in me.

The bird was not to blame for his key.

And of course there must be something wrong

In wanting to silence any song.

Line 1-2 : A little bird was singing whole day beside the house of the poet. And the
poet hoped that the bird would fly away.
Line 3-4 : When the poet felt that the song of the bird was unbearable for him, he
came out of the house. Then he clapped his hands and drove the bird away.
Line 5-6 : The bird was not only to be accused of its song. The poet was also guilty
because he could not like the song. Singing songs is a nature of a bird. It is a natural
expression of its feelings. So, it must sing.
Line 7-8 : Then the poet realized that one should not want any bird to stop its songs.
It is injustice to nature and it is the inability of man to appreciate nature. It is not fair
to stop any freedom of expression.

Summary : The poem is about modern people who find it difficult to enjoy the
beauty of nature. The narrator wants the bird to be gone. However, he soon realizes
that the song that the bird sings is not harmful at all, but that it is actually beautiful.
 He later admits the fact that he has to accept it and live in harmony with nature and
nature's gifts.

Ans (Theme) : The poem reflects human inability to appreciate nature. Birds are a
beauty of nature. Rapid industrialization and urbanization have made the human
race callous to the beauty of birds and their sweet note. Nature is ever conducive to
our peaceful life. Our harsh attitude to nature bespeaks our natural perversion.
Therefore, humans must live in amity with nature.

Because I could not stop for

Death
BY EMILY DI CK I NS ON

Because I could not stop for Death –

He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
We passed the Setting Sun –
Line 1-3 : The speaker in the poem was so busy with life that he/she could not stop
to approach death. Therefore, death in the form of a gentleman came to take her
/him to a chariot. (Here death has been personified) There was none in the carriage
and the speaker travelled with death alone.
Line 4-6 : While the chariot was passing the school, they saw the children playing in
circle on their break-time.
Line 7-8 : While their carriage was passing the fields, they saw that the fields were
full of ripe grain. They also witnessed the tranquility of the setting sun.
Ans (Theme) : Acquisition of immortality along with the sense of piety is underscored
in the poem. The certainty of death makes us realize the shortness of life. It is,
therefore, important that various conditions of life are appreciated well. Ultimately,
reconciliation with death paves the way for reunion with God and afterlife.

My Heart Leaps Up William

Wordsworth
1770 –1850

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

Lines1-2: The speaker says that he feels a surge of joy - his heart leaps up when he
sees a rainbow.
Lines 3-4:The speaker says that he has always had this same response to a rainbow :
he had it as a child and he has it now. His delight in nature has not changed.
Lines 5 -6: The speaker articulates the hope that he will continue to feel the same
childlike joy in a rainbow when he gets old. The desire to hold on to his inner child is
so strong that he exclaims he would rather die than lose his enthusiasm for nature.
Line 7 : The speaker says, "The child is the father of the man.", The meaning of this
famous line is debated, but in the context of the poem it suggests that the feelings,
responses and attitudes we develop as children are what we carry into adulthood.
Lines 8 - 9:The speaker ends the poem by wishing all the days of his life - past.
present and future - could be held together by spirituality or "piety" he experiences
through nature, a feeling that leads to a natural reverence for God and the world.

Ans (Theme) : The poem deals with love of nature and the happiness experienced in
contact with nature. The poet feels nature has always exerted a great influence upon
him. According to him, life is not worth living without having a close relationship with
nature. He also opines habits and behavior developed in childhood shape a man's
attitude to life.
 To the Moon
BY PERCY BY S S H E S H E LLE Y

I
Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth, —
And ever changing, like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?

II
Thou chosen sister of the Spirit,
That gazes on thee till in thee it pities ...
Line 1-2 : The poet addresses the moon and says that the moon is pale or feeble
because she is tired of constantly travelling over the sky and always gazing upon the
earth.
Line 3-4 : The poet says that the moon has to travel alone among the stars which are
different from her in nature and origin.

Ans (Theme) : Like the waxing and waning of the moon, civilization, to0, changes its
path to evolve anew. Furthermore, the moon is a symbol for joylessness and
loneliness of an unhappy, discontented figure in an ever-changing modern society.

Ah! Sun-flower
BY WILLI AM BLAK E

Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,

Who countest the steps of the Sun:
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the travellers journey is done.

Where the Youth pined away with desire,

And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow:
Arise from their graves and aspire,
Where my Sun-flower wishes to go.
 Line 1- 2: The poet regrets to see the sunflower and says that it is fed up with its life
on earth. So, the sunflower spends its days counting the steps of the sun and it is
waiting to make a journey to heaven.
Line 3-4 : The sunflower is looking for sweet golden climate. Here golden climate is
described as heaven where everyone desires to go for eternal peace. So, the
sunflower also looks after 'golden clime' or heaven for peace.

Ans (Theme) : The sunflower symbolizes unfulfilled human aspirations, which

eventually end in death. It represents desires for perfection and immortality. But the
passage of time erases human longings. Ultimately, it leads traveler-like every man
into oblivion of nonentity.

The Tyger
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BY WILLI AM BLAK E

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat.
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,

In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp.
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears

And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,

In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?
Stanza-1 : The poet directly addresses a tiger and imagines its bright flashes of colour
in the: night. Then the poet asks which immortal being (God) could create the tiger's
fearsome beauty.
Stanza- 2: The poet wonders from which depth and height the tiger's fiery eyes were
made. It cannot be ordinary fire of the world but divine one which makes the eyes of
the tiger so fierce The poet asks if the tiger's creator (God) had wings and whose
hands were daring enough to grasp that fire.
Stanza- 3 : Here the poet talks about the heart of the tiger. He wonders what kind of
shoulders and the art, the Creator had which gave shape the muscles of tiger's heart.
Here the poet praises the power and amazing skill of God. The poet wonders whose
hands and feet were the which made the tiger's heart start beating.
Stanza- 4 : Here the poet wonders about the tools the tiger's Creator (God) used. He
imagines that the tiger's brain was created in a forge. Then he asks what terrifying
being would be so daring as to create the tiger's brain. The poet thinks about the
divine tools used to create the brain of such a deadly animal.
Stanza- 5: The poet says that when God created tiger, Satan and his followers were in
a war with Him (God). They were so frightened by the tiger's sight that they accepted
their defeat and left their weapons and made the sky wet with their tears. The poet
wonders God certainly smiled after creating tiger as it was beyond satanic forces. The
poet again thinks if He was the same God who created the innocent lamb after
creating forceful tiger.
Stanza-6: The last stanza is the repetition of the first stanza. Here the poet is amazed
thinking the burning like fire or majestic appearance and shape of the tiger, The poet
wonders who is capable of creating such a majestic animal. The poet here
appreciates the power of God wh0 only can create such a fearful structure and its
appearance.

Summary : The poem focuses on the beauty and ferociousness of creation in general.
Throughout the poem, the speaker shows a sense of awe and wonder about the
creation of the tiger. While observing the astounding symmetry of the tiger, he fails
to understand how the same God who created the gentle lamb could also make the
vicious Tiger. However, the poem reflects that humans cannot understand the
supremacy of God and his work.

Ans (Theme) : The poet investigates theological questions of good and evil,
innocence and experience through the symbols of the lamb and the tiger. The
existence of violence has been represented by the tiger while the lamb represents
innocence. Thus, God's balanced creation of both good and evil finds a beautiful
expression in the symbols of wild tiger on the one hand and, meek and mild lamb on
the other.

3.'The Schoolboy' By William Blake

I love to rise in a summer morn(MÖx‡®§i mKv‡j),
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman (wkKvix) winds his horn (evuwk evRvq),
And the skylark (fiZ cvwL) sings with me:
O what sweet company! (wK gayi mO&M)
But to go to school in a summer morn, -
O it drives all joy away! (me Avb›` Zvwo‡q †`q)
Under a cruel eye outworn, (wbôzi †Pv‡Li kvm‡b)
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.(`xN©k¦vm I nZvkvq)
Ah then at times I drooping sit,(fMœ g‡b e‡m _vwK)
And spend many an anxious hour; (DwØMœ mgq KvUvB)
Nor in my book can I take delight, (eB‡Z Avb›` cvB bv)
Nor sit in learning's bower, (covi K‡¶ e‡m)
Worn through with the dreary shower. (welv` el©‡Y K¬všZ n‡q hvB)
How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?(Avb‡›`i cvwL wKfv‡e LvuPvq e‡m MvB‡Z cv‡i?)
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring!
(wkï wKfv‡e f‡q emšZ fz‡j †Kvgj Wvbv ‡bwZ‡q e‡m _vK‡Z cv‡i?)
O father and mother if buds are nipped, (Kzwuo AsKz‡i bó nq)
And blossoms blown away; (dzj¸‡jv Dwo‡q †bIqv nq)
And if the tender plants (KwP Pviv¸‡jv) are stripped (Dc‡o †djv nq)
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay, - (h‡Zœi Ae‡njvq)
How shall the summer arise in joy, (emšZ Avb‡›` †R‡M DV‡e)
Or the summer fruits appear?
 Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy, (hv `y:L webvk K‡i)
Or bless the mellowing year, (my›`i w`b¸‡jv Avwk©ev` n‡q)
When the blasts of winter appear? (hLb kx‡Zi AvNvZ Avm‡e)

Theme: The poem is about the children’s inborn feeling of free movement in the free
environment. It supports the playful learning environment for the children. To the poet, the
prison-like classroom with the teachers’ unkind treatment disheartens (‡K‡o †bqv) the
children and retards their creativity.

4. “September 1, 1939” by W. H. Auden

I sit on one of the dives (bar/club) (cvbkvjv)
On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain (AwbwðZ) and afraid(kwO&KZ)
As the clever hopes expire(wb:‡kl nIqv).
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright(‡µva I f‡qi †XD¸‡jv D¾¡‡ji Dci Qwo‡q c‡o)
And darkened lands of the earth(c„w_ex‡K AÜKvi K‡iwQj),
Obsessing our private lives(e¨w³MZ Rxeb‡K Av”Qbœ K‡iwQj);
The unmentionable odour of death (mxgvnxb g„Zz¨i MÜ)
Offends (fviµv›Z K‡i) the September night.

Theme: The poem deals with the existing (Pjgvb) alarming (AvZwO&KZ) environment and
the impending (Avmbœ) destruction and death of World War-II. The people get afraid and
insecure (wbivc`nxb) losing the goodness of their mind by anger and fear. They are in
despair(nZvkv) in the dark land and their normal lives are hampered(¯^vfvweK Rxeb).
The poet feels the bad smell of the huge death upsetting (fviµv›Z K‡i) the September night.

5. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner By Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Water, water, everywhere
And all the boards did shrink (msKzwPZ nIqv);
Water, water, everywhere
Nor any drop to drink.
Theme of the Poem: The poem reveals (cÖKvk Kiv) that human beings bring misfortune
(`yf©vM¨) and misery (`y`©kv) to their life by inconsiderate (Awe‡eP‡Ki gZ) activities.
The speaker of the poem, the old sailor and his shipmates were the victims of the killing of an
albatross. Their ship got shrunk (msKzwPZ n‡qwQj) and they did not have any drop of
drinking water though there was ample(cÖPzi) water in the sea.

6.My Heart Leaps Up by William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
 So was it when my life began:
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety

Theme :The poem deals with the poet’s close relationship with nature. He cannot think of his
life away from nature. To him, life loses its significance if it is disconnected from nature. So, one
should have intimate relationship with nature whether one is a child or a man. It will give
him/her delight which will last throughout life.

7.Those Winter Sundays BY ROBERT HAYDEN

Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking.

When the rooms were warm, he’d call,
and slowly I would rise and dress,
fearing the chronic angers of that house,

Speaking indifferently to him,

who had driven out the cold
and polished my good shoes as well.
What did I know, what did I know
of love’s austere and lonely offices?

Theme: the main discussion in the poem circles around Maturity and memory, The father and
child relationship, Unnoticed acts of love. The poem is a narrative of a time when the speaker’s
father would care for his family in ways that went unappreciated, even though the speaker
gives indications that the work done by his father was something worth appreciation. In fact,
the speaker notes that he benefited from that work, but with no gratification shown toward his
father. This concept is prevalent in lines of ‘Those Winter Sundays’, and eventually, it becomes
clear that the un-thankful child has become an adult who criticizes his youthful lack of
gratitude, though he links the fault with his early inability to understand his father’s struggles.
In the end, it seems, the relationship faltered because of the division created by
misunderstanding, and no inclination is given that it was ever repaired. The end result is a poem
that is encumbered with guilt.

8.Alone by Maya Angelou

 Lying, thinking
Last night
How to find my soul a home
Where water is not thirsty
And bread loaf is not stone
I came up with one thing
And I don’t believe I’m wrong
That nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
There are some millionaires
With money they can’t use
Their wives run round like banshees
Their children sing the blues
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
But nobody
No, nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Now if you listen closely
I'll tell you what I know
Storm clouds are gathering
The wind is gonna blow
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan,
'Cause nobody,
But nobody
Can make it out here alone.
Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.

Theme: The significant themes spotted in the poem are loneliness, lack of emotions, and the
dark side of human nature. The speaker seems hurt by the artificial approach of the people that
they ignore others who require love and connection. The speaker in this poem appears unable
to soothe her soul that constantly demands human connection and emotional attachment. She
is struggling hard to connect to the world, as being alone has dragged her soul toward
depression and tension. She highlights the darker aspect of human nature; people become
selfish, self-centered, and flinch-hearted once they become a millionaire. Some millionaires find
themselves lonely despite having wealth, and no money can compensate for these complex
feelings. Similarly, the wives and children of these millionaires spend their days while
performing valuable activities. Although they gain materialistic gain, yet they seem devoid of
inner peace and spiritual connection. Their status stops them from making connections to the
world. As a result, they visit doctors who fail to cure their illness despite having expertise. All
this happens because man’s wrong choices are constantly corrupting the world. Instead of
adopting a loving and caring attitude, people prefer to live lonely. However, the poem’s speaker
is in desperate need of company because she believes that no one in the world can live alone.
After talking about the changing attitude of humanity, she ends this beautiful poem on a sad
note, making her readers realize the pain of loneliness.

9.A Minor Bird By Robert Frost

I have wished a bird would fly away,
And not sing by my house all day;

Have clapped my hands at him from the door

When it seemed as if I could bear no more.

The fault must partly have been in me.

The bird was not to blame for his key.

And of course there must be something wrong

In wanting to silence any song.

Theme: “A Minor Bird” is written by Robert Frost. In this poem, the speaker felt bored by
the beauty of nature. He wanted to get rid of hearing bird’s singing. But after a short
time, he realized he did wrong such a thing. He also thought that fault might be in him
and it was not right to silence any song. according to Frost, “A poem begins in delight,
and ends in wisdom.”

10.Because I could not stop for Death BY EMILY DICKINSON

Because I could not stop for Death –
He kindly stopped for me –
The Carriage held but just Ourselves –
And Immortality.

We slowly drove – He knew no haste

And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility –

We passed the School, where Children strove

At Recess – in the Ring –
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –
 We passed the Setting Sun –

Or rather – He passed Us –
The Dews drew quivering and Chill –
For only Gossamer, my Gown –
My Tippet – only Tulle –

We paused before a House that seemed

A Swelling of the Ground –
The Roof was scarcely visible –
The Cornice – in the Ground –

Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet

Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity –

Theme: The central theme of the poem is the personal confrontation with mortality.
Dickinson/writer handles this challenging theme by presenting it through a series of images,
metaphors, and events. The speaker is invited to take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage by the
gentlemanly “Death.” Much of the power of the poem comes from its understated quality.
Dickinson/writer does not explain the situation, but merely offers it to readers in a matter-of-
fact manner. There is an attitude of calm acceptance that seems proper in the light of death, a
phenomenon that has always eluded human rationalization.

11.To the Moon BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Art thou pale for weariness
Of climbing heaven and gazing on the earth,
Wandering companionless
Among the stars that have a different birth, —
And ever changing, like a joyless eye
That finds no object worth its constancy?

Thou chosen sister of the Spirit,

That gazes on thee till in thee it pities ...

Theme: The poet thinks that the moon is pale because she is tired of
constantly traveling over the sky and always gazing upon the earth. The
moon has to wander among stars which are different from her in nature and
origin. She is thus without a companion or a comrade. There is also,
according to the poet, a reason for the ever-changing shape of the moon.
The moon keeps growing bigger and then becoming smaller because she
finds no object worthy of her constancy.

12.Ah! Sun-flower BY WILLIAM BLAKE

 Ah Sun-flower! weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the Sun:
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the travellers journey is done.

Where the Youth pined away with desire,

And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow:
Arise from their graves and aspire,
Where my Sun-flower wishes to go.

Theme: The sunflower seems to be tired of its existence, perhaps because it

finds this world too restrictive. The sunflower seeks that golden world, that
land of liberty which is the destination of the traveller. The sunflower,
symbolic of man, is itself the traveller. The sunflower seeks the golden
world where the young man and the virgin also wish to go. For the time
being, the young man and the virgin appear to be dead and buried in their
graves. They die because of the supression of their Love, But they still seek
the golden world of freedom which the sunflower also seeks. All the three -
the sunflower. the young man and the virgin - are travellers in that sense.
As a critic maintains: "The sunflower repeats the craving of youth and sighs
for its satisfaction in eternity, where the sun, the traveller of time, ends his
journey.

My Heart Leaps Up
William Wordsworth

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began:
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The child is father of the Man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety
Theme :The poem deals with the poet’s close relationship with nature. He cannot think of his life away
from nature. To him, life loses its significance if it is disconnected from nature. So, one should have
intimate relationship with nature whether one is a child or a man. It will give him/her delight which will
last throughout life.

If you fail to see the person

But only see the disability
Then who is blind?
If you cannot hear
Your brother’s
 Cry for justice
Who is deaf?
----- our biggest handicap.
Theme : The poem reveals that real disability lies in the lack of humanity. Those who do not come
forward to save the distressed people are, in reality, the physically disabled and mentally handicapped
people in our society. The blind, deaf and dumb are far better than such types of selfish and cowardly
people.

'The Schoolboy' by William Blake

I love to rise in a summer morn(MÖx‡®§i mKv‡j),
When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman (wkKvix) winds his horn(evuwk evRvq),
And the skylark(fiZ cvwL) sings with me:
O what sweet company! (wK gayi mO&M)
But to go to school in a summer morn, -
O it drives all joy away! (me Avb›` Zvwo‡q †`q)
Under a cruel eye outworn, (wbôzi †Pv‡Li kvm‡b)
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.(`xN©k¦vm I nZvkvq)
Ah then at times I drooping sit,(fMœ g‡b e‡m _vwK)
And spend many an anxious hour; (DwØMœ mgq KvUvB)
Nor in my book can I take delight, (eB‡Z Avb›` cvB bv)
Nor sit in learning's bower, (covi K‡¶ e‡m)
Worn through with the dreary shower. (welv` el©‡Y K¬všZ n‡q hvB)
How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?(Avb‡›`i cvwL wKfv‡e LvuPvq e‡m MvB‡Z cv‡i?)
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring!
(wkï wKfv‡e f‡q emšZ fz‡j †Kvgj Wvbv ‡bwZ‡q e‡m _vK‡Z cv‡i?)
O father and mother if buds are nipped, (Kzwuo AsKz‡i bó nq)
And blossoms blown away; (dzj¸‡jv Dwo‡q †bIqv nq)
And if the tender plants (KwP Pviv¸‡jv) are stripped (Dc‡o †djv nq)
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay, - (h‡Zœi Ae‡njvq)
How shall the summer arise in joy, (emšZ Avb‡›` †R‡M DV‡e)
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy, (hv `y:L webvk K‡i)
Or bless the mellowing year, (my›`i w`b¸‡jv Avwk©ev` n‡q)
When the blasts of winter appear? (hLb kx‡Zi AvNvZ Avm‡e)

Theme: The poem is about the children’s inborn feeling of free movement in the free environment. It
supports the playful learning environment for the children and negates the constraints ( mxgveØZv) of
formal education and classroom. The poet asserts that the prison-like classroom with the teachers’ unkind
treatment robs (‡K‡o †bq) the children of their childhood happiness and retards their natural expression
of creativity. So, the poet prefers a free and pleasant environment to a restricted (mxgveØ) one for the
flourish of child-talent, and for building up a fruitful career for them.
 Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
By Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Theme : The poem expresses man’s universal conflict between his romantic sense of escapism
(gvbwmK Kó †_‡K gyw³) and practical sense of duties. The poet is profoundly impressed with
charming snowfall in the lovely woods and expresses his death-wish for relief. But, his practical sense
urges him to fulfill his duties towards mankind before death.

Health and Wealth

By Tracey Pierce

“We squander (bó Kiv) health in search of wealth;

We scheme(cwiKíbv Kiv) and toil (cwikÖg Kiv) and save.
Then squander wealth in search of health.
And all we get is a grave.
We live and boast of what we own;
We die and only get a stone.”

Theme: We, the human beings, remain busy with worldly gains (cvw_©e AR©b) only. Neglecting our
health, we work hard to accumulate (gRy` Kiv) wealth. Even, we boast (Me© Kiv) of our riches. Then,
we spend our wealth for health-related problems. Thus, we approach to (AMÖmi nIqv) death. Death
closes all our attempts and efforts and finally we find a tomb of stone a reward (cyi¯‹vi).

2. Leisure (William Henry Davies)

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.
 No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Theme : The poem deals with the poet’s grief at the busy modern life for which men fail to enjoy various
pleasant things. They deprive themselves of the richness and diversity of life being engaged in material
pursuits. Such life is a poor one. So, people should enjoy the real taste of life in a casual leisurely manner.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils)
by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Theme : The poem deals with the curative power of natural beauty on the human mind. The poet also
experiences a mystic relation between human soul and nature. Once he was delighted at the happy dance
of the daffodils beside a lake and their beautiful sight was stored in his mind. Later, the poet claims that
melancholy of his mind is cured when the dancing daffodils get revived in his mind. It leads him from joy
to joy and gives him ‘the bliss of solitude.’

Non-Textual Poems

1. To Daffodils (Robert Herrick)

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see

You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
 Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the even-song;
And, having pray’d together, we
Will go with you along.
We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away,
Like to the summer’s rain;
Or as the pearls of morning’s dew,
Ne’er to be found again.
Theme : The poem deals with the transitoriness of human life. Just as the daffodils fade away soon after they bloom,
men too die away soon. Again, human life is as short as spring, the summer’s rain and the dew-drops. Here, the poet
shows the course of nature -- birth, maturity and death through the relation between the daffodils and human beings.

2. Leisure (William Henry Davies)

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Theme : The poem deals with the poet’s grief at the busy modern life for which men fail to enjoy various
pleasant things. They deprive themselves of the richness and diversity of life being engaged in material
pursuits. Such life is a poor one. So, people should enjoy the real taste of life in a casual leisurely manner.
3. Under the Greenwood Tree (William Shakespeare)
Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn his merry note
Unto the sweet bird’s throat,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
 Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

Who doth ambition shun,

And loves to live ‘I’ the sun,
Seeking the food what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

Theme : The poem deals with the pleasure of pastoral life away from the court life. Life in the forest is
free from enemies though there a person may face rough weather. The poet invites the unambitious man
to live with him in the forest. There, he will be satisfied with the natural objects, the sweet songs of birds,
and also with foods.

4. Still Here
By
Langston Hughes

I been scarred and battered

My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has friz me,
Sun has baked me.

Looks like between ‘em they done

Tried to make me
Stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’-
But I don’t care!
I’m still here!

Theme: The poet here inspires us to sustain life in adverse situation. To him, misfortunes may harden
our heart, but we should not lose heart. We should keep persisting and fighting to overcome them. Then,
all problems will be solved and life will be worth living. To him, being alive in the face of the evils is a
great victory of life.

(5) A Poison Tree by William Blake

I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears

 Night and morning with my tears,
And I sunned it with smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,--

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning, glad, I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

Theme : The poem is about the terrible consequence of the suppressed anger and the poet’s hints on the
anger management. The poet says that anger disappears from one’s mind through frank expression. But, if
anger against anyone is nurtured longer vindictively, it becomes more intense and destructive. To the
poet, anger should be managed through reciprocal discussion on the issue of anger.

(6) There is no Frigate like a Book

By
Emily Dickinson

There is no Frigate like a Book

To take us lands away
Nor any cursers like a page
Of prancing Poetry-

This Traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of Toll-
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul-

Theme: The poem reveals that a book can take the readers to distant places faster than any speedy
vehicle. To the poet, while reading books, the readers’ minds travel in imagination to far-off wonderful
lands mentioned in the books. Besides, a book is an affordable means for the poorest man to travel in the
realm of knowledge and experience.

(7) Time, You Old Gipsy Man

By Ralph Hodgson

TIME, you old gipsy man,

Will you not stay,
Put up your caravan
Just for one day?
All things I'll give you
Will you be my guest,
Bells for your jennet
Of silver the best,
Goldsmiths shall beat you
 A great golden ring,
Peacocks shall bow to you,
Little boys sing,
Oh, and sweet girls will
Festoon you with may.
Time, you old gipsy,
Why hasten away?

Theme: The poem focuses on the on-going flow of time. Time does not compromise with any situation. It is not
bound to fulfill anybody’s unreasonable demand. It does not care for any alluring proposal. It only moves forward
continuously. None can stop the wheel of time for his own benefit. So, time should be used properly.

(8) The Sands of Dee

By Charles Kingsley

“O Mary, go and call the cattle home,

And call the cattle home,
And call the cattle home,
Across the sands of Dee!”
The western wind was wild and dank with foam,
And all alone went she.
The western tide crept up along the sand,
And o’er and o’er the sand,
And round and round the sand,
As far as eye could see.
The rolling mist came down and hid the land
And never came home she.
“Oh! Is it weed or fish, or floating hair
A tress of golden hair,
A drowned maiden‘s hair,
Above the nets at sea?
Was never salmon yet that shone so fair
Among the stakes of Dee.”
They rowed her in across the rolling foam.
The cruel, crawling foam,
The cruel, hungry foam,
To her grave beside the sea;
But still the boatman hear her call the cattle home
Across the sands of Dee.

Theme: The poem depicts the tragic death of a young girl, Mary, caused by the cruel force of nature.
Her loyalty toward her parents is reflected here. She is sent to call the cattle home from the sands of Dee.
She falls victim to the ferocious waves of the sea and dies. People of that area still hear her voice all
around.

In doing so, she has sacrificed her life, being drowned in the seawater. The natural scene of a
rural poor family is depicted in the poem.

Sands of Dee by Charles Kingsley is a folklore that tells the story of a little girl whom her
parents send out to bring their cattle home before it rained.
Mary was a little girl who was asked to bring the cattle home, which had gone away for grazing.
She went out of the house alone calling out to them. Dusk was falling by then and the day was
stormy and dark, tides were rising. As soon as she landed on the shores of Dee to reach the land
on the other side, mist covered her eyes. She couldn’t even see where the land lay and ultimately
the sea pulled her in. Her body was discovered later by the fishermen who went to catch salmon
in the sea. They found her by shining golden tresses of the sea and brought her to the shore
where her grave lasts till this day. But even now, when the fishermen walk along those shores in
search of fish, they can hear Mary’s frantic shrill calling the cattle home.

Mary was assigned to call the cattle home that was grazing along the Sands of Dee.The
inclement weather was misty.The western wind was turbulent and dank with foam.Nothing was
visible because the water level had increased.The waves devoured Mary and 'never came home
she'.

After some days, the fishermen found Mary's tress of golden hair. First they mistook the hair as a
salmon fish and then as a floating weed. The word “foam” is repeated by the poet to make an
impact that the poet is very upset at Mary's untimely death. He describes the waves as cruel,
hungry, crawling because the waves crept towards Mary , became ferocious suddenly, devoured
Mary and then crawled back. The fishermen took Mary's lifeless body to her grave beside the sea
as she died in the sea itself. But they can hear her calls to the cattle as it was a task left
unfinished by Mary.

Textual English Poems

1. A. “Dreams” by D. H. Lawrence

All people dream, but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,(wb®úÖvY g‡b wbf…‡Z)
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity. (wg_¨v/AšZ:mvik~b¨)

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,

For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.
Theme of the poem: The poem is about both practical and unpractical dreams. To the poet, the dream one
dreams during sleep is unreal and meaningless. Such dreamers are great failure in practical life. But, the visionary
people dream to achieve something great. They are real dreamers and struggle fearlessly to make their dreams true.

2.“Dreams” by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
 Frozen with snow.

Theme: The poet here advises the people to stick to the dreams. To him, one’s dream should be firmly rooted in
one’s mind. A life without dream is unable to reach its goal as a wingless bird fails to fly to its destination. The poet
asserts that people should hold their dreams strongly to make life productive. Otherwise, life will be meaningless.

3. The Traffic Police

Amidst (gv‡S) killer speeds (cÖvYNvZx MwZ) I stand
Facing the traffic (hvbevn‡bi gy‡LvgywL), stretching my hand(nvZ cÖmvwiZ K‡i).
I am seen on kidsÕ books (wkï‡`i eB‡q) and as cartoons (e¨½wPÎ wnmv‡e) everywhere
Educating people(gvbyl‡`i wk¶v w`‡Z) and asking them to beware(m‡PZb n‡Z)
Of the erratic(e¨¯Z) traffic and the signboards
Seen on almost all the roads.
So that youÕre safe I see each one of you
But my sweat (Nvg), my plight (`~`©kv) on the road sees who?
Be it sunny (‡iŠ`ª¾j) or rainy,
For your safety (wbivcËv) I must be
Vigil (mRvM) and agile (Kg©Zrci), on the middle
Standing erect (‡mvRv n‡q `vwo‡q), as fit as a fiddle (myVvg †`‡n).
Oh! My ear hurts (Kvb e¨_v Kiv)! Oh! My head aches! (gv_v e¨_v Kiv)
Oh! Look at the weather...such unpredictable days! (AwbwðZ w`‡b)
But I cannot swerve (`wqZ¡ Gov‡bv); I must be on duty (Kg©iZ _vKv).
I care for your safety.
Be it noisy or dusty (a~jvgq); Be it sunny or rainy;
I must be on duty. I care for your safety.

Theme: The poem deals with the duties and responsibilities of the traffic police. A traffic police risks his life to
ensure the safety of the people. He has to work in all conditions while he suffers a lot. But, people hardly think of
his plight. The poet indicates that we should learn to realize others’ pains from our own ones.

Theme: The poem focuses that well traffic management depends on the dutifulness of the traffic police.
A traffic police risking his life directs the drivers and pedestrians to ensure their safety. He has to work by
day and at night in both fair and foul weather. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects
both his ears and head seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his plight. The
poet indicates that we should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

4.'The Schoolboy'
By
William Blake

I love to rise in a summer morn(MÖx‡®§i mKv‡j),

When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman (wkKvix) winds his horn (evuwk evRvq),
And the skylark (fiZ cvwL) sings with me:
O what sweet company! (wK gayi mO&M)
But to go to school in a summer morn, -
O it drives all joy away! (me Avb›` Zvwo‡q †`q)
Under a cruel eye outworn, (wbôzi †Pv‡Li kvm‡b)
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.(`xN©k¦vm I nZvkvq)
Ah then at times I drooping sit,(fMœ g‡b e‡m _vwK)
 And spend many an anxious hour; (DwØMœ mgq KvUvB)
Nor in my book can I take delight, (eB‡Z Avb›` cvB bv)
Nor sit in learning's bower, (covi K‡¶ e‡m)
Worn through with the dreary shower. (welv` el©‡Y K¬všZ n‡q hvB)
How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?(Avb‡›`i cvwL wKfv‡e LvuPvq e‡m MvB‡Z cv‡i?)
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring!
(wkï wKfv‡e f‡q emšZ fz‡j †Kvgj Wvbv ‡bwZ‡q e‡m _vK‡Z cv‡i?)
O father and mother if buds are nipped, (Kzwuo AsKz‡i bó nq)
And blossoms blown away; (dzj¸‡jv Dwo‡q †bIqv nq)
And if the tender plants (KwP Pviv¸‡jv) are stripped (Dc‡o †djv nq)
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay, - (h‡Zœi Ae‡njvq)
How shall the summer arise in joy, (emšZ Avb‡›` †R‡M DV‡e)
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy, (hv `y:L webvk K‡i)
Or bless the mellowing year, (my›`i w`b¸‡jv Avwk©ev` n‡q)
When the blasts of winter appear? (hLb kx‡Zi AvNvZ Avm‡e)

Theme: The poem is about the children’s inborn feeling of free movement in the free environment. It supports the
playful learning environment for the children. To the poet, the prison-like classroom with the teachers’ unkind
treatment disheartens (‡K‡o †bqv) the children and retards their creativity. So, he prefers a free and pleasant
environment to a restricted (mxgveØ) one for the flourish of child-talent.

5. Love and friendship

By William Shakespeare

Blow, blow (cÖevwnZ nIqv), thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind (wb`©q)
As man's ingratitude (AK…ZÁZv) ;
Thy tooth is not so keen (aviv‡jv),
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath (wb:k¦vm) be rude (iƒp).
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly (meyR ebvbx):
Most friendship is feigning (fvb), most loving mere folly (‡evKvgx):
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly (nvwmLywk).
Freeze (wng n‡q hvIqv), freeze, thou bitter (wbVyi) sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp (Rjaviv wn‡g evu‡av),
Thy sting (`skb) is not so sharp (aviv‡jv),
As friend remembered (¯§iY Kiv), not.
High-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly...

Theme: The poem laments the absence of true love and friendship in human life. The poet asserts that a man’s
rudeness and ungratefulness hurt others more bitterly than the cold winter wind. False love and fake friendship
shock others. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the benefactor and his forgetfulness of his friend are more painful for
them than the intensity of frozen sky.
 6. ‘Out, Out-‘
By
Robert Frost

The buzz saw (we`y¨r PvwjZ KivZ) snarled (MR©b Kiv) and rattled (SbSb kØ Kiv) in the yard 1
And made dust and dropped (‡d‡j †`Iqv) stove-length sticks of wood (R¡vjvwb Kv‡Vi UyKiv),
Sweet-scented stuff (wgvó M›×) when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
Five mountain ranges (ce©Zgvjv) one behind the other 5
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light (KvV Qvov), or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
Call it a day, I wish they might have said 10
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work.
His sister stood beside him in her apron
To tell them ÔSupper.Õ(iv‡Zi Lvevi) At the word, the saw,
As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, 15
Leaped (jvwd‡q DVv) out at the boyÕs hand, or seemed to leap --
He must have given the hand. However it was,
Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!
The boyÕs first outcry (wPrKvi) was a rueful (`y:Lgq) laugh,
As he swung (Sz‡K cov) toward them holding up the hand 20
Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling (bó bv K‡i i¶v Kiv). Then the boy saw all --
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a manÕs work, though a child at heart --
He saw all spoiled(bó n‡q hvIqv). "DonÕt let him cut my hand off -- 25
The doctor, when he comes. Don't let him, sister!"
So. But the hand was gone already.
The doctor put him in the dark of ether (e¨_vbvkK †KIqv).
He lay and puffed (`ªyZ wbk¦vm †bIqv) his lips out with his breath.
And then-the watcher at his pulse took fright. 30
No one believed. They listened at his heart.
Little - less - nothing! - and that ended it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs (Kv‡R wd‡i †Mj). 34

Theme : The poem is about the horror of child labour in the modern mechanized world. It depicts the
tragic death of a boy working in a saw-mill. Suddenly, his hand was cut off by the saw and the light of his
life had gone out gradually for profuse bleeding. He embraced death, but life kept moving normally

7. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B. Yeats

I will arise (‡R‡M DVv) and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin (‡QvU Ni) build there, of clay (gvwU) and wattles (bj-LvMov) made;
Nine bean rows (wm‡gi mvwi) will I have there, a hive (‡gŠPvK) for the honey bee
And live alone in the bee loud glade (‡gŠgvwQ ¸ÄwiZ e‡b).
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow(ax‡i ax‡i †dvUvq †dvUvq)
Dropping from the veils of the morning (‡fv‡ii c`©v †_‡K †dvUvq †dvUvq Siv) to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer (wgUwgU R‡j), and noon a purple glow (‡Mvjvcx Avfv),
And evening full of the linnet's wings (cvwLi Wvbvq c~Y©)
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore (ü‡`i cvwb Zx‡i AvQ‡o cov) ;
 While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements (dzUcvZ) grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core (A›Z‡ii A›Z¯’‡j).

Theme: The poem deals with (Av‡jvPbv Kiv) the poet’s desire to go to the lap of nature (cÖK…wZi †Kv‡j), the lake Isle
of Innisfree away from the noisy city life to get mental peace from the birds’ sweet songs, bees’ humming (¸b ¸b kã) sound and
the silvery moon (ïå Pvu`). The poet wants to escape (gyw³ cvIqv) from the harsh (KK©k/wZ³) reality of city life into the
world of absolute (cig) peace.

8. “September 1, 1939” by W. H. Auden

I sit on one of the dives (bar/club) (cvbkvjv)

On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain (AwbwðZ) and afraid(kwO&KZ)
As the clever hopes expire(wb:‡kl nIqv).
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright(‡µva I f‡qi †XD¸‡jv D¾¡‡ji Dci Qwo‡q c‡o)
And darkened lands of the earth(c„w_ex‡K AÜKvi K‡iwQj),
Obsessing our private lives(e¨w³MZ Rxeb‡K Av”Qbœ K‡iwQj);
The unmentionable odour of death (mxgvnxb g„Zz¨i MÜ)
Offends (fviµv›Z K‡i) the September night.
Theme: The poem deals with the existing (Pjgvb) alarming (AvZwO&KZ) environment and the impending (Avmbœ)
destruction and death of World War-II. The people get afraid and insecure (wbivc`nxb) losing the goodness of their mind by
anger and fear. They are in despair(nZvkv) in the dark land and their normal lives are hampered(¯^vfvweK Rxeb). The poet
feels the bad smell of the huge death upsetting (fviµv›Z K‡i) the September night.

9. The Charge of the Light Brigade

Lord Alfred Tennyson
Half a league(‡`o gvBj), half a league,
Half a league onward(mvg‡b),
All in the valley of Death(g„Zz¨I DcZ¨Kvq),
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade! (nvév A¯Îevnx ‰mb¨`j)
Charge (Avµgb Kiv) for the guns’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!

Was there a man dismay’d(nZvk)?
Not tho’ the soldiers knew
Some one had blunder’d: (fzj Kiv)
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon (Kvgvb) to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder’d; (M‡R© DVv)
Storm'd (Avµgb Kiv) at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death, (g„Zz¨i Ke‡j)
Into the mouth of Hell(bi‡Ki gy‡L)
Rode the six hundred.
Theme : The poem deals with the patriotism and sense of duty of a brigade of 600 British soldiers who fought in the Crimean
War. It focuses on the brutality (ee©Zv) of the war. To carry out (cvjb Kiv) a wrong command, the soldiers on horseback
charged (Avµgb Kiv) the well-armed Russian soldiers and fought bravely. But, the battle field turned into (cwibZ nIqv) a
valley of death for them.

10. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

By
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Water, water, everywhere

And all the boards did shrink (msKzwPZ nIqv);

Water, water, everywhere

Nor any drop to drink.

Theme of the Poem: The poem reveals (cÖKvk Kiv) that human beings bring misfortune (`yf©vM¨) and misery
(`y`©kv) to their life by inconsiderate (Awe‡eP‡Ki gZ) activities. The speaker of the poem, the old sailor and his shipmates
were the victims of the killing of an albatross. Their ship got shrunk (msKzwPZ n‡qwQj) and they did not have any drop of
drinking water though there was ample(cÖPzi) water in the sea.

11. ‘She Walks in Beauty’ by Lord Byron

1
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes(‡`k) and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed (my‡Kvgj/imv‡jv) to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy(RuvKvj) day denies.
2
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired(nvwi‡q hvq) the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress, (Kv‡jv †eYx‡Z †XD †L‡j)
Or softly lightens o'er her face; (g„`yfv‡e gy‡L Av‡jv Qovq)
Where thoughts serenely (kv›Zfv‡e) sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place. (wbevm)

3
And on that cheek(Mv‡j), and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, (gyLwiZ)
The smiles that win, the tints(is) that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent, (my‡L KvUv‡bv w`b¸‡jvi K_v e‡j hvq)
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent! (wb®úvc)

Theme : The poem deals with a woman’s exceptional(Amvavib) inner and outer beauty. The poet compares her
beauty to a cloudless starry (‡gNgy³ ZviKvgq) night. Her eyes are a peculiar mixture (A™¢’Z wgkÖb) of dark
and brightness. To him, she is so innocent, pure and heavenly at heart. Sweet thoughts of her soft mind and innocent
love of her heart win the heart of the poet.
12. ÔI Died For BeautyÕ by Emily Dickinson

I died for beauty, but was scarce (AvZO&K wQj)

Adjusted (gvwb‡q †bIqv) in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain (kvwqZ wQj)
In an adjoining room (cv‡ki K‡¶).
 He questioned softly (‡Kvgjfv‡e wR‡Ám K‡iwQj) why I failed?
‘For beauty,’ I replied.
‘And I for truth - the two are one;
We brethren (fvB fvB) are,’ he said.
And so, as kinsmen (AvZ¥xq) met a-night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss (‡kIjv) had reached our lips,
And covered up (‡X‡K w`j) our names.

Theme : The poem deals with the death, beauty and truth. With death, the body gradually perishes (bó n‡q hvq) but truth and
beauty persist (wU‡K _v‡K). The lover of beauty (‡mŠ›`h© †cÖwgK) and the seeker of truth (m‡Z¨i AbymÜvbKvix)
remain connected with each other even after their death. Their deaths for their noble ideals (gnr Av`k©) make them alive
(‡eu‡P _vKv) until they are completely decomposed (c‡P hvIqv). Thus, the poem expresses optimism (Avkvev`) for the
afterlife.

13. I Have Seen Bengal’s Face (By Jibanananda Das)

Because I have seen BengalÕs face I will seek (‡LvuR Kiv) no more; 1
The world has not anything more beautiful to show me.
Waking up(‡R‡M DVv) in darkness, gazing at(‡P‡q _vKv) the fig-tree(Wzgyi MvQ), I behold
DawnÕs swallows roosting (‡fv‡ii †`v‡qj cvwL e‡m Av‡Q) under huge umbrella-like leaves. I look around me
And discover a leafy dome (cvZvi mZyc) -Jam, Kanthal, Bat, Hijol and Aswatha trees- 5
All in a hush (Pzc), shadowing (Qvqv) clumps of cactus (dbxgbmvi †Sv‡c and zedoary bushes(kwUe‡b).
When long, long ago, Chand came in his honeycombed boat (gayKi wWOv)
To a blue Hijal, Bat and Tamal shade near the Champa (bMix), he too sighted
BengalÕs incomparable (AZyjbxq) beauty. One day, alas. In the Ganguri,
On a raft (‡fjv), as the waning moon (¶wqÂy Pvu`) sank on the riverÕs sandbanks, 10
Behula too saw countless (AmsL¨) aswaths bats besides golden rice fields (‡mvbvjx av‡bi †¶‡Z)
And heard the thrushÕs (k¨vgv cvwL) soft song. One day, arriving in Amara,
Where gods held court (B‡b`ªi mfvq), when she danced like a desolate wagtail(GK ai‡bi cvwL),
BengalÕs rivers, fields, flowers, wailed (‡K‡`uwQj) like strings of bells (NyOy‡ii gZ) on her feet. 14

Theme : The poem is about the unique (Abb¨) beauty of Bengal and its impact (cÖfve) on the human mind. The
poet is profoundly impressed (gy» nIqv) with Bengal’s beauty and thinks her as a complete picture (mvwe©K
wPÎ) of the whole world. So, he need not see other countries to satisfy (cwiZ…ß Kiv) his thirst for beauty
(‡mŠ›`h© wccvmv). To him, the scenic beauty of Bengal is able to mitigate (cÖkwgZ Kiv) one’s pain of
mind (g‡bi †e`bv).

বাংলার মুখ - জীবনানন্দ দাশ

বাংলার মুখ আমি দেখিয়াছি, তাই আমি পৃথিবীর রূপ

খুঁজিতে যাই না আর : অন্ধকারে জেগে উঠে ডুমুরের গাছে
চেয়ে দেখি ছাতার মতো ব্ড় পাতাটির নিচে বসে আছে
ভোরের দয়েলপাখি – চারিদিকে চেয়ে দেখি পল্লবের স্তূপ
জাম-বট-কাঁঠালের-হিজলের-অশথের করে আছে চুপ;
ফণীমনসার ঝোপে শটিবনে তাহাদের ছায়া পড়িয়াছে;
মধুকর ডিঙা থেকে না জানি সে কবে চাঁদ চম্পার কাছে
এমনই হিজল-বট-তমালের নীল ছায়া বাংলার অপরূপ রূপ

দেখেছিল; বেহুলাও একদিন গাঙুড়ের জলে ভেলা নিয়ে –

কৃষ্ণা-দ্বাদশীর জোৎস্না যখন মরিয়া গেছে নদীর চড়ায় –
সোনালি ধানের পাশে অসংখ্য অশ্বত্থ বট দেখেছিল, হায়,
শ্যামার নরম গান শুনেছিল – একদিন অমরায় গিয়ে
ছিন্ন খঞ্জনার মতো যখন সে নেচেছিল ইন্দ্রের সভায়
বাংলার নদ-নদী-ভাঁটফুল ঘুঙুরের মতো তার কেঁদেছিল পায়।

1. Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to
dreams------Frozen with snow.
Theme: The poet here advises the people to stick to the dreams. To him, one’s dream should be firmly rooted in
one’s mind. A life without dream is unable to reach its goal as a wingless bird fails to fly to its destination. The poet
asserts that people should hold their dreams strongly to make life productive. Otherwise, life will be meaningless.
2. I will arise (‡R‡M DVv) and go now, and go to Innisfree,-----------I hear it in the deep heart’s core
(A›Z‡ii A›Z¯’‡j).
Theme: The poem deals with (Av‡jvPbv Kiv) the poet’s desire to go to the lap of nature (cÖK…wZi †Kv‡j),
the lake Isle of Innisfree away from the noisy city life to get mental peace from the birds’ sweet songs, bees’
humming (¸b ¸b kã) sound and the silvery moon (ïå Pvu`). The poet wants to escape (gyw³ cvIqv) from the
harsh (KK©k/wZ³) reality of city life into the world of absolute (cig) peace.
3. TIME, you old gipsy man, Will you not stay, Put up your caravan Just for one day?-----Time, you old
gipsy,Why hasten away?
Theme: The poem focuses on the on-going flow of time. Time does not compromise with any situation. It is not
bound to fulfill anybody’s unreasonable demand. It does not care for any alluring proposal. It only moves forward
continuously. None can stop the wheel of time for his own benefit. So, time should be used properly.
4. Fair Daffodils, we weep to see You haste away so soon; ------We die As your hours do, and dryAway,
Theme : The poem deals with the transitoriness of human life. Just as the daffodils fade away soon after they bloom,
men too die away soon. Again, human life is as short as spring, the summer’s rain and the dew-drops. Here, the poet
shows the course of nature -- birth, maturity and death through the relation between the daffodils and human beings.
5. I love to rise in a summer morn(MÖx‡®§i mKv‡j),----O father and mother if buds are nipped,
(Kzwuo AsKz‡i bó nq)
Theme: The poem is about the children’s inborn feeling of free movement in the free environment. It supports the
playful learning environment for the children. To the poet, the prison-like classroom with the teachers’ unkind
treatment disheartens the children and retards their creativity. So, he prefers a free and pleasant environment to a
restricted (mxgveØ) one for the flourish of child-talent.
6. Blow, blow (cÖevwnZ nIqv), thou winter wind, Thou art not so unkind (wb`©q)-Then heigh-ho, the
holly!This life is most jolly (nvwmLywk).
Theme: The poem laments the absence of true love and friendship in human life. The poet asserts that a man’s
rudeness and ungratefulness hurt others more bitterly than the cold winter wind. False love and fake friendship
shock others. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the benefactor and his forgetfulness of his friend are more painful for
them than the intensity of frozen sky.
7. Under the greenwood tree Who loves to lie with me,---- No enemy But winter and rough weather.
Theme : The poem deals with the pleasure of pastoral life away from the court life. Life in the forest is free from
enemies though there a person may face rough weather. The poet invites the unambitious man to live with him in the
forest. There, he will be satisfied with the natural objects, the sweet songs of birds, and also with foods.
8. I died for beauty, but was scarce Adjusted in the tomb,When one who died for truth was lain In an
adjoining room(cv‡ki K‡¶).
Theme : The poem deals with the death, beauty and truth. With death, the body gradually perishes (bó n‡q hvq)
but truth and beauty persist (wU‡K _v‡K). The lover of beauty (‡mŠ›`h© †cÖwgK) and the seeker of truth
(m‡Z¨i AbymÜvbKvix) remain connected with each other even after their death. Their deaths for their noble
ideals (gnr Av`k©) make them alive (‡eu‡P _vKv) until they are completely decomposed (c‡P hvIqv). Thus,
the poem expresses optimism (Avkvev`) for the afterlife.
9. Because I have seen BengalÕs face I will seek (‡LvuR Kiv) no more; 1---The world has not anything more beautiful
to show me.
Theme : The poem is about the unique (Abb¨) beauty of Bengal and its impact (cÖfve) on the human mind. The
poet is profoundly impressed (gy» nIqv) with Bengal’s beauty and thinks her as a complete picture (mvwe©K
wPÎ) of the whole world. So, he need not see other countries to satisfy (cwiZ…ß Kiv) his thirst for beauty. To him,
the scenic beauty of Bengal is able to mitigate (cÖkwgZ Kiv) one’s pain of mind.
10. I sit on one of the dives (bar/club) (cvbkvjv) On Fifty-second Street--The unmentionable odour of death
(mxgvnxb g„Zz¨i MÜ) Offends (fviµv›Z K‡i) the September night.
Theme: The poem deals with the existing (Pjgvb) alarming (AvZwO&KZ) environment and the impending
(Avmbœ) destruction and death of World War-II. The people get afraid and insecure (wbivc`nxb) losing the
goodness of their mind by anger and fear. They are in despair(nZvkv) in the dark land and their normal lives are
hampered(¯^vfvweK Rxeb). The poet feels the bad smell of the huge death upsetting (fviµv›Z K‡i) the
September night.
11.My heart leaps up when I behold A rainbow in the sky: And I could wish my days to be Bound each to
each by natural piety
Theme :The poem deals with the poet’s close relationship with nature. He cannot think of his life away from
nature. To him, life loses its significance if it is disconnected from nature. So, one should have intimate relationship
with nature whether one is a child or a man. It will give him/her delight which will last throughout life.
12. If you fail to see the person But only see the disability Then who is blind? If you cannot hear Your
brother’s Cry for justice Who is deaf?----- our biggest handicap.
Theme : The poem reveals that real disability lies in the lack of humanity. Those who do not come forward to save
the distressed people are, in reality, the physically disabled and mentally handicapped people in our society. The
blind, deaf and dumb are far better than such types of selfish and cowardly people.
13. She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes(‡`k) and starry skies;-----A heart whose love is innocent!
(wb®úvc)
Theme : The poem deals with a woman’s exceptional(Amvavib) inner and outer beauty. The poet compares her
beauty to a cloudless starry (‡gNgy³ ZviKvgq) night. Her eyes are a peculiar mixture (A™¢’Z wgkÖb) of dark
and brightness. To him, she is so innocent, pure and heavenly at heart. Sweet thoughts of her soft mind and innocent
love of her heart win the heart of the poet.
14. All people dream, but not equally.Those who dream by night Wake in the morning to find that it was
vanity. (wg_¨v/AšZ:mvik~b¨)
Theme: The poem is about both practical and unpractical dreams. To the poet, the dream one dreams during sleep is
unreal and meaningless. Such dreamers are great failure in practical life. But, the visionary people dream to achieve
something great. They are real dreamers and struggle fearlessly to make their dreams true.

1. To Daffodils (Robert Herrick)

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see

You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the even-song;
And, having pray’d together, we
Will go with you along.
We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away,
Like to the summer’s rain;
Or as the pearls of morning’s dew,
Ne’er to be found again.
Theme : The poem deals with the transitoriness of human life. Just as the daffodils fade away soon after
they bloom, men too die away soon. Again, human life is as short as spring, the summer’s rain and the
dew-drops. Here, the poet shows the course of nature -- birth, maturity and death through the relation
between the daffodils and human beings.

