THE BROOK Line by Line - Explanation CBSE CLASS IX ENGLISH

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ABOUT THE POET

Alfred Tennyson
Born 6 August 1809, England
Died 6 October 1892, England.
He was known as poet laureate of great Britain and Ireland and was one
of the most popular poet of the time
Notable works
a) The kraken
b) The lotos eaters
c) Ulysses
d) In memoriam
e) The eagle

LINE BY LINE EXPLANATION

STANZA 1
I come from haunts of coot and hern
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
The brook starts from those places which are often visited by the coot
and hern (heron). The brook emerges suddenly in this hilly area. It
moves through the ferns and sparkles when the sunshine reflects the
crystal clear water. And when the brook moves creates a lot of noise.

Poetic devices used

I (Line-1) The whole poem brook is personified
hern is an example of poetic license. The word heron has been turned
into hern to match the rhyming word hern.
I` ................`(Line 1)
I...............`(Line 2) Anaphora
Sudden sally (Alliteration)
Bicker (onomatopoeia)

STANZA 2
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorps, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.

This stanza is an account of the brooks flowing through different

areas. The poet has created wonderful imageries when we read the brook
flowing by thirty hills, slipping between ridges (long narrow hills),
twenty villages, a little town and fifty bridges.
Poetic Devises in use
1) By thirty hills I hurry down (Inversion)
2) Twenty thorpes (Alliteration)
3) By .............................(Line 1)
...................................
By (Line -3) Repetition

STANZA 3
Till last by Philips farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.

The poet here tells us about the merging point of the brook. The brook
joins an overflowing river here Philips farm is symbolised as a land
mark of the ending of the journey of the brook. Last two lines are the
refrain bearing the main theme of the poem. The brook is ever flowing,
eternal without ceasing whereas we, the men are ephemeral. We shall not
live forever. We are subject to decay, decline and death.
Poetic Devices in use
1. Till last by Philips farm I flow (inversion)
2. Men may (Alliteration)
3. Come ..............go (Line-3) (Antithesis)

STANZA 4
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,

I babble on the pebbles.

The brook goes on the stony path creating chattering sounds. It

makes sharp high pitched sound when the brook clashes on the side banks
of the land. It makes bubbles when it falls from height in the spiral
movement. When it moves on the pebbles it creates soft pleasing sound.
Poetic Devices in use:
1. Chatter`, trebles`, babble` - onomatopoeia.
2. Line 3 and Line 4 Anaphora.

STANZA 5
With many a curve my banks I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow.

The brook moves on taking many curves and creates rough and
unpleasant sound on the banks of the brook. The brook moves through many
field and uncultivated lands. The brook goes through the foreland i.e.
the land just before the merging point. The poet describes the land to
be fairy land as with flowers and beautiful plants like willow and
mallow it looks so.
Poetic Devices in use:

1. With many a curve my banks I fret Inversion.

2. fairly foreland, with willow seed Alliteration.

STANZA 6
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.
The brook creates various sounds before merging with its

destination .The last two lines are the examples of

refrain which highlights the eternal state of the brook
and its activity and the ephemeral state of we, the
humans.
Poetic Device in use :
1. Chatter chatter- Repetition
2. Chatter Onomatopoeia
3. Chatter chatter , men may Alliteration
4. .come go- Antithesis

STANZA-7
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
The brook on its way had lots of ups and downs and in its winding
movement it often falls from height and goes in deep water and comes out
to continue to flow. The brook carries blossoms on its way. Along with
the brook there go a lot of fishes like lusty trout and grayling.
Poetic Device in use:
1) .......................and in and out Antithesis
2) 2) .........about and Alliteration
3) Line (3) and ........................
(4) .......................
Anaphora.
4) here and there Repetition

STANZA 8
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery water break
Above the golden gravel,
When the brook moves , the waves clash with each other and
creates bubbles and those bubbles in group make pieces of
foams.The brook moves through different curves and the
clashes creates silvery water break .These foams and
silvery water break can be visible on the surface of the
water and at the base of the brook there are golden
coloured stones .
Poetic device in use
1 here and there Antithesis
2. foamy flake ,golden gravel Alliteration

STANZA-9
And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on for ever.

The brook carries fishes, foams and flowers with it to join the
brimming river. And then the refrain comes meaning the eternal state of
the river to that of transient one of humans.
Poetic device in use:
1) All along, men may Alliteration
2) Men may Repetition
3) Com ................go Antithesis.

STANZA 10

I steal by lawns and grassy plots,

I slide by hazel covers ;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.

The brook secretly moves though the grassy plots and lawns and
moves swiftly by the bushy hazel trees. The brook shakes and sweet
forget me- not flowers which grow for happy lovers.
Poetic Devices in use.
1) I (Line 1,2 and 3) Anaphora.

