I come from haunts of coot and hern.

- The brook starts from a place the

coots (a kind of duck) & herns (commonly known as herons) spend most of their
times.
I make a sudden sally,-The brook suddenly rushes down.
And sparkle out among the fern,-As the brook flows it sparkles because of
sun rays, and it flows through a ground which mostly have grasses and
flowerless plants (ferns).
To bicker down a valley.-The brook flows down a valley making noisy sounds.
By thirty hills I hurry down,-Here the brook swiftly flows down many hills.
There are not literally 'Thirty hills' but the poet make's the line creative by using
'Thirty' and not 'many'.
Or slip between the ridges,-The brook 'slips'(quickly moves) between long
narrow hilltops.
By twenty thorps, a little town,-The brook flows down past many villages
(Thorp-Old word for village) -again the poet tries to make the line creative by
using 'Twenty'-not literally 'Twenty villages' and a little town as well.
And half a hundred bridges.-The brook flows and passes by/through many
bridges-not literally 'Half a hundred' bridges.
Till last by Philip's farm I flow-The brook flows by a farm probably owned by a
man named Philip.
To join the brimming river,-After the farm he flows to join a overflowing river.
For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. Men/people have
a short life spam but the brook is immortal so it has a longer life spam and hence
goes on 'forever'.

I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles, -As the brook flows
it chatters (makes a interesting and musical sound) over a stony creek bed.
I bubble into eddying bays, -When the brook flows backward it 'pushes' the
air and makes bubbles.
I babble on the pebbles, -As the brook moves it makes sound because of the
pebbles.
With many a curve my banks I fret-The brook flows curvily because at one
point the path curves and it wears away.

By many a field and fallow,-The brook flows by many fields and bare places
(fallows), probably the soil is infertile which is why the land is bare and no plants
grow.
And many a fairy foreland set, With willow-weed & mallow. -There are
many pieces of land sticking out in the brook (called foreland) which have some
plants such as 'Willow-weed & mallow'. Where colorful & bright birds, insects &
butterflies come which look like fairies from far away.
I chatter, chatter as I flow-The brook makes sound as it flows.
Who is the speaker in the poem The Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson?
The brook herself is the speaker in the poem The Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
She describes the various scenes she sees and the touching philosophies and
emotions she experiences on her way to eternity. It is a fine example of
personification of a river
What does the poem refer to a netted sunbeam in song of the brook by Alfred
lord tennyson?
The sunlight, when it passes through the leaves and branches, creates an effect
of light and shadow. It looks like a net in which sunlight is trapped. This is what
the netted sunbeam is. When the waves occur in the brook, it creates an effect
which makes the sunbeam look as if its dancing.
The brook poem by Alfred lord tennyson summary?
The poem 'The Brook' is written in first person, so it strikes an autobiographical
note. It proceeds like a journey,which has different stages, various ups and
downs,showing different kinds of movement.The Brook begins its journey from
somewhere in the mountains, which are home to birds like 'coots' and'heron' and
ends it by joining the 'brimming river'. On itsway, it passes by many hills, ridges,
towns, villages,bridges. The brook's movement is sometimes forceful andstrong,
sometimes leisurely. It makes its way by erodingthe banks, through cultivated,
uncultivated lands and forelands. The brook is also the habitat of many kinds of
fish and is full of willows, mallows and flowers. It also provides a meeting point
for lovers and surface to swallows to skim. Its rushing water serves as a
background for the dance of the rays of the sun. The brook proceeds on its
journey slipping, sliding, gliding, dancing, lingering, gushing. The moon, the stars
make it murmur. On its way, it overcomes many hurdles and obstacles but
reaches its final destination in the end.The journey of the brook becomes parallel
to the journey of human life. The poet makes a reflective comment which
highlights the continuity and eternal existence of the brookto the transitory
nature of human life. The poet wishes topoint out that just as ups and downs do
not deter the brook from its journey, similarly, human beings should also take the
hurdles and sorrows in their stride.

