Walt Whitman (1819 to 1892) was an American poet, essayist and

journalist. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American

canon and is often called ‘The Father of Free Verse.’ He grew
up in Huntington in a family with difficult economic status. His
major work ‘Leaves of Grass’ was published in July 1855. His ‘O
Captain! My Captain!’, a poem written on the death of Abraham
Lincoln, is widely popular.
The section one of ‘Song of the Open Road’ from ‘Leaves of
Grass’, is a beautiful blend of self-awareness, free will and tenderness
of heart. It gives us poet’s realization that along the journey of life one
will face a test of wisdom which is not tested in any school or university. A
road is something everyone uses, whether rich or poor and it forces all levels of people to
associate with one another. The road signifies ‘mobility.’ One can take the road as a point
to start over towards something new. Whitman talks about the people and places. He argues
against staying in one place for too long, although the hospitality may be true.

Song of the Open Road

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

Guess the meaning: Healthy, free, the world before me,

• Afoot
The long brown path before me leading wherever I

choose.
whimper : make a series
of low, weak, sad cries, Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am
especially with fear and
pain good-fortune,

querulous : complaining, Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more,

showing that one is
irritated need nothing,

Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous

criticisms,

Strong and content I travel the open road.

The earth, that is sufficient,

94
 I do not want the constellations any nearer,

I know they are very well where they are, constellations : in this
context (i) fate / destiny
I know they suffice for those who belong to them. (ii) influential groups of
people
(Still here I carry my old delicious burdens,

I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me

wherever I go,

I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them,

I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.)

-Walt Whitman

BRAINSTORMING

(A1) (i) Pick out the lines showing that the poet is prepared to enjoy every moment
of his journey.
(ii) By ‘old delicious burdens’ the poet means-
(a) the luggage
(b) the food he carries
(c) the stress he bears during the travels
(d) sweet memories of the past
(iii) The poet is a person who is free from all inhibitions. Discuss how the
concept of ‘freedom’ is expressed in the poem.

95
 Sarojini Naidu (1879 to 1949) was a political activist, feminist
and the first Indian woman who became the President of the Indian
National Congress. She was an important figure in India’s Struggle
for Independence. Sarojini Naidu’s work as a poet earned her the
sobriquet of Nightingale of India. