A Collection of

ICSE Poems and Short Stories

Volume I Poems

Teachers Handbook
ICSE

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A Collection of ICSE
Poems and Short Stories
Volume I Poems

 1.

Where the Mind is Without Fear

5 7

Rabindranath Tagore
2.

The Inchcape Rock

7 11

Robert Southey
3.

In the Bazaars of Hyderabad

11 14

Sarojini Naidu
4.

Small Pain in My Chest

14 17

Michael Mack
5.

The Professor

17 20

Nissim Ezekiel
6.

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

20 23

Robert Frost
7.

A Doctors Journal Entry for August 6, 1945

23 26

Vikram Seth
8.

If Thou Must Love Me

26 29

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

9.

I Believe

29 30

Brucellish K Sangma
10.

A Psalm of Life

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

31 34

WHERE THE MIND IS WITHOUT FEAR

I. (i) The words mind is without fear mean that one does not have
any fear of oppression or compulsion. The poet is talking about
the minds of the people of his country. He says so because his
country was under the subjugation of the British, who perpetrated
all sorts of oppression on his countrymen.
(ii) The words the head is held high mean to have self respect. The
head is bowed down because of exploitation and oppression of
the Indians by the British. It needs to be held high with pride
and dignity which characterised the Indians before India was
reduced to the status of a subjugated nation.
(iii) By the words Where knowledge is free, the poet wants to say
that in his country everyone should have the freedom to acquire
knowledge without any restriction. The restrictions imposed on
the spread of knowledge include the prejudices based on wealth,
caste and religion. Further, the British imposed restrictions on
the basis of the ruler (the British) and the ruled (the Indians).
They curbed the freedom of speech and expression by putting
restrictions on the Press.
(iv) Due to the restrictions imposed on the spread of knowledge,
people remained glued to their outdated customs and traditions
and could not think rationally.
(v) A sonnet is a poem of fourteen lines divided into an octave (the
first eight lines) and a sestet (the last six lines). The octave
presents an idea, raises an argument, makes a proposition or
poses a problem, whereas the sestet gives a solution to the
problem posed by the octave.
The poem Where the Mind is Without Fear comprises an octave, in
which the poet talks about the wonderful qualities his countrymen
must achieve to make their country free and heaven-like. Since
this poem is only a part of the complete song in his Nobel Prize
winning work, Gitanjali, we can say that this poem is a part of
the complete sonnet.
II. (i) According to the poet, the narrow domestic walls or divisions
based on caste, class, colour, religion, creed, region and
superstitions break up the world into fragments or mutually
exclusive compartments.
(ii) The narrow domestic walls refer to narrow local divisions created

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

by prejudices like caste, colour, creed, region and religion. They

are called narrow by the poet because they are based on ageold customs and traditions and not on the basis of rational
thinking.
(iii) The narrow domestic walls can harm the nation by creating
divisions among people and thereby, undermining the unity and
integrity of the nation.
(iv) The poet wants to say that his countrymen should be able
to express themselves truthfully without any fear. He feels so
because his countrymen at that time did not have freedom of
expression as various restrictions were imposed on the freedom
of speech and the Press by the British.
(v) Examples of alliteration are:
(a) Where the world
(b) Where words
(vi) The poet shows that he has a religious outlook by praying to
God to let his country awake to a blissful heaven of freedom.
III. (i) Tireless striving means to work hard without getting tired to
achieve perfection. The poet wants his countrymen to achieve
the highest goals, i.e., freedom at all levels political, religious,
spiritual, moral and intellectual.
(ii) Reasoning allows a person to have clarity of thoughts without
being restricted by narrow domestic walls such as caste, colour,
creed, religion, region and superstitions. That is why it has been
compared to a clear stream which is free of all impurities.
(iii) Dreary desert sand of dead habit is a metaphor. Through this
metaphor the poet wants to say that his countrymen should
work for perfection in everything and should not be led astray
from their goal in the dry desert of dead habits, i.e., in a place
where outdated customs and traditions are followed.
(iv) According to the poet, the hurdles in achieving perfection include
the outdated customs and traditions based on irrational thinking
rather than sound reasoning and scientific thought.
(v) The figure of speech in the third line of the given extract is a
metaphor. For explanation refer to answer (iii) above.
(vi) This poem by Rabindranath Tagore is taken from his original
volume called Naibedya, which bears the title Prarthana, i.e.,
prayer. In this poem, the poet prays to a universal father-figure,
i.e., God to let his country awake to a blissful heaven of freedom.
Thus, the poem is a song of prayer.

THE INCHCAPE ROCK

IV. (i) Thee refers to God.

(ii) The mind of the poets countrymen is to be led forward to the
heaven of freedom, i.e., to an ideal state where there is total
freedom at all levels political, religious, spiritual, moral and
intellectual.
(iii) The phrase Heaven of freedom means an ideal state, where the
poet wants the Almighty to lead his countrymen to. Thethree
qualities required to be able to attain the heaven of freedom include:
(a) there is no oppression and people can hold their heads high
in self-respect.
(b) there are no prejudices based on caste, colour, creed, religion,
region and superstitions.
(c) people should work tirelessly to attain perfection in everything
by following scientific thought and rational thinking, without
being led to follow obsolete traditions and customs.
(iv) Father in the above extract is a reference for God. He will awake
the country by leading the poets countrymen to a heavenly state
where there are all kinds of freedom and where they can hold
their heads high in self-respect, without any fear of oppression
or compulsion.
(v) The poet prays for his country to attain all kinds of freedom
political, religious, spiritual, moral and intellectual. And only
then it will attain the blissful heaven of freedom, an ideal state
where his countrymen would be able to hold their heads high in
self-respect, will not have a blurred vision based on prejudices
and work tirelessly to attain perfection in every sphere of life.

I. (i) The Inchcape rock is referred to in the extract. The rock lay
hidden in the sea off the east coast of Scotland. It sometimes
remained hidden under sea water during the high tide.
(ii) The words surges swell mean the sea-waves moved up and
down and rose high due to the influence of tides. The warning
bell refers to the bell placed on the Inchcape rock by the Abbot
of Aberbrothok, to give a warning to the sailors about the danger
from the rock. The warning bell was placed on a buoy and during
high tides the movement of waves made the buoy to float and
in turn rang the bell and warned the sailors.

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

(iii) The Rock was said to be perilous because many ships had been
wrecked by it when it remained covered by sea water during
a high tide. Sir Ralphs ship struck against the Inchcape Rock
and drowned in the sea.
(iv) The Head monk of a monastery or church is known as an
Abbot. The mariners blessed the Abbot Aberbrothok because
he placed a bell on the Inchcape Rock, which gave a warning
to the mariners about the perilous rock and thus, saved them
and their ships from drowning.
(v) A ballad is a long narrative poem that tells a story. It is a
heightened narration that uses narrative technique like rhyme
and figures of speech. The two elements of ballad in the given
extract are the following:
(a) The rhyming pattern followed in this extract is aabb (SwellBell; Rock-Aberbrothok).
(b) There is a repetition of consonant sound at the beginning
of words (alliteration) to facilitate narration:

1. ..... surges swell

2. ..... then they

II. (i) Sir Ralph was a rover or a sea pirate. He was a wicked and
jealous man.
(ii) The pleasant day in the spring season made the Rover sing. But
the real reason was that in a such calm atmosphere he would
be able to carry out his wicked plan of defaming the Abbot of
Aberbrothok by cutting off the bell from the Inchcape Rock and
thereby, loot the wealth from the shipwrecks.
The given lines mean that the Rovers heart was extremely joyful
but his joy was due to his wicked plan.
(iii) The Rover saw the buoy of the Inchcape Rock like a dark speck
on the green ocean. He asked his sailors to lower the boat and
row him to the Inchcape Rock.
(iv) The Rover wanted to go near the Inchcape Rock to cut off the
warning bell to spoil the fame and reputation of the Abbot of
Aberbrothok, who has placed the bell there and to loot the
wealth from the shipwrecks.
(v) The Rover was in a joyful mood in the extract. His joyful mood
is reflected in the extract by his act of whistling and singing. At
the end of the poem, the Rover was in a mood of despair and
frustration.

THE INCHCAPE ROCK

III. (i) The boatmen rowed the boat to the Inchcape Rock.
(ii) The Rover cut off the bell from the Inchcape Rock. He did so
out of jealousy and self-interest. He wanted to spoil the fame
and reputation of the Abbot of Aberbrothok, who has placed
the bell there. It would also allow him to easily loot the wealth
from the shipwrecks, caused by the Inchcape Rock.
(iii) The Rovers act of cutting the bell from the Inchcape Rock led to
the collision of his ship with the rock and finally, the drowning
of the ship with the Rover.
(iv) After performing the wicked deed of cutting the bell from Inchcape
Rock, the Rover said that from then onwards the mariners who
used to thank the Abbot would no longer thank him.
(v) The Abbot of Aberbrothok had kept the bell there. The bell was
placed on the float because the movement of the float during
the high tide would make the bell ring and warn the sailors of
the danger from the rock.
(vi) The sailors, passing by earlier, blessed the Abbot of Aberbrothok
for placing the warning bell on the Inchcape Rock and thereby,
saving them from the perilous rock.
IV. (i) The Rover sailed away from the Inchcape Rock. He became rich
by looting the wealth from the ships that struck against the
Inchcape Rock.
(ii) After amassing wealth, the Rover was sailing towards the shore
of Scotland.
(iii) When the Rover was sailing, there was a thick haze over the
atmosphere and no sun in the sky. There were strong winds
and darkness all around. The weather conditions predicted that
finally the Rover would meet his end in the sea.
(iv) The Rover was a wicked man who was jealous of the fame and
reputation of the Abbot of Aberbrothok. That is why he carried out
his wicked plan of cutting off the warning bell on the Inchcape
Rock, placed there by the Abbot. He was a robber who became
rich by looting the wealth from the shipwrecks.
(v) The Abbot was a kind and compassionate man, who placed a
warning bell on the Inchcape Rock to forewarn the sailors about
the danger to their ships from the perilous rock. The Rover, on
the other hand, was a jealous and wicked man, who cut off the
warning bell on the Inchcape Rock to defame the Abbot and to
loot the wealth from the shipwrecks.
V. (i) When the Rover and his sailors were going towards the shore
of Scotland, the weather was bad, with a thick haze over the
atmosphere, no Sun in the sky and strong winds.

10

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

(ii) The words the breakers roar mean the roaring of the sea
waves, i.e., the sound made when the sea waves break on the
shore. The breakers roar normally signify a high tide when the
sea waves surge up and down with a great force.
(iii) The sailors wished that they could hear the Inchcape Rock. The
ringing of the bell would have indicated the presence of the
perilous rock and thus saved the ship from colliding with it.
(iv) The sailors could not see any land on the way to Scotlands
shore because of bad weather. There was a thick haze in the
atmosphere and total darkness in the absence of the Sun in the
sky. Sir Ralph was optimistic that the weather would improve
by night when the moon would rise in the sky.
(v) In the absence of the Inchcape Bell, no warning sound was heard
by the sailors and the vessel struck against the Inchcape Rock.
VI. (i) They could not hear any sound due to the absence of the warning
bell on the Inchcape Rock, which the Rover had cut off. If the
sailors had heard the normal expected sound of the warning
bell from the Inchcape Rock, they would have saved the ship
from striking against the rock.
(ii) (a) the swell is strong: there are strong waves in the sea.
(b) They drifted along: They moved slowly towards the shore.
(iii) The vessel struck against the Inchcape Rock. It was a shivering
shock because the ship collided with the rock and the waves
from all sides began to engulf it.
(iv) Sir Ralph was in a state of despair and shock when he realised
that his ship had struck against the Inchcape Rock. In his
frustration, he pulled his hair and cursed himself. Sir Ralphs
ship struck the very rock from which he had removed the warning
bell and sank in the sea.
(v) Sir Ralph was a sea pirate. He was a wicked and jealous man.
He used to loot wealth from the ships that fatally crashed against
the Inchcape Rock. But when the Abbot of Aberbrothok placed
a warning bell, he cut off the bell to defame the good Abbot
and put the other helpless sailors into trouble. However, he got
caught in his own trap of mischief when his ship struck against
the Inchcape Rock and sank in the sea alongwith him.
(vi) The moral conveyed through this poem isAs you sow, so shall
you reap. The Rover cut off the bell from the Inchcape Rock,
but his own ship struck against the very Rock because of the
absence of any warning sound and sank in the sea.

IN THE BAZAARS OF HYDERABAD

11

VII. (i) The Rover could hear the sound of his sinking ship, which
seemed to him like the sound made by the Inchcape Bell. The
sound was dreadful because there was no chance of surviving
the shipwreck.
(ii) The sound of the Inchcape Bell was a forewarning of the danger
from the perilous rock to the sailors and was thus life-saving.
The dreadful sound, on the other hand was that of the sinking
ship that signalled the end of Sir Ralph. Therefore, it appeared
to be like a funeral bell being run by the Devil himself.
(iii) The Devil below was ringing his knell mean that the sound which
Sir Ralph was hearing appeared to him like the sound of the
Inchcape bell. But actually the sound was that of the sinking ship.
(iv) Sir Ralph, the Rover cut off the warning bell, which the Abbot of
Aberbrothok had planted on the Inchcape Rock as a forewarning
to the sailors. But Sir Ralphs own ship struck against the very
rock due to the absence of any forewarning sound and drowned
in the sea with Sir Ralph. Thus, the evil that Sir Ralph plotted
for the Abbot and the other sailors, recoiled on him.
(v) The Inchcape Rock is a ballad comprising adventure, valour and
jealousy. Sir Ralph, the pirate, went on an adventure trip on
the sea with his sailors. He had the valour to take the risk of
cutting off the bell from the Inchcape Rock, which the Abbot of
Aberbrothok had placed there to warn the sailors. He did this
wicked act out of jealousy as he could not accept the popularity
of the good Abbot and wanted to defame him. He also did so
because of selfish motive as he used to make wealth by looting
money from the ships that crashed after striking against the
Inchcape Rock.