Theme : The poem deals with the transitoriness of human life like daffodil flowers. They grow very fast
only to be destroyed soon. Just as the daffodils fade away very soon after they bloom, men too die away
soon after their birth. Again, human life is as short as spring, the summer’s rain and the dew-drops in the
morning. Here the poet emphasizes the course of nature --- birth, maturity and death by focusing on the
relation between the daffodils and human beings.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils)

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

Theme : The poem deals with the curative power of natural beauty on the human mind. The poet also
experiences a mystic relation between human soul and nature. Once he was delighted at the happy dance
of the daffodils beside a lake and their beautiful sight was stored in his mind. Later, the poet claims that
melancholy of his mind is cured when the dancing daffodils get revived in his mind. It leads him from joy
to joy and gives him ‘the bliss of solitude.’
Under the Greenwood Tree (William Shakespeare)
Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn his merry note
Unto the sweet bird’s throat,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

Who doth ambition shun,

And loves to live ‘I’ the sun,
Seeking the food what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
 Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

Theme : The poem deals with the absolute pleasure of pastoral life away from the court life. Life in the
forest is free from all types of enemies though there a person gets afflicted with only winter and rough
weather. The poet invites the man having no ambition to live with him in the forest. There he will be
charmed with the simplicity of nature and the sweet songs of birds. He will also be satisfied with
whatever food he gets to eat.

Leisure (William Henry Davies)

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Theme : The poem deals with the poet’s grief at the busy modern life and the men’s scarce spare/free
time to enjoy various pleasant things on this earth. The poet says that people deprive themselves of the
richness and diversity of life being engaged in material pursuits. Life deprived of delight and enjoyment is
a poor one. Thus, the poet criticizes such life. He believes that life should be enjoyed in a casual leisurely
manner. Then, people will be able to enjoy the real taste of life.

Early/Premature Marriage
Premature marriage means a wedding between a young boy and a young girl before they are mature. It is
also known as early marriage. According to WHO, the fixed age limit of marriage is 21 for the male and
18 for the female. Any marriage before these figures of age may be considered premature marriage. In
Bangladesh, the girls of poor families are victims of premature marriage. There are various causes of
premature marriage such as poverty, ignorance, superstition and so on. In our country, the girls have to
suffer more than the boys as a result of premature marriage. Due to acute poverty, most of our village
people cannot receive education, and so they are ignorant of the effects of early marriage. The ignorant
parents don’t want their daughters to be educated and try to marry them off as early as possible.
Superstition has upgraded the number of premature marriage. Premature marriage often creates different
problems in the society. Immature male and female cannot adjust themselves to the marital life. Immature
male counterparts usually do not have any income source. So, conflict and unhappiness prevail in their
family. The girl is attacked with diseases due to malnutrition. Moreover, she faces death during the birth
of the baby. To solve this problem, premature marriage must be stopped. For this, law must be enforced
strictly. Education must be compulsory for both male and female children. Public awareness must be
created in this regard.

Drug Addiction

In recent years, drug addiction has significantly increased in Bangladesh and people, especially the young
generation are getting addicted to drug more and more over time. Mainly the young boys and girls aged
15 to30 including the students are taking different drugs like morphine, Phensedyl, heroin, marijuana,
cocaine, yaba, etc. Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) states that heroin is the deadliest of drugs in
Bangladesh. In recent times, Yaba has become a "fashionable" drug.Research on the drug addicts
states that they are getting addicted to drugs mainly for frustration, failure in love, unemployment,
mental stress for family conflict and lack of family ties etc. Some get addicted following the western
culture of drug abuse and enjoyment of life.The number of the drug addicts is on the rise. Many
promising youths (m¤¢vebvgqx hye‡Kiv) are destroying their life for drug. The worst thing is that
when these drug addicts do not get money to buy drugs, they become ferocious. They misbehave with
their parents. Sometimes, they get involved in various anti-social activities like kidnapping, hijacking and
robbery to manage money for buying drugs, and even sell their own blood. The final consequence of drug
is very devastating. It causes fatal diseases like cancer that leads them to death. Support from family and
friends, help from doctors, government’s effort and will power of the addicts may help them to come back
to normal life, and then Bangladesh will get rid of this curse of drug addiction.

‘She Walks in Beauty’ by Lord Byron

1
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
2
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

3
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
Theme : The poem deals with a woman’s exceptional beauty which reflects her inner goodness and
grace. The poet is impressed with her inner and outer beauty. Her beauty is compared to that of a
cloudless starry night. Her eyes are a peculiar mixture of dark and brightness. To him, she is so innocent,
pure and heavenly at heart. Sweet thoughts of her soft mind and innocent love of her heart win the heart
of the poet.

ÔI Died For BeautyÕ by Emily Dickinson

I died for beauty, but was scarce

Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.
He questioned softly why I failed?
‘For beauty,’ I replied.
‘And I for truth - the two are one;
We brethren are,’ he said.
And so, as kinsmen met a-night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.

Theme : The poem deals with the death, beauty and truth. With death, the body gradually perishes but
truth and beauty persist on earth. The lover of beauty and the seeker of truth remain connected with each
other as ‘brethren’even after their death. Their deaths for their noble ideals make them alive and they talk
to each other until they are completely decomposed. Thus, the poem expresses optimism for the afterlife.

“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B. Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee
And live alone in the bee loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Theme: The poem deals with the poet’s desire to go to the lap of nature, the lake Isle of Innisfree away
from the noisy city life to get mental peace from the sweet songs of the birds, the sweet sound of the bees
and the silvery moon. That is, the poet wants to escape from the harsh reality of city life into the world of
absolute peace.

“September 1, 1939” by W. H. Auden

 I sit on one of the dives
On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire.
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives;
The unmentionable odour of death
Offends the September night.
Theme:The poem deals with the existing alarming environment and the impending destruction and death
of World War-II. The people get afraid and insecure losing the goodness of their mind by anger and fear.
They are in despair in the dark land and their normal lives are hampered. The poet senses the bad smell of
the huge death upsetting the September night.

“Dreams” by D. H. Lawrence
All people dream, but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.

Theme : The poem, “Dreams”, by D. H. Lawrence is about both the practical and unpractical dreams.
The poet says that the dream which vanishes as soon as we wake up from sleep is unreal and meaningless.
These types of dreamers are great failure in their practical life. But the visionary people dream and
struggle hard to reach their desired goal. So, the poet says that the real dreamers fearlessly try to make
their dream true.

The Traffic Police

Read the poem given below and write Summary and then Theme of it:

Amidst (gv‡S) killer speeds (cÖvYNvZx MwZ) I stand

Facing the traffic (hvbevn‡bi gy‡LvgywL), stretching my hand(nvZ cÖmvwiZ K‡i).
I am seen on kidsÕ books (wkï‡`i eB‡q) and as cartoons (e¨½wPÎ wnmv‡e) everywhere
Educating people(gvbyl‡`i wk¶v w`‡Z) and asking them to beware(m‡PZb n‡Z)
Of the erratic(e¨¯Z) traffic and the signboards
Seen on almost all the roads.
So that youÕre safe I see each one of you
But my sweat (Nvg), my plight (`~`©kv) on the road sees who?
Be it sunny (‡iŠ`ª¾j) or rainy,
For your safety (wbivcËv) I must be
Vigil (mRvM) and agile (Kg©Zrci), on the middle
Standing erect (‡mvRv n‡q `vwo‡q), as fit as a fiddle (myVvg †`‡n).
Oh! My ear hurts (Kvb e¨_v Kiv)! Oh! My head aches! (gv_v e¨_v Kiv)
Oh! Look at the weather...such unpredictable days! (AwbwðZ w`‡b)
But I cannot swerve (`wqZ¡ Gov‡bv); I must be on duty (Kg©iZ _vKv).
 I care for your safety.
Be it noisy or dusty (a~jvgq); Be it sunny or rainy;
I must be on duty. I care for your safety.

The Traffic Police

Theme: The poem focuses that well traffic management depends on the dutifulness of the traffic police.
A traffic police risking his life directs the drivers and pedestrians to ensure their safety. He has to work in
both fair and foul weather. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects both his ears and head
seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his plight. The poet indicates that we
should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

Summary: The poem focuses the light on the sense of duty and responsibility of a traffic police, the hero
of the road. He is always busy on the road in the midst of deadly speedy vehicles to make the roads noise
and danger free, direct the drivers and pedestrians, and ensure their comfort and safety. A traffic police
has to go through hardships and sufferings. He has to work sincerely by day and at night in both fair and
foul weather. He never neglects his duty. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects both his
ears and head seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his sorrows and
sufferings. So, we all should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

Love and friendship

Love and friendship are the two important demands of human life. Human life becomes unlivable in their
absence. Though human beings need them badly, true love and friendship are difficult to find. The short
song from William Shakespeare’s (1564 - 1616) play As You Like It laments the absence of true love
and friendship in human life.
Now read the lyric and write the theme of the poem.

Blow, blow (cÖevwnZ nIqv), thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind (wb`©q)
As man's ingratitude (AK…ZÁZv) ;
Thy tooth is not so keen (aviv‡jv),
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath (wb:k¦vm) be rude (iƒp).
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly (meyR ebvbx):
Most friendship is feigning (fvb), most loving mere folly (‡evKvgx):
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly (nvwmLywk).
Freeze (wng n‡q hvIqv), freeze, thou bitter (wbVyi) sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp (Rjaviv wn‡g evu‡av),
Thy sting (`skb) is not so sharp (aviv‡jv),
As friend remembered (¯§iY Kiv), not.
High-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly...

Love and Friendship

Theme: The poem by William Shakespeare laments the absence of true love and friendship in human life.
It highlights the intensity of man’s inhumanity and ingratitude to the others. The poet asserts that man’s
rudeness and ungratefulness hurt another man more bitterly than the extreme cold of forceful winter wind.
He says that false love and fake friendship shock others very intensely. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the
benefactor and his forgetfulness of his friend are more painful for them than the intensity of frozen sky.

Love and Friendship

Summary: The poem highlights the intensity of man’s inhumanity and ingratitude to the others through
comparison and contrast to the intense effect of the biting cold of winter wind. The poet asserts that man’s
rudeness, ruthlessness, faithlessness and ungratefulness hurt another man more bitterly than the extreme
cold of forceful winter wind does. The poet laments in the absence of true love and friendship in human
heart, and says that false love and fake friendship shock others more intensely than the biting and stinging
effect of extremely cold winter wind. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the benefactor as well as his
forgetfulness of his friend is more painful for them than the intensity of frozen sky. Here, the poet
indirectly expects genuine human feelings for all human beings.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

By
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Water, water, everywhere

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, everywhere

Nor any drop to drink.

Theme of the Poem: The poem implies that human beings bring misfortune and misery to their life by
inconsiderate activities. The speaker of the poem, the old sailor and his shipmates were the victims of the
killing of an albatross. Their ship got shrunk and they did not have any drop of drinking water though
there was ample water in the sea.

I Have Seen Bengal’s Face (By Jibanananda Das)

Because I have seen BengalÕs face I will seek (‡LvuR Kiv) no more; 1
The world has not anything more beautiful to show me.
Waking up(‡R‡M DVv) in darkness, gazing at(‡P‡q _vKv) the fig-tree(Wzgyi MvQ), I behold
DawnÕs swallows roosting (‡fv‡ii †`v‡qj cvwL e‡m Av‡Q) under huge umbrella-like leaves. I look around me
And discover a leafy dome (cvZvi mZyc) -Jam, Kanthal, Bat, Hijol and Aswatha trees- 5
All in a hush (Pzc), shadowing (Qvqv) clumps of cactus (dbxgbmvi †Sv‡c and zedoary
bushes(kwUe‡b).
When long, long ago, Chand came in his honeycombed boat (gayKi wWOv)
To a blue Hijal, Bat and Tamal shade near the Champa(bMix), he too sighted
 BengalÕs incomparable(AZyjbxq) beauty. One day, alas. In the Ganguri,
On a raft (‡fjv), as the waning moon(¶wqÂy Pvu`) sank on the riverÕs sandbanks, 10
Behula too saw countless (AmsL¨) aswaths bats besides golden rice fields (‡mvbvjx av‡bi †¶‡Z)
And heard the thrushÕs(k¨vgv cvwL) soft song. One day, arriving in Amara,
Where gods held court (B‡b`ªi mfvq), when she danced like a desolate wagtail(GK ai‡bi cvwL),
BengalÕs rivers, fields, flowers, wailed (‡K‡`uwQj) like strings of bells (NyOy‡ii gZ) on her feet. 14

Theme of the Poem: The poem is about the unique beauty of Bengal and its impact on the human
mind. The poet is profoundly impressed with Bengal’s beauty and thinks her as a complete picture of the
whole world. So, he need not see other countries to satisfy his thirst for beauty. To him, the scenic beauty
of Bengal is able to mitigate one’s pain of mind.

I Have Seen Bengal’s Face (By Jibanananda Das

Theme of the Poem: The poem is about the incomparable (AZyjbxq) and enchanting beauty of
Bengal and its impact on the human mind. The poet is profoundly impressed with the unique natural
beauty of Bengal and thinks Bengal as a complete furnished picture of the whole world. It leaves a lasting
impression on his inner mind. He asserts that the scenic beauty of Bengal is able to mitigate one’s
tiredness and pain of mind.

A. “Dreams” by D. H. Lawrence

All people dream, but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.

