TS 9th Class English Guide Unit 4B The River (Poem)
River, river, little river!
Bright you sparkle on your way;
Oer the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play.
River, river! swelling river!
On you rush through rough and smooth;
Louder, faster, brawling, leaping,
Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping
Like impetuous youth.
River, river! brimming river!
Broad and deep, and still as time;
Seeming still, yet still in motion,
Tending onward to the ocean,
Just like mortal prime.
River, river! headlong river!
Down you dash into the sea,
Sea that line hath never sounded,
Sea that sail hath never rounded,
Like eternity
Questions and Answers:
I. Answer the following Questions
Question 1.
Is the river like a child ? Why ?
Answer:
In the initial stage of its journey the river appears to be a child. The river shines and dances like a child in its journey
Question 2.
Why does the poet call it swelling riverf?
Answer:
While describing the second stage of the journey of the river, the poet calls it swelling river. Swelling means increasing or expanding in size. The river in its second stage increases and expands in size. So the poet calls it so
Question 3.
Seeming still yet still in motion. What does the word still mean in either case?
Answer:
In the first case still means calm and quiet and in the second case still means continuing. In the third stage the river appears to be calm and quiet and at the same time it seems to be continuing its journey with the spirit of youth
Question 4.
How does the sea remind you of eternity?
Answer:
Eternity means life continuing without end after death. When the river joins the sea, it loses its life. But it continues to live in the form of a sea after its death
Question 5.
What do the river and the sea remind the poet of
Answer:
The river and its journey reminds the growth and achievements of a man. The sea reminds the eternal life of man after his death
QuestionII.
Read the poem once again and list the words in the poem which show the movement of the river at various stages?
Answer:
The following words in the poem show the movement of the river at various stages
- dancing
- swelling
- rush
- brawling
- leaping
- sweeping
- motion
- dash
- sail
QuestionIII.
What are the images referred in the poem? How do they add to the beauty of the poem?
Answer:
The phrases or words that can describe and visualise the sfcene and the thoughts are called word pictures.
The following are the word pictures used in the poem. They make the reader understand the thoughts of the poet clearly. They add to the beauty of the poem by visualising the thoughts into pictures
List of Images :
- little river!
- the flowers and foliage glancing
- swelling river!
- impetuous youth
- broad and deep
- headlong river!
- the yellow pebbles dancing
- child at play
- rose-banks
- brimming river
- seeming still
- dash Into the sea
QuestionIV.
Read the following comparisons:
She skims like a bird.
Her face shines as the moon in the sky.
Pick out similar expressions from the poem The River. Say why the poet hae made theee comparisons. What would you compare them to?
Answer:
In each stanza of the poem there Is one comparison like mentioned above. The comparisons made using like or as are called similes. A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two-different things, usually by erhploying the words "like" or "as"
The poets make such comparisons to present and show similar characteristics, qualities or nature in two different things
- River, river, little river!
Bright you sparkle on your way;
Oer the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play.
In this stanza the poet compared the river to a child at play. But I would like to compare the river at this stage to a young deer
- River, river! swelling river!
On you rush through rough and smooth;
Louder, faster, brawling, leaping,
Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping
Like impetuous youth.
In this stanza the poet compared the river to a man in youth. But I would like to compare the river at this stage to a horse in youth
- River, river! brimming river!
Broad and deep, and still as time;
Seeming still, yet still in motion,
Tending onward to the ocean,
Just like mortal prime.
In this stanza the poet compared the river to a grown-up man. But I would like to compare the river at this stage to a blossomed flower
- River, river! headlong river!
Down you dash into the sea,
Sea that line hath never sounded,
Sea that sail hath never rounded,
Like eternity.
In this stanza the poet compared the river to an old man. But I would like to compare the river at this stage to a ripe fruit
QuestionV.
Fill the table with your understanding of the poem?
Answer:
| Stanza |
Poets Idea |
What is the river compared to? |
Similarities |
| 1 |
young river |
a child |
Both the river and the child dance and sparkle |
| 2 |
youthful river |
a man in youth |
Both the river and the youthful man seem to be powerful, energetic and rough. Both grow up well at this stage |
| 3 |
grown up river |
a grown up man |
Both the river and the grown up man seem to be peaceful |
| 4 |
aged river |
an old and ripe man to be in complete form. |
Both the river and the aged man are ready to disappear |
QuestionVI.
Now, read the last line of each stanza. What do these lines say about the river?
Answer:
The last line of each stanza says about the nature and characteristic features of the river
QuestionVII.
Do the river and Its movement suggest something else to you?
Answer:
Yes. The river and its movement suggest that the journey of a river has similar characteristics of the life journey of a man
QuestionVIII.
Attempt an appreciation of the poem comparing and contrasting your experi¬ence of a river with that of the poet?
Answer:
The poets comparisons are quite convincing and apt while comparing the life journey of the river to the life journey of a man in different stages of its life. But in my experience and understanding the river in the first stage is just like a young deer. In the second stage it appears to be a youthful horse. In the third stage it appears to be a blossomed flower. In the last stage it appears to be a ripe fruit
The River (Poem) Summary in English
In this poem the journey of a river is compared to the life journey of a man. As there are many stages in the life span of a man, there are many stages in the journey of the river. In the beginning the river shines and overflows on the small pebbles just like a child dances and plays actively. It flows past the flowers and leaves
In the second stage the river flows fast through rough and smooth places. It makes louder sounds. It jumps and struggles in its journey. It appears to be in its full youth just like a man in youth.
In the third stage the river seems to be broad and deep. It appears to be still in youth. It seems to be peaceful. It flows towards the ocean. It seems to be experiencing an important part of its life journey just like a grown-up man in peace with broad and wide thinking
In the last stage the river appears to be with the head first and the rest of the body following it. It runs and rushes into the sea. It sails into the sea. It makes no sounds. It silently disappears as an old man passes away. It seems to have its life in continuation
About the Poet:
Caroline Ann Bowles (1786-1854) was married to Robert Southey who was the poet laureate of Britain. She wrote various other works including Chapter on Churchyard and Tales of the Factories
Glossary:
sparkle (v) : reflect; shine
foliage (n) : leaves
glancing (adj) : taking a brief look
swelling (adj) : increasing or expanding in size
brawling (adj) : struggling
rose.banks (n) : riverbanks where roses (flowers) appear along
Impetuous (adj) : rash; acting quickly without thinking
brimming (adj) : full; full of
tending (adj) : going in a particular way
mortal prime (n) : the best part of ones life that cannot last for ever
headlong (adv) : with the head first and the rest of the body following
hath (v) : has
eternity (n) : life continuing without end after death