I. (i) The merchants are in the bazaars of Hyderabad. They are selling
their goods in the market. The words Richly displayed mean
that the goods to be sold in the market have been beautifully
displayed by the merchants to attract the buyers.
(ii) The goods on sale in this market included crimson and silver
turbans, purple brocade tunics, mirrors framed in brownish
yellow colour and daggers with handles of jade.
(iii) The poet begins the stanza with a question to elicit an answer
from the vendors about the goods they are selling. This pattern

12

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

of question-answer is used to bring out the splendour of the
traditional bazaars of Hyderabad. The poet has used repetition
as well as lyrics full of vibrant and colourful images to describe
the scene.

(iv) (a) Mirrors with panels of amber mean the mirrors having frames
of brownish and yellow colour.
(b) Scabbards of gold for the king mean sheaths of gold for the
King to keep his swords in.
(v) The King and his nobles are the likely customers of tunics of
purple brocade and daggers with handles of jade.
(vi) The visual imagery is stimulated by mentioning the various hues
of colours in this stanza like silver, crimson, purple, amber and
jade.
II. (i) Chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing
the game of chess. Ivory dice refers to small cubes made of ivory,
having six sides numbered by dots from one to six. These are
used to play games.
(ii) Saffron, lentil, rice, sandalwood, henna and spices are sold by
weight, whereas chessmen and ivory dice are sold by numbers.
(iii) The sellers of various goods in the bazaars of Hyderabad are referred
to as vendors and merchants. The sellers, who go about from
place to place with their goods for sale are calledthe pedlars.
(iv) Food items included saffron, lentil and rice. Cosmetic items
included sandalwood and henna and the recreational items
included chessmen and ivory dice.
(v) The senses of sight are stimulated in this extract by the various
colours of the items like saffron, lentil, rice, sandalwood, henna
and various spices. The sense of taste is produced by the mention
of staple Indian food like lentil and rice and spices.
III. (i) The jewellers shop is referred to in the extract. Girdles of gold
mean ornamental belt made of gold worn round the waist by
the dancers. Scabbards of gold refer to the sheaths of gold for
the king to keep his swords in.
(ii) The items of gold on sale included ornaments like wristlets,
anklets, rings, belts of gold worn by the dancers and sheaths for
swords used by the kings. The gold jewellery reveals that both
the owners and the buyers belonged to the wealthy sections of
the society.

IN THE BAZAARS OF HYDERABAD

13

(iii) Bells were tied to the feet of blue pigeons as ornaments as well
as identity marks. Sheaths of gold were used by the kings,
girdles (belts) were used by dancers and wristlets, anklets and
rings were used by other people.
(iv) Frail as a dragon-flys wing means as delicate as the wings
of a dragon-fly. Frail is an apt description for describing the
delicateness of the bells tied to the feet of blue pigeons.
(v) The poet has described the Indian goods at the Indian bazaars
for two reasons:
(a) to depict the splendour of Indian bazaars which beckon the
customers with their sounds, scents and goods.
(b) to extoll the Indians to buy Swadeshi goods and boycott
foreign goods.
IV. (i) The fruits included lemons, pomegranates and plums, whereas
the musical instruments included sitar, sarangi and drum.
(ii) The poet asks the musicians what musical instruments they are
playing and asks the magicians what they are chanting.
(iii) Spells for aeons to come mean the magical spells used by the
magicians to charm everyone till eternity with their chanting.
(iv) The whole poem is Indian in context and presentation as it
depicts the beauty and vibrance of a traditional Indian bazaar.
The landscape, the characters, the images and the background
is typically Indian such as:
(a) the mention of dresses worn by Indians such as turbans
and tunics.
(b) the gold ornaments worn by Indians like wristlets, anklets,
rings and girdles.
(c) the musical instruments played by Indians like sitar, sarangi
and drums.
(d) the food items like lentil and rice and spices and fruits like
lemons, pomegranates and plums.
(e) the use of fresh flowers on both happy and sad occasions.
(v) The magicians are present in the bazaar for chanting magical
spells to charm the customers.
(vi) The panoramic view of the Indian bazaars presented in the poem
with its hues of colour, sounds, smells and sights has appealed
to me the most because it gives a glimpse of the Indian culture,
society and prosperity.

14

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

V. (i) The poet has highlighted the occupation of simple folks in India
like the merchants, pedlars, vendors, fruit sellers, goldsmiths,
musicians, magicians and flower girls.
(ii) The flowers are used on happy occasions like wedding for making
garlands for the bridegroom and to decorate his nuptial bed.
The flowers are used on sad occasions such as death to pay
the last respects by placing flowers on the dead bodies or the
graves.
(iii) Crowns, chaplets and garlands were used for making garlands
for the bridegroom and for decorating his nuptial bed.
(iv) Tassels of azure and red mean ornamental threads of sky-blue
and red colour tied at one end to make garlands and nuptial
beds for the bridegroom.
(v) To perfume the sleep of the dead mean to place sheets of
freshly gathered flowers on the dead bodies or on the graves,
which give pleasant smell.

I. (i) The soldier boy was sitting underneath a tree during the war
because he was fatally wounded and could not get up.
(ii) The soldier was sitting calmly because he was fatally injured
during the war, was thirsty and could not get any help from
anybody around.
(iii) The soldier asked the narrator to come near him because he
was thirsty and needed a sip of water.
(iv) The battle had been long and hard can be discerned from the
deep craters in the earth and the number of dead bodies of the
soldiers, which the narrator could see lying all around.
(v) In the above extract, the poet wants to convey the horrors of war
and the agony of the soldiers, who fight it out on the battlefield.
II. (i) The narrator has been referred to by the soldier as Sir. He was
on the battlefield at that time.
(ii) The soldier, according to the narrator, smiled as best he could
to hide his pain and suffering from him. It shows the spirit of
a soldier, who gives up his life for his country, with a smile on
his face.