STANZA 11
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows ;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.

The
sliding,
birds to
create a
to us as

brook moves along making different movements like slipping,

moving through darkness and so on. And there we find swallow
skim on the surface of the water for food. The brook waves
net like structure on which the sunshine sparkles and it seems
if the sun beams are dancing.

Poetic Devices in use

1) I slip, I slide, ZI gloom, I glance Asyndeton
2) Skimming swallows sandy shallows Alliteration

STANZA 12
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses ;
I linger by my shingly bars ;
I loiter round my cresses ;

At night under the moon and stars, the brook goes on moving
creating murmuring sound through the natural land where thorny bushes
grow. The brook often lingers because of the stones on the way. The
brook water moves purposelessly around the plant named cresses.

Poetic Device in use

1) Murmur Onomatopoeia.
2) 2) Line 2 and 3 Anaphora.

STANZA 13
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.

After facing the obstacles the brook again takes a curve and starts
flowing to join the brimming river. Last two lines refer to the refrain
meaning the eternal state of the brook and transient state of the
humans.
Poetic Device in use.
1) And out again I curve and flow Inversion,
2) Menmay Alliteration
3) Men may Repetition

Class 9 - English (Comm.) - Unit 6 - The Brook

The Brook

MCQs from CBSE Papers

Poet: Alfred Lord Tennyson
Q1(CBSE2011): Read the extract and answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate options.
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers
I move the sweet forgetmenots
That grow for happy lovers.

(1) I "steal" means __________.

(a) by this time the brooks flow is silent.

(b) the brook steals its flow.

(c) the stealing nature is revealed by the brook.
(d) the brook explains its nature.

Lord Tennyson
(credits:wikipedia)

(2) 'forgetmenots' are :

(a) flowers.
(b) leaves.
(c) bushes.
(d) orchids.
(3) According to the poet, lovers generally like :
(a) rose flowers.
(b) any kind of flower.
(c) marigold flowers.
(d) forgetmenots.

Answers:
1: (a) by this time the brooks flow is silent.
2: (a) flowers.
3: (d) forgetmenots.

Q2(CBSE 2010): Read the following extracts and choose the correct option :
I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river
For men may come and men may go
But I go on forever.
(1) The brook chatters by __________ .
(a) making sounds like a monkey
(b) jumping like a monkey
(c) keeping up with the monkey's pace
(d) making a loud noise as it rushes over different surfaces
(2) The final destination of the brook is _____ .
(a) Philip's farm
(b) the brimming river
(c) a sea
(d) Brambly wilderness

(3) The last two lines of this stanza are repeated several times in the poem. The reason for this
repetition is to show the __________ .
(a) perennial nature of the brook in contrast to the mortal existence of man
(b) mortal nature of the brook
(c) perennial nature of the brook
(d) immortal existence of man
Answers:
1: (d) making a loud noise as it rushes over different surfaces
2: (b) the brimming river
3: (a) perennial nature of the brook in contrast to the mortal existence of man

Q3(CBSE 2011): Read the extract and answer the following questions by choosing the most appropriate options.
By thirty hills I hurry down
Or slip between the ridges
By twenty thorpes, a little town
And half a hundred bridges
(1) The movement of the brook is ______________.
(a) slow
(b) steady
(c) swift
(d) gradual
(2) What do the words "thirty hills" and "twenty thorpes" suggest ?
(a) vast expanse of brook journey
(b) signify brook's long journey
(c) suggest brook's final destination
(d) suggest brook's continuous journey.
(3) What poetic device does the poet use in the first line ?
(a) metaphor
(b) symbol
(c) personification
(d) simile
Answers:
1: (c) swift
2: (b) signify brook's long journey
3: (c) Personification [ A literary device by which an inanimate object is made to appear as a living creature]
Q4(CBSE 2010): Read the extract and answer the following questions.
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.

(1) Identify the figure of speech in the first two lines :

(a) Metaphor
(b) Imagery
(c) Alliteration
(d) Simile
(2) 'the netted sunbeam dance' refer to :
(a) sunrays filtering through the intertwined leaves seem to move with the undulating movement of water
(b) rays of sun dance to the music of water creating a netted effect
(c) shadow of leaves falling on water create a dance-like effect
(d) the moving water creates the effect of dancing rays caught in the net
(3) The sandy shallows indicate that the brook is :
(a) On the last leg of her journey
(b) Drying up due to heat
(c) Filled with sediments
(d) Flowing on sandy bed
Answers:
1: (c) Alliteration [Alliteration is the repetition of speech sounds in a sequence of nearby words]
2: (b) rays of sun dance to the music of water creating a netted effect
3: (a) On the last leg of her journey