English poem-O God Beautiful ‘*

O God Beautiful ‘*
















O God beautiful, O God beautiful,
At Thy feet, O I do bow!
O God beautiful, O God beautiful,
In the forest Thou art green;
In the mountain Thou art high;
In the river Thou art restless;
In the ocean Thou art grave.
O God beautiful, O God beautiful,
At Thy feet, O I do bow!
To the service ful Thou art service;
To the lover Thou art love;
To the sorrowful Thou art sympathy;
To the yogi Thou art bliss.
O God beautiful, O God beautiful,
At Thy feet, O I do bow!
O God beautiful, O God beautiful!

                                                   -Guru Nanak

I. Answer each of the following questions in a sentence or two:

1. Is God at rest in the river? Give a reason or two for your  answer.
2. Who does he show sympathy?
3. Who enjoys bliss?
4. God is Love. What else is He?
5. Does the poet see himself as a lover and a yogi? Why?
6. Where does the poet find God?

II. Match the following words with their suitable qualities.

mountain -             restless
ocean -                   service
serviceful -               love
forest -                     green
lover -                      grave
sorrowful -                high
yogi -                       sympathy
river -                         bliss

English poem-ON HEARING A SYMPHONY OF BEETHOVEN

POEM

ON HEARING A SYMPHONY OF BEETHOVEN

Sweets sounds, Oh, beautiful music, do not cease!
Reject me not into the world again.
With you alone is excellence and peace,
Mankind made plausible, his purpose plain
Enchanted in your air benign and shrewd,
With limbs a-sprawl and empty faces pale,
The spiteful and the stingy and rude
Sleep like the scullions in the fairy - tale.
This moment is the best the world can give:
The tranquil blossom on the tortured stem.
Reject me not, sweet sounds; oh, let me live,
Till Doom espy my towers and scatter them,
A city spell-bound under the aging Sun.
Music my rampart, and my only one.
                                             
                                                          - Edna St. Vincent Millay


Comprehension

I. Answer the following questions in a sentence or two.
1. Why does the poet plead the music not to stop?
2. Which words describes the quality of the music?
3. What is the effect of the music on listeners?
4. Does the music guard one against the difficulties one faces in life?
5. What is the mood of the poem?


II. Pick out the pairs of rhyming words in the poem
e.g. cease - peace
............................

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English poem-A DOG IS A DOG

POEM

A DOG IS A DOG

Now dogs pretend they like to fight;
They often bark, more seldom bite;
But yet a Dog is, on the whole,
What you would call a simple soul.
Of course I’m not including Pekes,
And such fantastic canine freaks.
The usual Dog about the Town
Is much inclined to play the clown
And far from showing too much pride
Is frequently undignified.
He’s very easily taken in—
Just chuck him underneath the chin
Or slap his back or shake his paw,
And he will gambol and guffaw.
He’s such an easy-going lout,
He’ll answer any hail or shout.
Again I must remind you that
A Dog’s a Dog — A CAT’S A CAT.

                                                        - T S Eliot


Comprehension

I. Answer each of the following questions in one or two lines.

1. Who is the gullible dog here?
2. What does the expression ‘canine freaks’ refer to?
3. List out the qualities of a town dog as given in the poem.
4. What does the poet mean by, ‘A Dog’s a Dog — A CAT’S A CAT?’

II. Pick out the words that rhyme with:
i) fight -
ii)whole -
iii) town -
iv) pride -
v) paw -
vi) lout -

English poem,Robert Louis Stevenson's poem-THE MOON

POEM

THE MOON

The moon has a face like the clock in the hall;
She shines on thieves on the garden wall,
On streets and fields and harbour quays,
And birdies asleep in the forks of the trees.
The squalling cat and the squeaking mouse,
The howling dog by the door of the house,
The bat that lies in bed at noon,
All love to be out by the light of the moon.
But all of the things that belong to the day
Cuddle to sleep to be out of her way;
And flowers and children close their eyes
Till up in the morning the sun shall rise.