SMALL PAIN IN MY CHEST

15

(iii) The soldier wanted A sip of water because he was thirsty and
fatigued for he had fought a long and tough battle throughout
the night and was fatally wounded.
(iv) The soldier could not take any rest because he had been fighting
continuously day and night against the enemy. It tells us about
the horrors of war and pain and suffering the soldiers had to
endure on the battlefield.
(v) The soldier was having a pain in his chest because of the wound
he had sustained during the fight on the battlefield. Being a
true soldier, who considers everything smaller than his duty
for his country, the soldier called it as small pain. Further,
in comparison to the soldiers, who had received larger wounds
and had succumbed to their injuries on the battlefield, his was
a small pain.
III. (i) The large stain on the soldiers shirt was caused by a wound
he received while fighting on the battlefield.
(ii) warm blood mixed in with Asian dirt refers to the blood oozing
out from the wounds of the soldier and mixing with the dirt of
the Asian soil as the war was being fought in Asia.
(iii) By saying Not much, the soldier wanted to say that his wound
was nothing in comparison to the wounds suffered by his fellow
soldiers, who succumbed to their injuries. He said so because
he was still alive.
(iv) The soldier considered himself more lucky than his fellow soldiers
because they died of the injuries sustained during the war, while
he was still alive.
IV. (i) The soldier was feeling weak and said that his weakness must
be due to fatigue. His fatigue was caused by fighting day and
night on the battlefield.
(ii) The soldier smiled weakly because he had sustained fatal wounds
and was in pain. It shows that though the soldier was in pain,
he was trying to hide his suffering in the true spirit of a soldier.
(iii) The soldier felt that he was getting old because he found himself
weak and fatigued after battling it out on the warfront.
(iv) The soldier felt cold despite the shining sun because the light
of his life was fading, i.e., he was about to die due to the fatal
wounds that he had received on the battlefield.
(v) The night exploded means that an explosion took place at night.
As a result of the explosion the soldier got fatal wounds on his

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TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

body, whereas a number of his fellow soldiers died because of
the injuries sustained during the explosion.

V. (i) The narrator described the soldiers smile as the brightest that
he has ever seen because the soldier wanted to express his
gratitude to the narrator for providing water to him as well as
to hide the pain he was enduring.
(ii) The soldier was suffering from fatal physical injuries sustained
during the explosion at night on the battle field. Due to these
injuries he was feeling physically weak and fatigued.
(iii) The soldier considered it silly to be defeated by a small pain in
his chest because he was a young, healthy man, full of energy
and enthusiasm, who could have defeated even death.
(iv) The soldier felt ashamed of himself to think about his wifes reaction
when she would see her husband, a strong and grownup man,
sitting there defeated. He felt that his mother would never have
imagined during his childhood that one day his son would be
sitting on the battlefield, defeated by a small pain in his chest.
(v) HERE refers to the battlefield. The soldier was undergoing a
mental pain at the thought of the reaction his wife and mother
would have on seeing him sitting defeated on the battlefield.
VI. (i) The soldier felt that it was getting dark earlier than it used to
be because the light of his life was fading, as he was slowly
losing consciousness because of the fatal injuries sustained on
the battlefield and seeing the darkness all around him.
(ii) He refers to the soldier. He winced up at the sun with an
expression of pain on his face to find out why was it getting
dark so early despite the shining sun.
(iii) (a) In the given line, the soldier told the narrator that before
he would start his journey further, he would like to take
a little rest. It signifies the soldiers spirit to continue his
duty after taking little rest. It is also symbolic of the final
journey, i.e., death, towards which the soldier was heading.
(b) The narrator said I think I must have cried. He said so
because he could not recall what was his reaction when the
wounded soldier died in front of his eyes. It signifies that
the narrator was petrified on seeing the horrifying death of
the soldier.
(iv) When the narrator pulled the soldier towards himself he felt the
wound in his chest and the gravity of the pain the soldier was
enduring.

THE PROFESSOR

17

(v) The narrator said that he had a large wound in his heart
compared to the small one in the soldiers heart because he
was hurt by the suffering of the dead soldier, and felt the guilt
on the part of humanity at not being able to give up war and
thereby, end the suffering of the soldiers.
VII. (i) The expression Asian dirt means Asian soil and this indicates
that the war was fought in Asia. The two hardships experienced
by the soldier included:
(a) The physical pain caused by the fatal wounds sustained on
the battlefield.
(b) The emotional agony at being lonely and surrounded by dead
bodies and the thought of his familys reaction on seeing
him defeated.
(ii) Despite sustaining fatal injuries during the war, the soldier did
not leave the battlefield because he considered it at his duty to
continue the fight till the end and die smiling while performing
his duty in the true spirit of a soldier.
(iii) The phrase a small pain in my chest is a refrain which is
repeated throughout the poem to emphasise the pain and suffering
a soldier undergoes on the battlefield.
(iv) Yes, indeed the poem has a poignant ending. It makes the
readers(i) feel the agony a soldier endures on the battlefield;
and (ii) realise the horrors of war and the need to give up wars
for the sake of humanity.
(v) Small Pain in My Chest is an anti-war poem that describes the
horrors of war and conveys the message to shun hatred and
warfare.

I. (i) The speaker wants to say that all his children, i.e., his sons are
economically well off and his two daughters are happily married.
(ii) By saying, Both have cars, the speaker wants to convey that
both his sons are well off and have a status in society. It conveys
that in Indian society the worth of an individual is measured
more by his financial status than anything else.
(iii) The other is a reference for the speakers third son. The speaker
says that he is not doing so well because in comparison to his

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TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

other two sons, who have managerial jobs and are economically
well off, he is not as successful as they are.

(iv) By saying, Every family must have black sheep, the speaker
intends to say that in every family there is a person, who is
different from the rest of the family and is an embarrassment
to the family. The speaker considered his third son as the black
sheep in his family because he was not as well off as his other
two sons.
(v) The extract shows that Indians value economic success more
than academic success through the speakers attitude, who
measures the success of his two sons by their managerial jobs
and the cars they owned.
II. (i) Sarala and Tarala are the speakers daughters. The practice of
giving rhyming names to the siblings like Sarala and Tarala is
shown in this extract.
(ii) The speaker says that his two daughters Sarala and Tarala are
happily married to nice boys. The speakers comment about the
marriage of Sarala and Tarala hints at the gender bias prevalent
in Indian society, which considers the success of a man by his
economic status and a womans by getting married to a nice boy.
(iii) By saying, How many issues you have, the speaker wants to
enquire from his student about the number of children he has.
He is directing this question to his former student.
(iv) In reply to his former students remark that he has three
children, the speaker says That is good. The speaker considers
his student having three children as good.
(v) The speaker is not against family planning. The irony in this
statement is the fact that though the speaker says that he isnot
against family planning, yet he feels proud at having eleven
grandchildren.
(vi) The poem The Professor is a satire on the urban Indian way of
life as it satirises:
(a) the urban Indian society, which measures the success of
a man by his economic success rather than his academic
excellence.
(b) gender bias present in Indian society which believes that
woman should be happily married and confined within the
four walls of their domestic life.
(c) the pretence of the urban Indians, who consider it as a
prestige to speak in a foreign language rather than their
mother tongue.

THE PROFESSOR

19

III. (i) The speaker says that we have to change with times because
he feels that since the whole world is changing, so we should
also change with the changing times. It shows the pretence of
the speaker, who feels that we should change with the changing
times, but in reality, he himself clings to the old traditions and
does not want to change.
(ii) India is keeping up with the changes and development going
on in the world.
(iii) According to the speaker, new values are replacing the old ones.
He feels so because of the rapid changes taking place in society.
(iv) According to the speaker, Everything is happening with leaps
and bounds because of the rapid changes and development
that is taking place in Indian society and the world at large.
(v) Examples of the use of Indian English in the extract are:
(a) We are keeping up. Our progress is progressing.
(b) Old values are going, new values are coming
IV. (i) The speaker says that he rarely goes out because of his old age.
The price of old age which the speaker has to pay is that he
rarely goes out.
(ii) The speaker says that apart from usual aches and pains associated
with old age, he is hale and hearty without any major disease
like diabetes, blood pressure or heart attack.
(iii) The speaker ascribes his good health to sound habits practised
by him in his youth.
(iv) The sound habits followed by the speaker in his youth might
have been eating balanced diet, regular exercise and abstaining
from smoking and drinking.
(v) The main theme of the poem is the hypocrisy and pretence of
the urban Indian middle class, which measures the success of
an individual in terms of wealth and status rather than academic
excellence.
V. (i) By saying hope to score a century, the speaker wants to say
that he hopes to live upto the age of hundred.
(ii) Man of weight and consequence means a man, who is physically
healthy, economically sound and has a status in society. The
speaker says these words to his former student because he
finds him physically healthier than what he was earlier and also
because of his status in society.

20

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

(iii) The good joke referred to by the speaker is that his former
student, who is now healthier, once used to be thin like a stick.
(iv) Example of Indian English used by the speaker in the given
lines is:
(a) You were so thin, like stick. (Stock usage of Indian English)
(b) If you were coming this side by chance. (Use of Present
Continuous Tense instead of Simple Present Tense)
(c) I am living just on opposite houses backside. (Direct translation
of the local language)
(v) The title of the poem is quite apt because:
(a) the entire poem revolves around the character of a retired
Professor, his life, his thoughts and actions.
(b) through the character of the Professor, the poet has ridiculed
the urban, educated, middle class of India, its hypocrisy and
pretence.

I. (i) The woods belonged to a man, who lived in the village. The
speaker has stopped by the woods to watch the snow filling up
the woods.
(ii) The owner of the woods will not see the speaker stopping by
the woods because he lives in the village.
The owner of the woods lives in the village, away from nature.
Though he owns the woods, he cannot appreciate and enjoy
the beauty of nature. Thus, there are man-made barriers which
separate man from nature.
(iii) Woods, being lovely, dark and deep, symbolise sensuous
enjoyment, the darkness of ignorance, as well as the dark inner
self of man.
The village symbolises society and civilisation, beyond whose
borders lie the woods.
(iv) The poet is standing just by the woods and looking at them.
He is enchanted by the beauty of the woods.
(v) Yes, the poet is happy with his lonely state in the woods because:
(a) he finds solace in the thoughts that nobody is watching him;
and
(b) he is enchanted with the natural beauty of the woods, snow
and the frozen lake.

STOPPING BY WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING

21

(vi) Robert Frost is regarded as a poet of nature. Unlike, William

Wordsworth, another nature poet, who considers nature as a
benevolent mother, Frost considers nature as hostile and alien.
In this poem, the poet stops by the woodst and find them lovely,
dark and deep. He finds himself being seduced by the natural
beauty of the woods. But, he finds this seduction momentary
and the charm is soon broken. He remembers that he has to
move away from nature to fulfill his worldly obligations.
II. (i) The horse has stopped between the woods and the frozen lake.
The horse has stopped there because the rider (speaker) wants
to see the beauty of the woods.
(ii) The horse considers it strange to stop between the woods and
the frozen lake because there is no farmhouse, i.e., civilisation,
nearby and that too on the darkest evening of the year.
(iii) The darkest evening of the year refers to December 22, the longest
night of the year, when there is biting cold. The word darkness
in the poem is suggestive of the mystery of nature the source
of natures beauty lies in its mystery, not in its familiarity.
(iv) Symbolically, the horse represents the domesticated part of
the society and acts as its agent to remind the speaker of his
responsibilities (by shaking of harness bells) and to wean him
from indulging in pleasures of nature.
(v) The main theme of the poem is the basic conflict between an
attraction towards nature and the pull of responsibilities. In this
poem, the speaker stands by the woods and is enchanted by the
beauty of nature. The shaking of the harness bells of his horse
(symbolising society) and the sound of the wind (symbolising his
inner voice) remind him that he cannot give in to irresponsible
indulgence by enjoying the sensual pleasures of nature. He has
certain worldly responsibilities which he must fulfill before he
goes to sleep or before his life ends.
III. (i) He refers to the speakers horse. He shakes his harness bells
to ask the speaker if he has made a mistake in stopping by the
woods.
(ii) He, i.e., the speakers horse considers it a mistake to stop
by the woods because it is away from human society and the
speaker is indulging in sensual pleasures of nature forgetting
his worldly responsibilities.
(iii) The given lines mean that besides the sound made by the
shaking of the harness bells of his horse, the only other sound

22

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

heard was that of the moving wind and flakes of snow falling
softly like feathers.