Who is the speaker in the poem The Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson?
The brook herself is the speaker in the poem The Brook by Alfred Lord Tennyson.
She describes the various scenes she sees and the touching philosophies and
emotions she experiences on her way to eternity. It is a fine example of
personification of a river
What does the poem refer to a netted sunbeam in song of the brook by Alfred
lord tennyson?
The sunlight, when it passes through the leaves and branches, creates an effect
of light and shadow. It looks like a net in which sunlight is trapped. This is what
the netted sunbeam is. When the waves occur in the brook, it creates an effect
which makes the sunbeam look as if its dancing.

Page No: 60
4. After reading the poem answer the following questions.

Answer

(b)

Answer
(c) A word or a combination of words, whose sounds seems to resemble the sound it
denotes (for example: hiss, buzz, etc.) is called onomatopoeia. From the words that
you have filled in the blurbs above, point out these words.
Answer
Bicker, Chatter, Babble
Page No: 61
5. The following is a flow chart showing the course of the brook. Can you fill in the
blank spaces with help from the phrases given below?

Answer

6. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following

questions by ticking the correct choice.
(a) The message of the poem is that the life of a brook is ___________.
(i) temporary
(ii) short-lived
(iii) eternal
(v) momentary
Answer
(iii) eternal
(b) The poet draws a parallelism between the journey of the brook with ___________.
(i) the life of a man
(ii) the death of man
(iii) the difficulties in a man's life
(iv) the endless talking of human beings
Answer
(i) the life of a man
(c) The poem is narrated in the first person by the brook. This figure of speech is
________.
(i) Personification
(ii) Metaphor
(iii) Simile
(iv) Transferred epithet
Answer
(i) Personification
(d) In the poem, below mentioned lines:
"And here and there a lusty trout ,
And here and there a grayling"

suggest that _____________.

(i) the brook is a source of life
(ii) people enjoy the brook
(iii) fishes survive because of water
(iv) the brook witnesses all kinds of scenes
Answer
(i) the brook is a source of life
Page No: 62
7. Answer the following questions.
(a) How does the brook sparkle?
Answer
The brook sparkles because of the suns rays which shine on its water. The sudden
emergence or rush of the brook is shown to be in a sparkling motion.
(b) Bicker means to quarrel. Why does the poet use this word here?
Answer
Bicker means a noisy discussion or an argument. The poet uses the word bicker to
describe the noisy flow of the brook as it flows through the valley as it sounds like
quarrel.
(c) How many hills and bridges does it pass during is journey?
Answer
The brook passes thirty hills and fifty bridges during its journey.
(d) Where does it finally meet the river?
Answer
The brook finally meets the river near Phillips farm.

(e) Why has the word chatter been repeated in the poem?
Answer
The word chatter has been repeated in the poem because it represents the sound
frequently made by the flowing brook. It seems that the brook talks about its journey that
it has travelled throughout in a lively mood.
(f) With many a curve my banks I fret- What does the poet mean by this statement?
Answer
The brook becomes tired occasionally as it has to curve and move round and round,
again and again.
(g) I wind about, and in and out.' What kind of a picture does this line create in your
mind?
Answer
The brook does not flow in a straight line but veers and twists itself along its
way. It creates a picture of flowing waters of the brook resembling a maze or
whirlpool.
(h) Name the different things that can be found floating in the brook.
Answer
The different things that can be found floating in the river are pumice,
flowers, wood chips, foamy flakes, bark of trees, twigs and leaves.
(i) What does the poet want to convey by using the words steal and slide?
Answer
By using the words steal and slide, the poet refers to smooth and noiseless
movement of the brook.
(j) The poem has many examples of alliteration. List five examples.
Answer

Five examples of alliteration in the poem are:

Sudden sally
Field and fallow
Willow-weed
Golden gravel
Slip, slide
(k) I make the netted sunbeam dance. What does the netted sunbeam mean? How
does it dance?
Answer
The sunrays filtering through the leaves and bushes make a net-like pattern on shallow
water-pools. They are reflected on the surface of water and appear to be dancing as the
water flows.
(l) What is the refrain in the poem? What effect does it create?
Answer
In the referred poem, the refrain is:
For men may come and men may go
But I go on for ever.
The repetition of the refrain emphasises the transitory nature of man and the eternal
nature of the brook.
8. Read the given lines and answer the questions
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.
(a) Who does I refer to in the given lines?
(b) How does it 'chatter'?
(c) Why has the poet used the word 'brimming'? What kind of a picture does it create?
(d) Explain the last two lines of the stanza.