                              - Robert Louis Stevenson

Comprehension

I. Answer the following questions.
1. What is the moon compared to?
2. Where does the moon shine?
3. Where do the birdies sleep?
4. Who are out by moonlight?
5. Why do the flowers and children close their eyes?


II. Pick out the pairs of rhyming words in the poem.

e.g. hall – wall


III.
1. How does the poet refer to the moon- a girl or a boy?
2. It is used in cricket. But it is out in moonlight. What is it?
3. Do you like to be out in the moonlight?
4. What do you feel when you see a full moon in the sky?
5. Is there any similarity among the words squalling, squeaking and howling?
6. Which do you like the most – the sun, the moon or the stars?

English poem-HOW THE LITTLE KITE LEARNED TO FLY

                  POEM

HOW THE LITTLE KITE
       LEARNED TO FLY

“I never can do it,” the little kite said,
As he looked at the others high over his head.
“I know I should fall if I tried to fly.”
“Try,” said the big kite, only try!
Or I fear you never will learn at all.”
But the little kite said: “I’m afraid I’ll fall.”
The big kite nodded: “Ah, well, good-by;
I am off.” And he rose toward the tranquil sky.
Then the little kite’s paper stirred at the sight.
And trembling he shook himself free for flight.
First whirling and frightened, then braver grown,
Up, up he rose through the air alone,
Till the big kite looking down could see
The little one rising steadily
Then how the little kite thrilled with pride,
As he sailed with the big kite side by side!
While far below he could see the ground,
And the boys like small spots moving round.
They rested high in the quiet air,
And only the birds and clouds were there.
“Oh, how happy I am,” the little kite cried.
“And all because I was brave and tried.”
                                                - Katherine Pyle


Comprehension

I. Answer the following questions in one or two sentences:

1. What did the little kite think it can never do?
2. What did the kite think would happen if it ever tried to fly?
3. How did the big kite react to the fear of the small kite?
4. Who were the only companions to the little kite up in the air?
5. How did the small kite feel when he sailed with the big kite?

II. Answer the following:

1. Why do you think has the big kite left the little one behind?
2. Read the line, ‘……the little kite’s paper stirred at the sight’? What was the sight that made it stir?
3. Which lines in the poem tell that the big kite did keep an eye on the little one?
4. Pick out the figure of speech in the line, “And the boys like small spots moving ‘round.’

5. What message does the poem convey?

Rabindranath Tagore'poem- I CANNOT REMEMBER MY MOTHER

POEM

I CANNOT REMEMBER MY MOTHER

I cannot remember my mother
only sometimes in the midst of my play
a tune seems to hover over my playthings,
the tune of some song that she used to
hum while rocking my cradle.
I cannot remember my mother
but when in the early autumn morning
the smell of the shiuli flowers floats in the air
the scent of the morning service in the temple
comes to me as the scent of my mother.
I cannot remember my mother
only when from my bedroom window I send
my eyes into the blue of the distant sky,
I feel that the stillness of
my mother’s gaze on my face
has spread all over the sky.

                                     - Rabindranath Tagore
                                     from ‘Sishu Bholanath


Answer the following questions.

1. Who wrote the poem?

2. What is the poet reminded of when he saw his playthings?

3. How does the poet feel the presence of his mother?

4. What do you think would have happened to the poet’s mother?

5. Bring about your feelings about your mother.

Children poem-tree

POEM-TREE

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 he eats,
And pleased with what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither:
Here shall he see
No enemy
But winter and rough weather.

- W Shakespeare



Answer the following

1. Where does the poet invite us?
2. What shall one see in the world of Nature?
3. What should one keep away from to become one with Nature?
4. Does the poet live in the greenwood?


II. Pick out the words that rhyme with :

e.g. tree - me
note -
shun -

III. What is the theme of the song?