(iv) The shaking of the harness bells and the sweeping sound of
wind break the speakers reverie and enchantment with nature
and jolt him back into the world of reality. He is reminded of
his responsibilities, which he must fulfill before he takes rest.
(v) The poet has created an atmosphere of isolation and mystery in
the poem by making the speaker stop by the woods, away from
men or human habitation. Further, the depiction of nature like
freezing cold, frozen lake, falling snow, darkness and complete
silence with the only sounds such as those of the shaking of the
harness bells and the sweeping wind has been used to create
an atmosphere of isolation and mystery.
IV. (i) The speaker considers the woods as lovely, dark and deep
because he finds them beautiful, mysterious and seductive. He
cannot enjoy the natural scenery in the woods because he is
reminded of his responsibilities, which he must fulfill and move
on in life.
(ii) The promises referred to by the speaker in the poem include
the duties he has to perform and the responsibilities, he has to
fulfill.
The world sleep in the poem has two meanings: (a) a metaphor
for final sleep or death; and (b) it is symbolic of the deserved
reward which the poet can achieve after keeping his promise,
in contrast to the unearned pleasure of looking at the woods.
(iii) The woods act as an obstacle for keeping the speakers promises
because the beauty of the woods make the speaker forget about
the civilisation, his responsibilities, which lie outside of the woods
and his purpose in life.
(iv) The last two lines of the poem are symbolic of the brief span of
human life and the duties, which a man has to perform before
he goes to sleep or before his life ends.
(v) Robert Frosts poetry is universally recognised as comprising
rural themes and dealing with the life of the humble dwellers
of the country side. Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
describes the natural beauty of the woods, with the soft, silent
whiteness of the frost, the frozen lake and the falling snow. It
is away from human civilisation and enchants the speaker with
its beauty and makes him forget his responsibilities.

A DOCTORS JOURNAL ENTRY FOR AUGUST 6, 1945

23

V. (i) The poet sees the lovely, dark and deep woods, the frozen lake
and the soft, silent whiteness of the frost. The only sounds that
he can hear are those made by the shaking of the harness bells
of his horse and that of the sweeping wind.
(ii) The inner conflict in man expressed in the poem is that between
an attraction towards nature and the pull of responsibilities, i.e.,
the conflict between desire and duty.
(iii) The natural beauty and mystery of the woods, with the soft,
silent whiteness of the frost and the falling snow attract the
poet.
(iv) The poet interprets the shaking of the harness bells of the
horse as the horse questioning him if he has made a mistake
in stopping by the woods, away from human habitation.
Symbolically, the shaking of the harness bells of the horse
points to the societys act of blaming the speaker for indulging
in sensual pleasure, overlooking his responsibilities.
(v) The extract depicts the theme of isolation by portraying the
speakers act of stopping by the woods, away from men or human
habitation on a snowy and dark evening. There is complete
silence and the only sounds the speaker can hear are from the
shaking of the harness bells and the sweeping wind.
(vi) The contrasting images of the natural world and the man-made
world in the poem are the following:
(a) the woods and the farm house.
(b) pleasure and business.
(c) solitude and society.
(d) freedom and responsibility.
(e) desire and duty.

I. (i) The morning was calm, beautiful and warm. The narrator was
in a relaxed mood and preparing for his daily routine.
(ii) The narrator was startled on seeing two sudden flashes of light.
He thought whether the flashes were magnesium flares seen
during the war.
(iii) Due to the impact of the explosion, the roof and the wall of
the building collapsed and the debris got scattered all over.

24

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

The people suffered both physically and mentally. The explosion
caused fatal injuries to the human beings, burnt their skin and
made it drip off their bodies.

(iv) The narrators clothes got burnt, a splinter ripped through his
thigh, his right side bled and his cheek was torn.
(v) (a) It means that as the day dawned, it was a peaceful morning,
with the warmth of the shinning Sun.
(b) It means that the narrator was taken by a surprise on seeing
a sudden flash of light followed by another.
II. (i) The blood gushed out from the wounds sustained by the narrator
due to the splinters from the explosion, which ripped through
parts of his body. The narrator was panic-stricken to see the
blood gushing out from his body.
(ii) Yecko-san was badly injured because she was holding her elbow,
was bloodstained and looked pale and frightened.
(iii) The narrator told his wife consoling her that they would be fine.
(iv) When the narrator and his wife were walking on the street, they
stumbled against the head of a man, who was crushed to death
under a gate. The narrator was scared and horrified.
(v) An atmosphere of fear was created by the explosion in the minds
of the narrator and his wife on seeing the gruesome scenes
caused by the explosion:
(a) Both the narrator and his wife were badly injured due to
the explosion and blood was oozing out of their wounds.
(b) While walking on the street, they stumbled against the head
of a man, who was crushed to death under a gate.
III. (i) The man against whose head the narrator had stumbled was
dead. He was crushed to death under a gate.
(ii) The strange things that happened in the extract are:
(a) The narrator saw a house standing before him suddenly tilt,
sway, topple and finally crash.
(b) The fire sprang up in the dust and spread widely by the
wind.
(iii) The two decisions made by the narrator included the following:
(a) To rush immediately to the hospital.
(b) When the narrator could not move forward due to stiff legs,
he asked his wife Yecko-san to go ahead alone to the hospital.

A DOCTORS JOURNAL ENTRY FOR AUGUST 6, 1945

25

(iv) The narrator could not take his injured staff to the hospital
because he was himself badly injured and needed somebodys
help to go to the hospital.
(v) The physical inconvenience suffered by the narrator included
the following:
(a) Shortness of breath.
(b) Inability to move forward due to stiffness in his legs caused
by drying of blood, oozing out from his wounds.
IV. (i) The breath of the speaker was short because he was badly
wounded due to the bomb explosion and was thirsty.
The given statement But bit by bit my strength/seemed to
revive symbolises how the Japanese after the nuclear bomb
attack, withstood the calamity and with their indomitable spirit
and hard work rose up and gradually rebuilt their shattered city
and their world.
(ii) The narrator was helped by a soldier. The soldier gave the
narrator a towel to cover up his naked body and thus, gave
him the self-confidence to rise up and move forward.
(iii) The narrator sent his wife, Yecko-san to go alone to the hospital
because he was badly injured and could not move forward
because of stiffness in his legs. He justified his action of sending
his wife alone to the hospital by saying that he had no other
choice as he could not walk any further.
(iv) The narrator felt lonely when his wife left for the hospital.
(v) Some of the people the narrator saw were like mere shadows,
whereas others looked like ghosts or scarecrows. Still others
were walking with arms stretched out with either a shoulder or
a hand dangling loose from their body.
(vi) The people were marching to the hospital without any clothes
on their body as if they had come out straight after a bath.
V. (i) They referred to a woman and a child, both naked, who were
marching towards the hospital. The narrator doubted whether
they had come straight from the bath because they had no
clothes on their bodies.
(ii) Besides the bomb explosion, the warring nation (the USA) by
perpetrating such a brutal act on them was responsible for
making them naked of clothes as well as of human dignity.
(iii) It means that all those who suffered the destruction caused by
the bomb explosion, could not utter a word of anguish against
those who perpetrated such a brutal act on them.