Answer

(a) I refers to the brook in the given lines.

(b) The brook chatters by flowing over the pebbles making a lot of meaningless noise.
(c) Brimming means full to the brim or top. It creates an impression on our mind of the
picture of a big river in flood.
(d) These lines tell us that men have a short span of life; man is mortal and
human life is transient. The life of the brook, however, is continuous and will
never end. Nature is immortal and can outlive man. That is why the brook
says it will go on forever. The immortal nature of the brook is contrasted with
the fleeting nature of man's life.
9. Identity the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Answer
The rhyme scheme is ab ab cd cd .....
10. The poem is full of images that come alive through skilful use of words. List
out any two images that appeal to you the most, quoting the lines from the poem.

Answer
The first vivid image created by the poet is that
of the brook flowing through hills and valleys, under the
bridges and by the villages.
By thirty hills I hurry down
Or slip between the ridges
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
The second striking image is that of serpent. Like flow of the brook, with flowers and fish
floating on it. This image is most appealing because it is apt, colourful and poetic.
11. The brook appears to be a symbol for life. Pick out examples of parallelism
between life and the brook.
Answer
The brook appears to be a symbol for life, which becomes the central theme of the
poem. Various instances that can be seen in the poem which draw parallel between

brook and life.

The brook is a small stream that is born in somemountain. It grows bigger and stronger
in the course of its
journey. It makes so many types of sounds as it flows through the pebbles. Its
movements are also varied. It slips and slides; it steals and winds its curves and flows. It
chatters and babbles, it makes musical as well as harsh sounds. The brooks birth and
growth, chattering and babbling are very much similar to the activities of a human being.
The brook represents life in general. Both have an origin, a middle stage and an end.
Both struggle against various adversities, odds and keep moving towards their goal.
Above all, the brook represents life. Men may come and men may go, but life goes on
forever. The same rule applies in the case of the brook. It keeps flowing eternally, like
life.

Summary of the Poem

In this poem, the brook plays the role of narrator and describes its journey.
The Brook begins its journey from somewhere in the mountains, which are home to birds
like coots and heron and ends it by joining the brimming river. On its way, it passes by
many hills, ridges, towns, villages, bridges. The brooks movement is sometimes forceful
and strong, sometimes leisurely. It makes its way by eroding the banks, through
cultivated, uncultivated lands and forelands. The brook is also the habitat of many kinds
of fish and is full of willows, mallows and flowers. It also provides a meeting point for
lovers and surface to swallows to skim. Its rushing water serves as a background for the
dance of the rays of the sun.
The brook proceeds on its journey slipping, sliding, gliding, dancing, lingering, gushing.
The moon, the stars make it murmur. On its way, it overcomes many hurdles and
obstacles but reaches its final destination in the end. The journey of the brook becomes
parallel to the journey of human life. The poet makes a reflective comment which
highlights the continuity and eternal existence of the brook to the transitory nature of
human life. The poet wishes to point out that just as ups and downs do not deter the
brook from its journey, similarly, human beings should also take the hurdles and sorrows
in their stride.
Terms and Meanings from poem

 Haunts - places frequently visited by

Coot - a type of water bird with a white spot on the forehead
Hern heron (another kind of water bird)
Sally - emerge suddenly
Bicker - flow down with a lot of noise
Thorpes villages
Trebles - high pitched tune
Eddying - spiral movement of water.
Babble - sound made when one talks gaily
Fallow - land left uncultivated to regain fertility
Foreland - piece of land that extends into the sea
Mallow - plant with hairy stems and leaves and pink, white or purple flowers.
Lusty trout - a big freshwater fish
Grayling another type of fish
Hazel - a small tree or bush with edible nuts
Forget-me-nots - a type of flower
Shingly - covered with small rounded pebbles
Cresses - pungent leaved plant like a cabbage.