The Poem “The Brook” is Poem 5 taken from Tulip Series English for students of Class 8 of JKBOSE Board for students of Jammu and Kashmir. The poem is written by Alfred Tennyson. This particular post is about The Brook Poem 5 Summary and Question Answers. You will find Difficult words and their meanings, a Summary of the poem The Brook and Question Answers to the poem The Brook. In my previous post, I discussed Prayer for Strength Poem 4 Summary and Question Answers. So, let’s not waste more time and start today’s post.
The Brook Poem 5 Summary and Question Answers
Introduction
The poem “The Brook” describes the beauty of a brook. A brook is not only beautiful to see but also very pleasing to hear. Its water makes melodious sounds as it flows through woods and valleys. The brook narrates the story of its musical journey along these places. The imagery of sight and sound are blended in the poem by employing exquisite words and expressions.
Poem 5: The Brook (By Alfred Tennyson)
I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
Till last by Philip’s farm, I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.
With many a curve on my banks, I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow.
I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
I wind about, and in and out,
With here a blossom sailing,
And here and there a lusty trout,
And here and there a grayling,
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery water break
Above the golden gravel,
And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grows for happy lovers.
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;
And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
Difficult Words and Their Meanings
Word | English Meaning | Hindi Meaning | Urdu Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
Haunt | A place visited frequently | अड्डा | اڈہ |
Coot and hern | Water birds | जल पक्षी | پانی کے پرندے |
Sally | To rush; to issue forth suddenly | तेज़ी से आगे बढ़ना | تیزی سے آگے سر کرنا |
Bicker | To move quickly with a participating noise | शोर मचाते हुए बहना | شور مچاتے ہوئے بہنا |
Ridge | A high edge along a mountain | चोटी | پہاڑی چوٹی |
Thorp | Village | गांव | گاؤں |
Sharps and trebles | The loud and low sound of music | संगीत की तेज और धीमी आवाज | میوزک کی تیز اور کم آواز |
Eddying bays | Bays full of whirlpools | भँवरों से भरी खाड़ी | بھنوروں سے بھرا ہوا خلیج |
Fret | To wear away | झल्लाहट | زلاہٹ |
Fallow | Unploughed land | बंजर भूमि | بنجر زمین |
Foreland | Tiny cape | समुद्र में घुसा हुआ स्थल भाग | سمندر میں روزا ہوا مقام حصہ |
Chatter | To pass with a noise | शोर के साथ गुजरना | شورو کے ساتھ گجرنا |
Wind about | To move in a curved way | घुमावदार तरीके से चलना | گھومنا |
Lusty | Strong | मजबूत | مضبوط |
Grayling | A trout having a broad fin | एक प्रकार की मछली | ایک ترہ کی مچھلی |
Gravel | Small stones, often used to make the surface of paths & roads | कंकर | بجری |
Steal | To move quietly | चुपचाप चलना | چپ چاپ چلنا |
Hazel | A small tree that produces nuts, woods or buses | एक प्रकार की झाड़ी | جھاڑی کی ایک قسم |
Gloom(verb) | To grow dark | अन्धकार | اندھیرا ہونا |
Glance | To produce small bright flashes of light | जगमगाना | چمکنا |
Netted(adj) | Looking like meshes | जाल जैसा | جال کی طرح |
Brambly | Full of thorns | कांटों से भरा | کانٹوں سے بھرا ہوا |
Shingly bars | Pebbles & sand hindering the flow | बहाव को रोकना | بہاؤ بند کرنا |
Cresses | Small plants with thin stems & very small leaves | छोटे छोटे पौधे | چھوٹے چھوٹے پودے |
Summary of Poem 5 ‘The Brook’ in English
The Poem Brook has been written by an eminent English poet Lord Alfred Tennyson. The poet has personified the journey of a brook which starts from the mountains. The brook is the narrator in this poem which tells us about its journey which starts from the home of water birds. The sparkling water of the brook quickly flows through a valley.
During its journey from its origin to the river, the brook tumbles down many hills and seeps through several edges of the mountain. The brook passes several villages and a small town and it passes underneath almost fifty bridges along its way. The brook finally passes the farm of Philip to join the huge and overflowing river. The human lives for a short period on earth, but the brook is proud on its journey which lasts forever.
The brook passes over the stony rocks and paths making a loud and strange noise. Sometimes the water of the brook moves in spiral ways and flows over the stones on its shores. The brook gets angry when it makes many curves on its banks. The brook passes through many fields, and meadows. It also passes through the land that seems to belong to fairies, having lush green plants of willow and mallow.
The brook flows with loud and trickling noise while it flows to meet the overflowing river. Its flow is permanent while human life is impermanent. It passes through the countryside in a zig-zag manner. One can see flowers floating on the surface of the brook. There are trout and grayling fish in its water. The foamy flakes can also be seen on the surface of the brook. The waves of the brook ran over the pebbles as it flows to join the river.