Theme of the poem: The poem is about both practical and unpractical dreams. To the poet, the dream
during our sleep is unreal and meaningless. Such dreamers are great failure in practical life. But, the
visionary people dream to achieve something great. They are real dreamers and struggle hard fearlessly
to make their dream true.

**Summary of the poem, “Dreams” by D. H. Lawrence:

In his poem, “Dreams”, D. H. Lawrence has focused on both practical and unpractical dreams. The poet
says that dream during our sleep vanishes as soon as we wake up from sleep. This type of dream is unreal
and meaningless. These types of dreamers are great failure in their practical life. But the visionary people
dream to achieve something great. They determine their dreams consciously and struggle hard to reach
their desired goal. Actually, achieving something great requires a great task with hardship. So, the poet
says that the real dreamers are dangerous people and they struggle hard fearlessly to make their
dream true.

B. “Dreams” by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

**Summary of the poem, “Dreams” by Langston Hughes:

In his poem, “Dreams”, Langston Hughes advises the people to stick to the dreams. The poet says that
one’s dream should be firmly rooted in one’s mind. Dream is the driving force of life. Death of one’s
dream of life means a life that is unable to reach its fixed goal just as a wingless bird fails to fly to its
destination. The poet also says that people should not let their dreams go away rather hold them strongly.
Because, without dream, the life will be a barren field covered with snow. Then, nothing sublime will
come of that unproductive life. So, holding dream tightly is very important in human life.

(1) Leisure (William Henry Davies)

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this is if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

Theme : The poem deals with the poet’s grief at the busy modern life and the men’s scarce spare/free
time to enjoy various pleasant things on this earth. The poet says that people deprive themselves of the
richness and diversity of life being engaged in material pursuits. Life deprived of delight is a poor one.
The poet criticizes such life and suggests that life should be enjoyed in a casual leisurely manner. Then,
people will be able to enjoy the real taste of life.

(2) A Poison Tree by William Blake

 I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears

Night and morning with my tears,
And I sunned it with smiles
And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright,
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine,--

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning, glad, I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

Theme : The poem is about the terrible consequence of the suppressed anger and the poet’s hints on the
anger management. The poet says that anger disappears from one’s mind through frank expression. But, if
anger against anyone is nurtured longer vindictively, it becomes more intense and destructive for each
other. To the poet, anger should be managed through reciprocal discussion on the issue of anger.

(3) Still Here

By
Langston Hughes

I been scarred and battered

My hopes the wind done scattered.
Snow has friz me,
Sun has baked me.

Looks like between ‘em they done

Tried to make me
Stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’-
But I don’t care!
I’m still here!

Theme: The poet here inspires us to sustain life in adverse situation. To him, misfortunes may harden
our heart but, we should not lose heart. We should keep persisting and fighting to overcome them. Then,
all problems will be solved and life will be worth living. To the poet, being alive in the face of the evils is
a great victory of life.

(4) There is no Frigate like a Book

By
Emily Dickinson
 There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us lands away
Nor any cursers like a page
Of prancing Poetry-

This Traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of Toll-
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul-

Theme: The poem implies that a book can take the readers to distant places faster than any speedy
vehicle. No doubt, the swift vehicles can take people to the farthest lands. But, to the poet, books are the
fasted means of transportation to take the readers to the wonderful lands. While reading, the readers’
minds travel in imagination to far-off lands mentioned in the book. Besides, a book is an affordable
means for the poorest man to travel in the realm of knowledge and experience.

(5) “Hope” is the thing with feathers

By Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

Theme: The poem is about the nature and function of hope. The poet says that hope is a strong feeling
permanently living in human soul and serving it selflessly. Like the wordless sweet song of a bird, hope
gives one warmth and comfort in difficulty. It being strong survives itself in adverse situation and helps
one survive. It steadily works in all situations but asks for nothing in return.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

By Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
 And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -
Yet - never - in Extremity,
It asked a crumb - of me.

Theme: The poem is about the nature and function of hope. The poet says that hope is a strong feeling
permanently living in human soul and serving it selflessly. Like the wordless sweet song of a bird, hope
gives one warmth and comfort in difficulty. It being strong survives itself in adverse situation and helps
one survive. It steadily works in all situations but asks for nothing in return.

‘Out, Out-‘ by Robert Frost

The buzz saw (we`y¨r PvwjZ KivZ) snarled (MR©b Kiv) and rattled (SbSb kØ Kiv) in the yard 1
And made dust and dropped (‡d‡j †`Iqv) stove-length sticks of wood (R¡vjvwb Kv‡Vi UyKiv),
Sweet-scented stuff (wgvó M›×) when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
Five mountain ranges (ce©Zgvjv) one behind the other 5
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light (KvV Qvov), or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
Call it a day, I wish they might have said 10
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work.
His sister stood beside him in her apron
To tell them ÔSupper.Õ(iv‡Zi Lvevi) At the word, the saw,
As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, 15
Leaped (jvwd‡q DVv) out at the boyÕs hand, or seemed to leap --
He must have given the hand. However it was,
Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!
The boyÕs first outcry (wPrKvi) was a rueful (`y:Lgq) laugh,
As he swung (Sz‡K cov) toward them holding up the hand 20
Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling (bó bv K‡i i¶v Kiv). Then the boy saw all --
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a manÕs work, though a child at heart --
He saw all spoiled(bó n‡q hvIqv). "DonÕt let him cut my hand off -- 25
The doctor, when he comes. Don't let him, sister!"
So. But the hand was gone already.
The doctor put him in the dark of ether (e¨_vbvkK †KIqv).
He lay and puffed (`ªyZ wbk¦vm †bIqv) his lips out with his breath.
And then-the watcher at his pulse took fright. 30
No one believed. They listened at his heart.
 Little - less - nothing! - and that ended it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs (Kv‡R wd‡i †Mj). 34

Theme of the poem: The poem is about man’s heartlessness and the horror of child labour in the
modern mechanical world. It actually depicts the realities of man’s life through the tragic death of a child
labourer while he was sawing wood with a buzz saw. His sister’s call for supper diverted his attention and
his hand was caught and even chopped off by the saw. The light of his life had gone away gradually for
his profuse bleeding. The boy could avoid the accident if the day’s work ended half-an-hour earlier. But,
now, people are like machines without human feelings and sympathy. So, the boy had to embrace the
death.

English poems for HSC

(1) To Daffodils (Robert Herrick)

Fair Daffodils, we weep to see

You haste away so soon;
As yet the early-rising sun
Has not attain’d his noon.
Stay, stay,
Until the hasting day
Has run
But to the even-song;
And, having pray’d together, we
Will go with you along.
We have short time to stay, as you,
We have as short a spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay,
As you, or anything.
We die
As your hours do, and dry
Away,
Like to the summer’s rain;
Or as the pearls of morning’s dew,
Ne’er to be found again.

(2) I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud (Daffodils)

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
 They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

(3)Under the Greenwood Tree (William Shakespeare)

Under the greenwood tree
Who loves to lie with me,
And turn his merry note
Unto the sweet bird’s throat,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

Who doth ambition shun,

And loves to live ‘I’ the sun,
Seeking the food what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

3. Theme : The poem deals with the absolute pleasure of pastoral life away from the court life. Life in
the forest is free from all types of enemies though there a person gets afflicted with only winter and rough
weather. The poet invites the man having no ambition to live with him in the forest. There he will be
charmed with the simplicity of nature and the sweet songs of birds. He will also be satisfied with
whatever food he gets to eat.

(5) Sonnet-18 (William Shakespeare)

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature's changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st,
So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Theme: The poem, “Sonnet-18” deals with the power of poetry to preserve something and thus
immortalize it. The poet thinks that his friend’s beauty is everlasting while other beautiful objects of
nature are short-lived. They are subject to decay and death. But, time and death have no influence on his
friend’s beauty because it is preserved in this poem that will exist generation after generation. As long as
people will live on earth, they will read the poem and have the idea of his friend’s exceptional beauty.
Thus, the poet will be able to immortalize his friend’s beauty.

(6) Solitary Reaper (William Wordsworth)

Behold her , single in the field
You solitary High land lass!
Reaping and singing by herself
Stop here or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grains,
And sings a melancholy strain
O listen! For the vale profound
Is overwhelming with the sound.
No nightingale did ever chant
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travelers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands.

Theme : The poem is about the effect of a maiden’s sad song on the poet’s mind. The girl was
reaping and binding crops, and singing a song alone in a corn field. The song spread around the
valley. The poet was fascinated by the music of the girl’s melancholy song. It seemed to him that
the song of the girl was sweeter than that of the nightingale which sings to attract the travelers in
the Arabian Desert to mitigate their tiredness.

English poems for HSC

The Traffic Police

Summary: The poem focuses the light on the sense of duty and responsibility of a traffic police, the hero
of the road. He is always busy on the road in the midst of deadly speedy vehicles to make the roads noise
and danger free, direct the drivers and pedestrians, and ensure their comfort and safety. A traffic police
has to go through hardships and sufferings. He has to work sincerely by day and at night in both fair and
foul weather. He never neglects his duty. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects both his
ears and head seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his sorrows and
sufferings. So, we all should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

Theme: The poem focuses that well traffic management depends on the dutifulness of the traffic police.
A traffic police risking his life directs the drivers and pedestrians to ensure their safety. He has to work by
day and at night in both fair and foul weather. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects
both his ears and head seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his plight. The
poet indicates that we should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.
 The Traffic Police

Summary: The poem focuses the light on the sense of duty and responsibility of a traffic police, the hero
of the road. He is always busy on the road in the midst of deadly speedy vehicles to make the roads noise
and danger free, direct the drivers and pedestrians, and ensure their comfort and safety. A traffic police
has to go through hardships and sufferings. He has to work sincerely by day and at night in both fair and
foul weather. He never neglects his duty. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects both his
ears and head seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his sorrows and
sufferings. So, we all should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

Theme: The poem focuses that well traffic management depends on the dutifulness of the traffic police.
A traffic police risking his life directs the drivers and pedestrians to ensure their safety. He has to work by
day and at night in both fair and foul weather. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects
both his ears and head seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his plight. The
poet indicates that we should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

Theme: The poem focuses that well-management of anything depends on the sense of duty and
responsibility of the person concerned with it. So, well traffic management depends on the dutifulness of
the traffic police. A traffic police has to go through hardships and sufferings to direct the drivers and
pedestrians and ensure their comfort and safety. He has to work sincerely by day and at night in both fair
and foul weather in the midst of deadly speedy vehicles. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns
affects both his ears and head seriously. But the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his
sorrows and sufferings. So, we all should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

Love and Friendship

Theme: The poem highlights the intensity of man’s inhumanity and ingratitude to the others through
comparison and contrast to the intense effect of the biting cold of winter wind. The poet asserts that man’s
rudeness, ruthlessness, faithlessness and ungratefulness hurt another man more bitterly than the extreme
cold of forceful winter wind does. The poet laments in the absence of true love and friendship in human
heart, and says that false love and fake friendship shock others more intensely than the biting and stinging
effect of extremely cold winter wind. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the benefactor as well as his
forgetfulness of his friend is more painful for them than the intensity of frozen sky. Here, the poet
indirectly expects genuine human feelings for all human beings.
Out Out (By Robert Frost)

Summary/Theme of the poem: The poem is about the heartlessness of human beings and the horror
of child labour in the modern mechanical world. It actually depicts the helplessness of human beings in
the face of fatal accident and the subsequent death through the tragic death of a child labourer while he
was sawing wood with a buzz saw. In the last hour of the day, his sister’s call for supper diverted his
attention and his hand was caught and even chopped off by the saw. He was profusely bleeding, and the
light of his life had gone away. The boy could avoid the accident if the owner declared the end of the
day’s work half-an-hour earlier. But, in the busy mechanical world, people are like machines without
human feelings and sympathy, So, the boy had to embrace the death.
 I Have Seen Bengal’s Face (By Jibanananda Das )

I Have Seen Bengal's Face1

Because I have seen BengalÕs face I will seek no more; 1
The world has not anything more beautiful to show me.
Waking up in darkness, gazing at the fig-tree, I behold
DawnÕs swallows roosting under huge umbrella-like leaves. I look around me
And discover a leafy dome-Jam, Kanthal, Bat, Hijol and Aswatha trees- 5
All in a hush, shadowing clumps of cactus and zedoary bushes.
When long, long ago, Chand came in his honeycombed boat
To a blue Hijal, Bat and Tamal shade near the Champa, he too sighted
BengalÕs incomparable beauty. One day, alas. In the Ganguri,
On a raft, as the waning moon sank on the riverÕs sandbanks, 10
Behula too saw countless aswaths bats besides golden rice fields
And heard the thrushÕs soft song. One day, arriving in Amara,
Where gods held court, when she danced like a desolate wagtail,
BengalÕs rivers, fields, flowers, wailed like strings of bells on her feet. 14

Summary of the Poem: The poem is about the unparalleled natural beauty of Bengal. The poet believes
that the beauty of Bengal is enchanting and everlasting. Getting up early in the morning, he witnesses the
interplay of shadow and light amidst nature. The poet is profoundly impressed with the resting birds in
their nests, and the silence of the trees. Chand, a mythological merchant, was also fascinated with such
Bengal’s incomparable beauty when he came to Champak Nagar at dawn through the rivers of Bengal.
Again, his daughter-in-law, Behula, also a mythological character, witnessed the scenic beauty of Bengal
when she was accompanying her dead husband on a raft. The poet thinks that her pain was mingled with
the thrush’s soft song. The poet also thinks that when she danced like a desolate wagtail before the gods,
Bengal’s rivers, fields and flowers cried for her.