26

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

(iv) The physical suffering shown in the extract is:

(a) The people were walking naked as their clothes had got
burnt due to the explosion.
(b) The face and the bodies of the people had become disfigured.
The psychological agony shown in the extract is:
(a) The people were dumb-founded because their sensibilities
had become numb due to the sudden horror unleashed on
them by the bomb explosion.
(b) Although they were in great pain, they could not cry.
(v) The pity and sympathy for the victims of the nuclear bomb
explosion that the poem induces, appeals to me.
(a) The fear, panic, horror and great devastation suffered by
the victims caused by the collapse of the buildings, spread
of the debris and fire.
(b) The gruesome details of the physical and mental agony of
the victims like the narrator stumbling against the head of
a man crushed to death under a gate, people looking like
shadows, ghosts and scarecrows and the parts of their bodies
dangling loose.

I. (i) The words let it be for nought mean let it be for nothing. The
speakers wants to tell her lover not to love her for any particular
reason. The speaker wants her lover to love her for loves sake
only.
(ii) She does not want to be loved for her smile, her looks or for
her gentle voice.
(iii) She does not want her lover to love her for particular traits like
her appearance and good looks because these traits will fade
with the passage of time.
(iv) (a) a trick of thought means a particular way of thinking, which
may mislead her lover.
(b) A sense of pleasant ease on such a day means the qualities
which may give a sense of comfort to her lover on a particular
day.
(v) Cumulative listing is a technique of listing similar ideas to

IF THOU MUST LOVE ME

27

explain or add examples to a particular statement. The example

of cumulative listing in the given extract is:
The speaker enumerates her physical characteristics her smile,
her looks and her gentle way of speaking for which she does
not want to be loved, as these characteristics are changeable
and not ever lasting.
II. (i) these things refer to the traits like her smile, her looks and her
gentle way of speaking, for which the speaker does not want
her lover to love her.
(ii) By the statement, may/Be changed, or change for thee, the
speaker wants to tell her lover not to love her for the traits like
her smile, her looks or her way of speaking as these traits may
change with the passage of time or his appreciation of these
traits would fade in their appeal for him.
(iii) The speaker does not want to be affected by these changes because
there is much more to love than these changeable traits. She
wants to be loved for true love and not her superficial qualities
that would change with the passage of time.
(iv) The theme of the poem is unconditional love. In the poem, the
speaker asks her lover not to love her for the qualities like her
beautiful smile, her looks or her gentle voice. She recognises that
though these qualities may be endearing to him, but would fade
away in their appeal to him with the passage of time. However,
true love is unconditional and not dependent on such changeable
physical traits. She wants his love for her should be eternal.
(v) The statement love, so wrought/May be unwrought so means
that love that is based on changeable traits may change or
diminish with the changes in these traits with the passage of
time. Here, the speaker feels that if her lover loves her for only
those traits, his love for her would diminish, when her physical
traits would fade away.
III. (i) The words dear pity refer to the pity the speakers lover feels
for her.
The words wiping my cheeks dry means the act of wiping off
tears from my cheeks. Here, the speaker wants to tell her lover
that she does not want to be loved out of pity. She says that
she might not cry and since there would be no tears to be wiped
off from her cheeks, she may not be able to produce pity for
her in her lover.

28

TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

(ii) The word creature is used here for the speaker. It is so called to
compare here position with something similar like a whimpering
dog or a flopping bird, which instantly invokes pity in human
beings.
(iii) If the creature forgets to weep, the lover would not feel any pity
for her. This is because she wont have any tears to be wiped
off from her cheeks and so would not be able to induce any
pity for herself in her lover.
(iv) The word Thy is used for the speakers lover.
(v) The poet does not want to be loved out of pity because she
believes that pity on her tears will be lost once she is consoled.
IV. (i) The poet wants to be loved for loves sake only because in that
way she will always be loved no matter what qualities of her
fade away with time.
(ii) The words through loves eternity mean love that is eternal
or ever lasting. The speaker wants that her lovers love for her
should be eternal.
(iii) Love has been personified in these lines by giving love, humanly
traits such as possession (loves sake) and a time frame (loves
eternity).
(iv) The speaker of the poem, a woman, demands equal status
with a man by asking her lover not to love her for her physical
attributes or out of pity but for what she is a living, thinking
human being.
(v) The things which I like in the poem are the following:
(a) The speakers demand for unconditional love, the love which
is not based on any superficial qualities that fade away with
the passage of time but the love which is eternal.
(b) The speakers demand for equal status with men. She does
not want to be loved out of pity but for what she is a
living, thinking human being.
(vi) The poem, If Thou Must Love Me is a sonnet because:
(a) it comprises fourteen lines with a formal rhyming scheme
in iambic pentameter, i.e., abba/abba/cdc/dc [d/e].
(b) it is a hybrid of both Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets.
In rhyming scheme, it is composed of a Petrarchan octet (eight
lines) with the rhyming scheme abba abba and sestet (six
lines) with the rhyming scheme cdcdcd or cdecde. However,

I BELIEVE

29
in its content, it follows the Shakespearean structure of
three quatrains (4 + 4 + 4 = 12 lines) and the final resolving
couplets.

I. (i) I in the first line of the extract refers to the poet. She wants
to throw a pebble upwards to make a hole in the heavens to
see the angels at play there.
(ii) By throwing the pebble upwards, the poet will be able to pierce
the heavens and see the angels at play there. Symbolically, the
act of throwing the pebble upwards suggests the efforts made
to rise in life to achieve unachievable goals.
(iii) (a) The phrase pierce the heavens means to make a small hole
in the universe. It means to achieve unachievable goals with
right efforts and conviction.
(b) The phrase See the angels at play means to see the spirits,
who are believed to be the servants of God and who dwell
in heavens.
(iv) The phrase I believe signifies the poets dreams and aspirations
whereas the phrase I can signifies the determination and
confidence of the speaker at what she believes she can achieve.
(v) The extract portrays the speaker as an optimistic, hard-working
person who has the will and determination to achieve all her
dreams and aspirations.
II. (i) The speaker wants to achieve the highest limit of achievement.
For her, sky is the limit for achievements.
(ii) Heights symbolise the sky, meaning space without limit for
achievement. The poet wishes to convey the message that the
sky is the limit for human achievements.
(iii) By the phrase touch the silky clouds the speaker means to reach
the highest limits of achievement and the phrase feel the stars
means to be one among the list of achievers or stars.
(iv) Dive right into the depths mean to dive into the deepest ocean.
The deeper meaning of this phrase is that one can dive into the
depths meaning the ocean of life and cross all the hurdles on
the way and achieve success.