During its journey, it silently passes through the lawns and grass cover plots. It flows through the hazel trees. The water of the brook nurtures the forget-me-not plants growing along its bank which are meant for happy lovers. The swallows fly over its surface while the beams of sunlight appear to dance when they fall on the shallow water of the brook.
The brooks pass silently while it passes through a thorny wilderness of the night. It murmurs under the moon and stars. The stream slows down while it passes through sandbanks heaped with pebbles and small plants with thin stems and very small leaves. The brook continues its winding journey to merge into the river. It reminds us again that humans are short-lived while the journey of the brook is permanent.
Summary of Poem 5 ‘The Brook’ in Hindi
कविता ब्रूक एक प्रसिद्ध अंग्रेजी कवि लॉर्ड अल्फ्रेड टेनीसन द्वारा लिखी गई है। कवि ने पहाड़ों से शुरू होने वाले नाले की यात्रा का चित्रण किया है। इस कविता में ब्रुक कथाकार है जो हमें अपनी यात्रा के बारे में बताता है जो जल पक्षियों के घर से शुरू होती है। ब्रुक का जगमगाता पानी जल्दी से एक घाटी से होकर बहता है।
अपने उद्गम से नदी तक की यात्रा के दौरान, ब्रुक कई पहाड़ियों से नीचे गिर जाता है और पहाड़ पर कई किनारों से रिसता है। ब्रुक कई गांवों, एक छोटे से शहर से होकर गुजरता है और यह अपने रास्ते में लगभग पचास पुलों के नीचे से गुजरता है। ब्रुक अंततः फिलिप के खेत से होकर विशाल और उफनती नदी में मिल जाता है। मानव पृथ्वी पर थोड़े समय के लिए रहता है, लेकिन ब्रुक को अपनी यात्रा पर गर्व है जो हमेशा के लिए रहता है।
ब्रुक चट्टानों और रास्तों के ऊपर से गुजरता है और एक तेज और अजीब आवाज करता है। कभी-कभी ब्रुक का पानी सर्पिल तरीके से चलता है और इसके किनारों पर पत्थरों के ऊपर बहता है। नदी के किनारों पर कई वक्र बनाने पर ब्रुक क्रोधित हो जाता है। ब्रुक कई क्षेत्रों, घास के मैदानों से होकर गुजरता है। यह उस भूमि से भी गुजरता है जो परियों की लगती है, जिसमें विलो और मैलो के हरे-भरे पौधे हैं।
जब यह बहती हुई नदी से मिलने के लिए बहती है तो ब्रुक जोर से और तेज आवाज के साथ बहता है। इसका प्रवाह स्थायी है जबकि मानव जीवन अनित्य है। यह ज़िग-ज़ैग तरीके से ग्रामीण इलाकों से होकर गुजरता है। नदी की सतह पर फूलों को तैरते हुए देखा जा सकता है। इसके पानी में ट्राउट और ग्रेलिंग मछलियाँ हैं। झागदार गुच्छे को नाले की सतह पर भी देखा जा सकता है। नदी में शामिल होने के लिए बहते हुए ब्रुक की लहरें कंकड़ पर दौड़ती हैं।
अपनी यात्रा के दौरान, यह चुपचाप लॉन और घास के कवर भूखंडों से गुजरता है। यह हेज़ल के पेड़ों से होकर बहती है। ब्रुक का पानी अपने किनारे पर उगने वाले भूले-बिसरे पौधों को पोषित करता है जो सुखी प्रेमियों के लिए होते हैं। निगल अपनी सतह पर उड़ते हैं जबकि सूर्य के प्रकाश की किरणें नाचती हुई दिखाई देती हैं जब वे ब्रुक के उथले पानी पर गिरती हैं।
ब्रुक रात के कंटीले जंगल से चुपचाप गुजरता है। यह चाँद और सितारों के नीचे बड़बड़ाता है। धारा धीमी हो जाती है जब यह कंकड़ से भरे रेत के किनारों और पतले तनों और बहुत छोटे पत्तों वाले छोटे पौधों से होकर गुजरता है। नदी में विलीन होने के लिए ब्रुक अपनी घुमावदार यात्रा जारी रखता है। यह हमें फिर से याद दिलाता है कि मनुष्य अल्पकालिक हैं जबकि ब्रुक की यात्रा स्थायी है।
Theme of Poem ‘The Brook”
The Brook has been written by Alfred Tennyson. It is a personification of the journey of the brook from the mountains to the river. The journey of the brook is forever while the human is short-lived is the main idea of the poem. The poem gives an account of the similarities and dissimilarities between life and the journey of a brook.