Theme of the Poem: The theme of the poem is the enchanting and everlasting natural beauty of
Bengal and its impact on the human mind. The poet is so profoundly impressed and satisfied with the
unique natural beauty of Bengal that he thinks Bengal as a complete furnished picture of the whole world.
It leaves /keeps a lasting impression on his inner mind. He asserts that the scenic beauty of Bengal is able
to mitigate the tiredness of a merchant like Chand, and the pain of long-suffering mind like Behula. Thus,
we find Jibananda Das as a real worshipper /lover of Bengal’s incomparable natural beauty.

A. “Dreams” by D. H. Lawrence

All people dream, but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.

**Summary of the poem, “Dreams” by D. H. Lawrence:

In his poem, “Dreams”, D. H. Lawrence has focused on both practical and unpractical dreams. The poet
says that dream during our sleep vanishes as soon as we wake up from sleep. This type of dream is unreal
and meaningless. These types of dreamers are great failure in their practical life. But the visionary people
dream to achieve something great. They determine their dreams consciously and struggle hard to reach
their desired goal. Actually, achieving something great requires a great task with hardship. So, the poet
says that the real dreamers are dangerous people and they struggle hard fearlessly to make their
dream true.

B. “Dreams” by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

**Summary of the poem, “Dreams” by Langston Hughes:

In his poem, “Dreams”, Langston Hughes advises the people to stick to the dreams. The poet says that
one’s dream should be firmly rooted in one’s mind. Dream is the driving force of life. Death of one’s
dream of life means a life that is unable to reach its fixed goal just as a wingless bird fails to fly to its
destination. The poet also says that people should not let their dreams go away rather hold them strongly.
Because, without dream, the life will be a barren field covered with snow. Then, nothing sublime will
come of that unproductive life. So, holding dream tightly is very important in human life.

“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W.B. Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made;
Nine bean rows will I have there, a hive for the honey bee
And live alone in the bee loud glade.
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet's wings
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heartÕs core.

Summary: The poem, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W. B. Yeats deals with the poet’s desire to go to
the lap of naure to get mental peace and happiness. The poet wants to go to the lake Isle of Innisfree, a
place of absolute peace away from the noisy city life. There, he will build a small cabin in the objects of
nature to live alone. The sweet songs of the birds, the humming sound of the bees, the soft light of the
moon and the sound of the lapping water will comfort him much. Thus, the poet will enjoy a happy and
peaceful life there. The fact is that the poet escapes from the harsh reality of city life into the world of
absolute peace.

“September 1, 1939” by W. H. Auden

I sit on one of the dives

On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire.
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives;
The unmentionable odour of death
Offends the September night.

Summary : The poem “September 1, 1939” written by W.H. Auden at the advent of World War-II deals
with the existing alarming environment and the poet’s assumption of the impending destruction and death
of War. The city people get afraid and insecured and the hopes and goodness of their mind are smashed
by anger and fear. The people are in despair in the dark land and their normal lives are hampered. The
poet senses the bad smell of the huge death upsetting the September night. Thus, the poet gives the real
picture of contemporary happenings and ensuing danger of the war.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Lord Alfred Tennyson

Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death,
Rode the six hundred.
‘Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns’ he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!

Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldiers knew
Some one had blunder’d:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,
 Cannon in front of them
Volley'd and thunder’d;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Summary : The poem The Charge of the Light Brigade by Lord Alfred Tennyson deals with the
heroism, patriotism and sense of duty of a brigade of 600 British soldiers who fought in the Crimean War.
It also focuses the cruelty and brutality of the war. To carry out a command, though wrong, the soldiers
on horseback charged the enemy forces and fought bravely against well-armed Russian soldiers. Though
they were able to scatter the enemy, the battle field turned into a valley of death for them. The poet asserts
that the soldiers with their glory will live in the mind of people forever.

‘She Walks in Beauty’ by Lord Byron

1
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
2
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

3
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

Summary : The poem deals with a woman’s exceptional beauty which reflects her inner goodness and
grace. The poet is very much impressed with her inner and outer beauty. Her beauty is compared to that
of a cloudless starry night. Her eyes are a peculiar mixture of dark and brightness. To him, she is so
innocent, pure and heavenly at heart. Sweet thoughts of her soft mind and innocent love of her heart win
the heart of the poet. So, the poet tends to describe the perfect beauty, tenderness and innocence of a
young lady.

ÔI Died For BeautyÕ by Emily Dickinson

I died for beauty, but was scarce

 Adjusted in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain
In an adjoining room.
He questioned softly why I failed?
ÔFor beauty,Õ I replied.
ÔAnd I for truth - the two are one;
We brethren are,Õ he said.
And so, as kinsmen met a-night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss had reached our lips,
And covered up our names.

Summary : The poem deals with the death, beauty and truth. With death, the body gradually perishes
but truth and beauty persist on earth. As truth and beauty are the same, the lover of beauty and the seeker
of truth remain connected with each other as ‘brethren’even after their death. Their deaths for their noble
ideals make them alive and they talk to each other until they are completely decomposed. Thus, the poem
expresses optimism for the afterlife.
“Dreams” by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Theme :The poet here advises the people to stick to the dreams. To him, one’s dream should be firmly rooted in
one’s mind. A life without dream is unable to reach its goal just as a wingless bird fails to fly to its destination. The
poet asserts that people should hold their dreams strongly to make life productive. Otherwise, life will be
meaningless.

Theme : In the poem, the poet advises the people to stick to the dreams. He says that one’s dream should
be firmly rooted in one’s mind. Death of one’s dream of life means a life that is unable to reach its goal
just as a wingless bird fails to fly to its destination. The poet also says that people should hold their life
strongly because the life without dream will be unproductive. So, holding dream tightly is very important
to succeed in life.

'The Schoolboy'
By
William Blake

I love to rise in a summer morn(MÖx‡®§i mKv‡j),

When the birds sing on every tree;
The distant huntsman (wkKvix) winds his horn (evuwk evRvq),
And the skylark (fiZ cvwL) sings with me:
O what sweet company! (wK gayi mO&M)
But to go to school in a summer morn, -
 O it drives all joy away! (me Avb›` Zvwo‡q †`q)
Under a cruel eye outworn, (wbôzi †Pv‡Li kvm‡b)
The little ones spend the day
In sighing and dismay.(`xN©k¦vm I nZvkvq)
Ah then at times I drooping sit,(fMœ g‡b e‡m _vwK)
And spend many an anxious hour; (DwØMœ mgq KvUvB)
Nor in my book can I take delight, (eB‡Z Avb›` cvB bv)
Nor sit in learning's bower, (covi K‡¶ e‡m)
Worn through with the dreary shower. (welv` el©‡Y K¬všZ n‡q hvB)
How can the bird that is born for joy
Sit in a cage and sing?(Avb‡›`i cvwL wKfv‡e LvuPvq e‡m MvB‡Z cv‡i?)
How can a child, when fears annoy,
But droop his tender wing,
And forget his youthful spring!
(wkï wKfv‡e f‡q emšZ fz‡j †Kvgj Wvbv ‡bwZ‡q e‡m _vK‡Z cv‡i?)
O father and mother if buds are nipped, (Kzwuo AsKz‡i bó nq)
And blossoms blown away; (dzj¸‡jv Dwo‡q †bIqv nq)
And if the tender plants (KwP Pviv¸‡jv) are stripped (Dc‡o †djv nq)
Of their joy in the springing day,
By sorrow and care's dismay, - (h‡Zœi Ae‡njvq)
How shall the summer arise in joy, (emšZ Avb‡›` †R‡M DV‡e)
Or the summer fruits appear?
Or how shall we gather what griefs destroy, (hv `y:L webvk K‡i)
Or bless the mellowing year, (my›`i w`b¸‡jv Avwk©ev` n‡q)
When the blasts of winter appear? (hLb kx‡Zi AvNvZ Avm‡e)

Theme: The poem is about the children’s inborn feeling of free movement in the free environment. It
supports the playful learning environment for the children. To the poet, the prison-like classroom with the
teachers’ unkind treatment disheartens (‡K‡o †bqv) the children and retards their creativity. So, he
prefers a free and pleasant environment to a restricted (mxgveØ) one for the flourish of child-talent.

Theme: The poem is about the children’s inborn feeling of free movement in the free environment. It
supports the playful learning environment for the children and negates the constraints ( mxgveØZv) of
formal classroom. The poet asserts that the prison-like classroom with the teachers’ unkind treatment robs
(‡K‡o †bq) the children of their childhood happiness and retards their natural expression of creativity.
So, the poet prefers a free and pleasant environment to a restricted (mxgveØ) one for the flourish of
child-talent, and for building up a fruitful career for them.

Love and friendship

Love and friendship are the two important demands of human life. Human life becomes unlivable in their
absence. Though human beings need them badly, true love and friendship are difficult to find. The short
song from William Shakespeare’s (1564 - 1616) play As You Like It laments the absence of true love
and friendship in human life.
Now read the lyric and write the theme of the poem.

Blow, blow (cÖevwnZ nIqv), thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind (wb`©q)
As man's ingratitude (AK…ZÁZv) ;
 Thy tooth is not so keen (aviv‡jv),
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath (wb:k¦vm) be rude (iƒp).
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly (meyR ebvbx):
Most friendship is feigning (fvb), most loving mere folly (‡evKvgx):
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly (nvwmLywk).
Freeze (wng n‡q hvIqv), freeze, thou bitter (wbVyi) sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp (Rjaviv wn‡g evu‡av),
Thy sting (`skb) is not so sharp (aviv‡jv),
As friend remembered (¯§iY Kiv), not.
High-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly...

Love and Friendship

Theme: The poem laments the absence of true love and friendship in human life. The poet asserts that a
man’s rudeness and ungratefulness hurt others more bitterly than the cold winter wind. False love and
fake friendship shock others. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the benefactor and his forgetfulness of his
friend are more painful for them than the intensity of frozen sky.

Love and Friendship

Theme: The poem by William Shakespeare laments the absence of true love and friendship in human life.
It highlights the intensity of man’s inhumanity and ingratitude to the others. The poet asserts that man’s
rudeness and ungratefulness hurt another man more bitterly than the extreme cold of forceful winter wind.
He says that false love and fake friendship shock others very intensely. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the
benefactor and his forgetfulness of his friend are more painful for them than the intensity of frozen sky.

‘Out, Out-‘
By
Robert Frost
The buzz saw (we`y¨r PvwjZ KivZ) snarled (MR©b Kiv) and rattled (SbSb kØ Kiv) in the yard 1
And made dust and dropped (‡d‡j †`Iqv) stove-length sticks of wood (R¡vjvwb Kv‡Vi UyKiv),
Sweet-scented stuff (wgvó M›×) when the breeze drew across it.
And from there those that lifted eyes could count
Five mountain ranges (ce©Zgvjv) one behind the other 5
Under the sunset far into Vermont.
And the saw snarled and rattled, snarled and rattled,
As it ran light (KvV Qvov), or had to bear a load.
And nothing happened: day was all but done.
Call it a day, I wish they might have said 10
To please the boy by giving him the half hour
That a boy counts so much when saved from work.
His sister stood beside him in her apron
 To tell them ÔSupper.Õ(iv‡Zi Lvevi) At the word, the saw,
As if to prove saws knew what supper meant, 15
Leaped (jvwd‡q DVv) out at the boyÕs hand, or seemed to leap --
He must have given the hand. However it was,
Neither refused the meeting. But the hand!
The boyÕs first outcry (wPrKvi) was a rueful (`y:Lgq) laugh,
As he swung (Sz‡K cov) toward them holding up the hand 20
Half in appeal, but half as if to keep
The life from spilling (bó bv K‡i i¶v Kiv). Then the boy saw all --
Since he was old enough to know, big boy
Doing a manÕs work, though a child at heart --
He saw all spoiled(bó n‡q hvIqv). "DonÕt let him cut my hand off -- 25
The doctor, when he comes. Don't let him, sister!"
So. But the hand was gone already.
The doctor put him in the dark of ether (e¨_vbvkK †KIqv).
He lay and puffed (`ªyZ wbk¦vm †bIqv) his lips out with his breath.
And then-the watcher at his pulse took fright. 30
No one believed. They listened at his heart.
Little - less - nothing! - and that ended it.
No more to build on there. And they, since they
Were not the one dead, turned to their affairs (Kv‡R wd‡i †Mj). 34

Theme : The poem is about the horror of child labour in the modern mechanized world. It depicts the
tragic death of a boy working in a saw-mill. Suddenly, his hand was cut off by the saw and the light of his
life had gone out gradually for profuse bleeding. He embraced death, but life kept moving normally.

The poem is about the horror of child labour in the modern mechanical world. It depicts the reality of
man’s life through the tragic death of a working boy in a saw-mill. His sister’s sudden call for supper
diverted his attention and his hand was cut off by the saw. The light of his life had gone away gradually
for profuse bleeding. If the day’s work ended half-an-hour earlier, the boy could avoid the death.