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TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

(v) Sharks in the last line of the stanza refer to the hurdles and
difficulties which come in life. By swimming with the sharks
one is able to achieve success by overcoming all the difficulties
(sharks) on the way.
III. (i) The phrase clawing into the earths belly means to dig deep
into the earth to get the precious jewels that lie within.
(ii) The speaker wants to claw into the earths belly to get all the
priceless gems that lie within.
(iii) The priceless gems refer to the resources that lie within the
earth like metals, minerals and precious stones. These gems can
be obtained by toiling hard and digging deep into the earth.
(iv) The speaker believes that she can do many things on the earth.
She believes so because there are many valuable resources on
the earth which she can utilise.
(v) The human angels are the speakers fellow human beings on the
earth. The speaker has called them so because they are capable
of attaining the status of angels by following the righteous path
and doing their duty diligently.
IV. (i) The speaker says that she firmly believe to emphasise the
duties she has to perform in this world before she can indulge
in persuing her dreams and aspirations.
(ii) Being a woman, the role assigned to the speaker is that of a
daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother. The word here refers to
the planet earth where she lives and dreams to fulfill a number
of aspirations.
(iii) The phrase where I dream and breathe means the place, i.e.,
the earth, where the speaker dreams and lives, to perform her
duties and achieve her goals and aspirations.
(iv) Yes, the speaker seems to feel that the role assigned to her
because of being a woman, acts as a hindrance in achieving
her dreams. This is because of the social constraints due to
the gender based denial and discrimination prevalent in Indian
society.
(v) It tells us that the speaker, like all the other women, has to
perform all the duties assigned to her, like that of a daughter, a
sister, a wife, a mother and so on, before she can fulfill her own
dreams and aspirations. The women in general feel restricted in
achieving their aspirations due to the social constraints imposed
on them by traditions, customs and religion for being a woman.

A PSALM OF LIFE

31

I. (i) The words mournful numbers refer to the sorrowful verses,

through which the speaker does not want to be told that life is
a meaningless dream.
(ii) It means that life is a meaningless dream and an illusion.
Life can be an empty dream if human beings spend their time
meaninglessly without having a goal in life.
(iii) By saying, the soul is dead that slumbers, the poet intends to
say that one, who spends his time aimlessly is really a dead
man. Therefore, one must always be up and doing. The speaker,
later in the poem, says that one should rely neither on the
future nor on the past, but should live in the present moment
with courage in oneself and trust in God.
(iv) Those who live an irresponsible life and while their away time
aimlessly depict life as a meaningless dream. This does not
reflect the true nature of human life.
(v) Yes, indeed a profound thinker can be a great poet because
only a thinker can give vent to the feelings and aspirations of
humanity at large and reflect the true nature of human life.
The moral principle hinted in the extract is that life is not an
empty dream but has a serious mission.
(vi) The human attitude of irresponsible indulgence in useless pursuits
and meaningless thinking is condemned in this extract.
II. (i) Earlier in the poem, it was said that life is a meaningless dream.
This gloomy aspect of life is misleading and not a reality, for it
does not reflect its true nature.
(ii) It means that death is not the end of life. The poet strongly
belives in life after death because he says that death marks the
end of the body and not the soul.
(iii) Dust thou art, to dust returnest means that the body comes
from dust and returns to dust.
The allusion in the statement is that God formed man out of
clay and breathed life into him. But, when Adam and Eve, the
first human beings, disobeyed God, they were punished by
pronouncing the Law of Death on them, which says, Dust thou
art and unto dust thou shall return.

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TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

(iv) The human body, which is perishable, returns to the dust, from
which it appeared. However, the soul is imperishable and does
not return to the dust.
(v) Two examples of lyrical quality in the poem are:
(a) Each stanza of the poem follows the rhyming scheme abab,
according to which, the first line rhymes with the third and
the second line rhymes with the fourth.
(b) It is a musical lyric that invokes mankind to live in the
present and follow the path of righteousness.
III. (i) The worlds broad field of battle refers to the whole world being
a big battlefield. It is referred to as the battlefield because here,
every human being has to work hard and struggle to live and
fight the battle of life, within the alloted time.
(ii) bivouac of life means that this world is a temporary camp for
human beings, where they live and struggle for a fixed period
of time and then leave it, when their bodies die. One should
fight against all odds in this bivouac and emerge as a hero.
(iii) The expression, dumb, driven cattle means that human beings
should not be like the dumb cattle, which is driven by others,
because it lacks direction and determination. Human beings
should fight against all odds and emerge as heroes.
(iv) One should not trust the future because one is not aware of
what is going to happen in the future. Similarly, one should
not trust the past because one cannot change the past. So, one
should live in the present moment and make the best out of it.
(v) (a) Let the dead Past bury its dead! means that we should not
be captivated by the past events and they should be put
away because we cannot change them and therefore, we
should live in the present moment.
(b) Heart within, and God oerhead! means that one should not
rely on the past or the future and live in the present moment
with courage in oneself and trust in God.
(vi) The moral principle underlying the extract is that the whole
world is a big battlefield and a temporary rest camp. So, we
should not be dumb like cattle, who are driven by others, but
should find our own way.

A PSALM OF LIFE

33

IV. (i) The lives of great men teach us that we can also achieve great
heights by emulating them.
(ii) (a) We can make our life sublime in the lifes battlefield by
fighting against all odds, finding our own way and becoming
a success.
(b) We can make our life sublime by living in the present moment
without bothering for the future or the past and making the
best use of available time and resources.
(iii) Footprints on the sands of time mean the noble work done by
great men which act as milestones and show the way to others
to make their lives successful. We can benefit from the footprints
on the sands by following the path shown by great men and
achieving new heights in life.
(iv) The lines which appeal to me the most include the following:
Let us, then, be up and doing
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing
Learn to labour and to wait.
This is because the above lines provide the lesson on how to
live a successful life. These lines teach us that, we should never
give up, continue our work confidently, facing any situation in
life, favourable or unfavourable and without being preoccupied
with the outcome of our actions. We should continue our efforts
persistently and learn to wait patiently for the rewards.
(v) The gloomy picture of life shown by the speaker in the poem
includes the following:
(a) Life is a meaningless dream.
(b) The work assigned to us is too demanding and time-consuming.
But time passes quickly leaving us bewildered.
V. (i) Footprints of the noble deeds performed by us, which can
encourage an unhappy and ruined man, sailing over the sea of
life, are referred to in the extract.
(ii) (a) Sailing oer lifes solemn main mean sailing over the sea of
life.
(b) A forlorn and shipwrecked brother mean an unhappy and
deserted man, who has gone astray from the right path.

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TEACHERS HANDBOOK (ICSE POEMS)

(iii) The footprints are referred to in the extract because they can
motivate an unhappy and deserted man, who has gone astray
from the right path, by following the path shown by these
footprints.
(iv) The poet wants to convey that we should begin our work
courageously facing any situation in life, favourable or
unfavourable.
(v) Yes, indeed I enjoyed reading the poem for the following reasons:
(a) It instructs and guides us on how to lead an upright life.
It inspires us to continue our work without being bogged
down by the circumstances.
(b) It is a musical lyric that has a swift rhythm and rhyming
pattern.