Human life like the journey of brook goes through many ups and down till it ends. The main message of the poem is that we have to continue our efforts till we achieve our target as the brook continues its journey till it reaches the main river. We should not give up, instead, we should face the obstacles of life, overcome them and keep moving ahead. The dissimilarity between the two is that human life is short-lived while the journey of the brook is forever.
Rhyme Scheme of Poem ‘The Brook’
The Brook is a 13 stanzas ballad by poet Alfred Tennyson. There are 52 lines in the poem. Each stanza of poem is quatrains. The quatrains in the ballad follow a simple rhyming scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH and so on. The end sounds change from stanza to stanza.
Thinking About the Poem
1. Who is “I” referred to as in the poem?
Ans. “I” is referred to the Brook in the poem. The brook is considered a speaker by the poet in this poem.
2. Trace the journey of the brook.
Ans. The journey of the brook starts from the mountains, from the home of water birds. Then its sparkling flowed down through a valley and pass through twenty villages, a small town, and underneath almost 50 bridges on its way to the river.
The brook produces a chattering sound when it passes over the pebbles. In some places, it moves fast while in other places it slows down its speed. On its way to meet the river, the brook crosses lawns and grassy green plots. There are fish of several colours in the water of the brook. Flowers float on its surface. The rays of sunlight appear to be dancing on the waters of the brook.
The journey of the brook never stops. Human life is short-lived on earth and they may come and go but the journey of the brook is forever.
3. Explain the following lines:
“For men may come and men may go
But I go on forever.”
What purpose do these lines serve?
Ans. These lines tell us that the brook continues its journey forever. The message in these lines is loud and clear. It tells us that human life is mortal and short-lived. Men come into the world, lead their life facing its ups and downs and enjoying nature and leaving this world but nature continue to provide its beauty and joy to the living world generation after generation. Nature is everlasting while men are short-lived.
4. Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant sounds in verse such as “I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance”. Pick out more examples of alliteration from the poem.
Ans. I chatter, I flow, and here, and there, Man may, sudden sally, Hills hurry, field and fallow, fairy foreland, willow weed, sandy shallow and skimming swallows are some examples of alliteration in the poem the brook.
5. Can the journey of the brook, be compared to human life? How?
Ans. Yes, the journey of the brook can be compared to human life. The brook has to pass many hurdles on its way from its origin in the mountains to its destination river. Similarly, human beings pass through different stages of life from birth to death facing different challenges in life till death.
Language Work
- Tennyson makes use of the choicest words to describe the movement of the brook down the hill. It reveals the poet’s power of making sound pictures. This is called sound imagery. Imagery means the use of words or pictures in books, films and paintings, etc. to describe ideas or situations. Pick out the sound images used in the poem.
Ans. The sound images used in the poem the brook are bicker, babble, babble, treble, murmur, chatter
- Find the visual images used in the poem.
Ans. The visual images used in the poem are twenty thorpes, a little town, bridges, mallow, a field, a fallow, brimming river, and a foamy flake are some visual images used in this poem.
Let’s Talk
- In this poem, the poet gives a fine description of the journey of the brook. At the same time, several objects of nature are highlighted. Talk to the rest of the class about the other objects of nature.
Ans. Students have to do it themselves.
- The poet personifies the brook and describes the various stages it undergoes. Now, imagine yourself as a stream of water and describes your feelings in class.
Ans. Students have to do it themselves.
Let’s Write
Describes in a paragraph of 100-150 words a picnic you recently have.
Ans. Yesterday, our school took us to Gulmarg for a picnic. The place has green lush lawns surrounded by beautiful trees. The weather on the picnic day was very sunny. We left for the place at about 8:00 a.m. On the way, we enjoyed the scenic beauty through the windows of our bus.
We sang and danced while we were on the move toward our picnic spot. A light refreshment in the form of chips and a cold drink was served on the bus. After reaching the place, we enjoyed the natural beauty and played many games. Everybody was in a cheerful mood. We also clicked photographs for our memories. We enjoyed ourselves a lot during the picnic.
Extra Questions of Poem ‘The Brook’
1. Who wrote the poem ‘the brook’
Ans. The poem ‘the brook’ has been written by Alfred Tennyson.
2. Where does the brook come from?
Ans. The brook comes from the places frequently visited by water birds in the mountains.
3. How many villages the brook passes during its journey to the river?
Ans. The brook passes through twenty villages on its way to the river.
4. What is the difference between human life and the journey of the brook?
Ans. The journey of the brook is forever while human life is short-lived.
5. What makes the brook angry?
Ans. The twists and curves on the path of the brook make the brook angry.
6. What do ‘skimming swallows’ mean?
Ans. It means swallows skimming on the surface of the water.
That’s all about The Brook Poem 5 Summary and Question Answers. Hope you got answers to your queries. Do share your views about this post in the comment section.
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