Theme of the poem: The poem is about man’s heartlessness and the horror of child labour in the
modern mechanical world. It depicts the realities of man’s life through the tragic death of a working boy
in a saw-mill.(People working there had hardly any free time to enjoy the natural beauty around them.)
While the boy was sawing wood with a buzz saw, his sister’s call for supper diverted his attention and his
hand was caught and even chopped off by the saw. The light of his life had gone away gradually for his
profuse bleeding. The boy could avoid the accident if the day’s work ended half-an-hour earlier. But, for
the people without human feelings and sympathy, the boy had to embrace the death.

#Write the theme of the poem (Not more than 50 words).

Blow, blow (cÖevwnZ nIqv), thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind (wb`©q)
As man's ingratitude (AK…ZÁZv) ;
Thy tooth is not so keen (aviv‡jv),
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath (wb:k¦vm) be rude (iƒp).
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly (meyR ebvbx):
Most friendship is feigning (fvb), most loving mere folly (‡evKvgx):
 Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly (nvwmLywk).
Freeze (wng n‡q hvIqv), freeze, thou bitter (wbVyi) sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp (Rjaviv wn‡g evu‡av),
Thy sting (`skb) is not so sharp (aviv‡jv),
As friend remembered (¯§iY Kiv), not.
High-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly...

Theme: The poem laments the absence of true love and friendship in human life. The poet asserts that a man’s
rudeness and ungratefulness hurt others more bitterly than the cold winter wind. False love and fake friendship
shock others. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the benefactor and his forgetfulness of his friend are more painful for
them than the intensity of frozen sky.

#Write the theme of the poem (Not more than 50 words).

I died for beauty, but was scarce (AvZO&K wQj)

Adjusted (gvwb‡q †bIqv) in the tomb,
When one who died for truth was lain (kvwqZ wQj)
In an adjoining room (cv‡ki K‡¶).
He questioned softly (‡Kvgjfv‡e wR‡Ám K‡iwQj) why I failed?
‘For beauty,’ I replied.
‘And I for truth - the two are one;
We brethren (fvB fvB) are,’ he said.
And so, as kinsmen (AvZ¥xq) met a-night,
We talked between the rooms,
Until the moss (‡kIjv) had reached our lips,
And covered up (‡X‡K w`j) our names.

Theme : The poem deals with the death, beauty and truth. With death, the body gradually perishes (bó n‡q hvq)
but truth and beauty persist (wU‡K _v‡K). The lover of beauty (‡mŠ›`h© †cÖwgK) and the seeker of truth
(m‡Z¨i AbymÜvbKvix) remain connected with each other even after their death. Their deaths for their noble
ideals (gnr Av`k©) make them alive (‡eu‡P _vKv) until they are completely decomposed (c‡P hvIqv). Thus,
the poem expresses optimism (Avkvev`) for the afterlife.

#Write the theme of the poem (Not more than 50 words).

I will arise (‡R‡M DVv) and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin (‡QvU Ni) build there, of clay (gvwU) and wattles (bj-LvMov) made;
Nine bean rows (wm‡gi mvwi) will I have there, a hive (‡gŠPvK) for the honey bee
And live alone in the bee loud glade (‡gŠgvwQ ¸ÄwiZ e‡b).
And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow(ax‡i ax‡i †dvUvq †dvUvq)
Dropping from the veils of the morning (‡fv‡ii c`©v †_‡K †dvUvq †dvUvq Siv) to where the cricket sings;
There midnight's all a glimmer (wgUwgU R‡j), and noon a purple glow (‡Mvjvcx Avfv),
And evening full of the linnet's wings (cvwLi Wvbvq c~Y©)
I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore (ü‡`i cvwb Zx‡i AvQ‡o cov) ;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements (dzUcvZ) grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core (A›Z‡ii A›Z¯’‡j).

Theme: The poem deals with (Av‡jvPbv Kiv) the poet’s desire to go to the lap of nature (cÖK…wZi †Kv‡j),
the lake Isle of Innisfree away from the noisy city life to get mental peace from the birds’ sweet songs, bees’
humming (¸b ¸b kã) sound and the silvery moon (ïå Pvu`). The poet wants to escape (gyw³ cvIqv) from the
harsh (KK©k/wZ³) reality of city life into the world of absolute (cig) peace.

#Write the theme of the poem (Not more than 50 words).

 Because I have seen BengalÕs face I will seek (‡LvuR Kiv) no more; 1
The world has not anything more beautiful to show me.
Waking up(‡R‡M DVv) in darkness, gazing at(‡P‡q _vKv) the fig-tree(Wzgyi MvQ), I behold
DawnÕs swallows roosting (‡fv‡ii †`v‡qj cvwL e‡m Av‡Q) under huge umbrella-like leaves. I look around me
And discover a leafy dome (cvZvi mZyc) -Jam, Kanthal, Bat, Hijol and Aswatha trees- 5
All in a hush (Pzc), shadowing (Qvqv) clumps of cactus (dbxgbmvi †Sv‡c and zedoary bushes(kwUe‡b).
When long, long ago, Chand came in his honeycombed boat (gayKi wWOv)
To a blue Hijal, Bat and Tamal shade near the Champa (bMix), he too sighted
BengalÕs incomparable (AZyjbxq) beauty. One day, alas. In the Ganguri,
On a raft (‡fjv), as the waning moon (¶wqÂy Pvu`) sank on the riverÕs sandbanks, 10
Behula too saw countless (AmsL¨) aswaths bats besides golden rice fields (‡mvbvjx av‡bi †¶‡Z)
And heard the thrushÕs (k¨vgv cvwL) soft song. One day, arriving in Amara,
Where gods held court (B‡b`ªi mfvq), when she danced like a desolate wagtail(GK ai‡bi cvwL),
BengalÕs rivers, fields, flowers, wailed (‡K‡`uwQj) like strings of bells (NyOy‡ii gZ) on her feet. 14

Theme : The poem is about the unique (Abb¨) beauty of Bengal and its impact (cÖfve) on the human mind. The
poet is profoundly impressed (gy» nIqv) with Bengal’s beauty and thinks her as a complete picture (mvwe©K
wPÎ) of the whole world. So, he need not see other countries to satisfy (cwiZ…ß Kiv) his thirst for beauty
(‡mŠ›`h© wccvmv). To him, the scenic beauty of Bengal is able to mitigate (cÖkwgZ Kiv) one’s pain of
mind (g‡bi †e`bv).

5. “September 1, 1939” by W. H. Auden

I sit on one of the dives (bar/club) (cvbkvjv)

On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain (AwbwðZ) and afraid(kwO&KZ)
As the clever hopes expire(wb:‡kl nIqv).
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright(‡µva I f‡qi †XD¸‡jv D¾¡‡ji Dci Qwo‡q c‡o)
And darkened lands of the earth(c„w_ex‡K AÜKvi K‡iwQj),
Obsessing our private lives(e¨w³MZ Rxeb‡K Av”Qbœ K‡iwQj);
The unmentionable odour of death (mxgvnxb g„Zz¨i MÜ)
Offends (fviµv›Z K‡i) the September night.
Theme: The poem deals with the existing (Pjgvb) alarming (AvZwO&KZ) environment and the impending (Avmbœ)
destruction and death of World War-II. The people get afraid and insecure (wbivc`nxb) losing the goodness of their mind by
anger and fear. They are in despair(nZvkv) in the dark land and their normal lives are hampered(¯^vfvweK Rxeb). The poet
feels the bad smell of the huge death upsetting (fviµv›Z K‡i) the September night.

6. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

By
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Water, water, everywhere

And all the boards did shrink (msKzwPZ nIqv);

Water, water, everywhere

Nor any drop to drink.

Theme of the Poem: The poem reveals (cÖKvk Kiv) that human beings bring misfortune (`yf©vM¨) and misery
(`y`©kv) to their life by inconsiderate (Awe‡eP‡Ki gZ) activities. The speaker of the poem, the old sailor and his shipmates
were the victims of the killing of an albatross. Their ship got shrunk (msKzwPZ n‡qwQj) and they did not have any drop of
drinking water though there was ample(cÖPzi) water in the sea.
 7. A. “Dreams” by D. H. Lawrence

All people dream, but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,(wb®úÖvY g‡b wbf…‡Z)
Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity. (wg_¨v/AšZ:mvik~b¨)

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,

For they dream their dreams with open eyes,
And make them come true.
Theme of the poem: The poem is about both practical and unpractical dreams. To the poet, the dream one dreams
during sleep is unreal and meaningless. Such dreamers are great failure in practical life. But, the visionary people
dream to achieve something great. They are real dreamers and struggle fearlessly to make their dreams true.

8. “Dreams” by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Theme: The poet here advises the people to stick to the dreams. To him, one’s dream should be firmly rooted in
one’s mind. A life without dream is unable to reach its goal as a wingless bird fails to fly to its destination. The poet
asserts that people should hold their dreams strongly to make life productive. Otherwise, life will be meaningless.

The Traffic Police

Read the poem given below and write Summary and then Theme of it:

Amidst (gv‡S) killer speeds (cÖvYNvZx MwZ) I stand

Facing the traffic (hvbevn‡bi gy‡LvgywL), stretching my hand(nvZ cÖmvwiZ K‡i).
I am seen on kidsÕ books (wkï‡`i eB‡q) and as cartoons (e¨½wPÎ wnmv‡e) everywhere
Educating people(gvbyl‡`i wk¶v w`‡Z) and asking them to beware(m‡PZb n‡Z)
Of the erratic(e¨¯Z) traffic and the signboards
Seen on almost all the roads.
So that youÕre safe I see each one of you
But my sweat (Nvg), my plight (`~`©kv) on the road sees who?
Be it sunny (‡iŠ`ª¾j) or rainy,
For your safety (wbivcËv) I must be
Vigil (mRvM) and agile (Kg©Zrci), on the middle
Standing erect (‡mvRv n‡q `vwo‡q), as fit as a fiddle (myVvg †`‡n).
Oh! My ear hurts (Kvb e¨_v Kiv)! Oh! My head aches! (gv_v e¨_v Kiv)
Oh! Look at the weather...such unpredictable days! (AwbwðZ w`‡b)
But I cannot swerve (`wqZ¡ Gov‡bv); I must be on duty (Kg©iZ _vKv).
I care for your safety.
Be it noisy or dusty (a~jvgq); Be it sunny or rainy;
I must be on duty. I care for your safety.
 The Traffic Police

Summary: The poem focuses the light on the sense of duty and responsibility of a traffic police, the hero
of the road. He is always busy on the road in the midst of deadly speedy vehicles to make the roads noise
and danger free, direct the drivers and pedestrians, and ensure their comfort and safety. A traffic police
has to go through hardships and sufferings. He has to work sincerely by day and at night in both fair and
foul weather. He never neglects his duty. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects both his
ears and head seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his sorrows and
sufferings. So, we all should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

Theme: The poem focuses that well traffic management depends on the dutifulness of the traffic police.
A traffic police risking his life directs the drivers and pedestrians to ensure their safety. He has to work by
day and at night in both fair and foul weather. The continuous loud sound of the vehicle-horns affects
both his ears and head seriously. But, the people for whom he risks his life hardly think of his plight. The
poet indicates that we should learn to realize others’ pain and suffering from our own ones.

Love and friendship

Love and friendship are the two important demands of human life. Human life becomes unlivable in their
absence. Though human beings need them badly, true love and friendship are difficult to find. The short
song from William Shakespeare’s (1564 - 1616) play As You Like It laments the absence of true love and
friendship in human life.
Now read the lyric and write the theme of the poem.

Blow, blow (cÖevwnZ nIqv), thou winter wind,

Thou art not so unkind (wb`©q)
As man's ingratitude (AK…ZÁZv) ;
Thy tooth is not so keen (aviv‡jv),
Because thou art not seen,
Although thy breath (wb:k¦vm) be rude (iƒp).
Heigh-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly (meyR ebvbx):
Most friendship is feigning (fvb), most loving mere folly (‡evKvgx):
Then heigh-ho, the holly!
This life is most jolly (nvwmLywk).
Freeze (wng n‡q hvIqv), freeze, thou bitter (wbVyi) sky,
That dost not bite so nigh
As benefits forgot:
Though thou the waters warp (Rjaviv wn‡g evu‡av),
Thy sting (`skb) is not so sharp (aviv‡jv),
As friend remembered (¯§iY Kiv), not.
High-ho! sing heigh-ho! unto the green holly...

Theme : Love and Friendship

Theme: The poem by William Shakespeare laments the absence of true love and friendship in human life.
It highlights the intensity of man’s inhumanity and ingratitude to the others. The poet asserts that man’s
rudeness and ungratefulness hurt another man more bitterly than the extreme cold of forceful winter wind.
He says that false love and fake friendship shock others very intensely. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the
benefactor and his forgetfulness of his friend are more painful for them than the intensity of frozen sky.

Love and Friendship

Theme: The poem highlights the intensity of man’s inhumanity and ingratitude to the others through
comparison and contrast to the intense effect of the biting cold of winter wind. The poet asserts that man’s
rudeness, ruthlessness, faithlessness and ungratefulness hurt another man more bitterly than the extreme
cold of forceful winter wind does. The poet laments in the absence of true love and friendship in human
heart, and says that false love and fake friendship shock others more intensely than the biting and stinging
effect of extremely cold winter wind. Again, one’s ungratefulness to the benefactor as well as his
forgetfulness of his friend is more painful for them than the intensity of frozen sky. Here, the poet
indirectly expects genuine human feelings for all human beings.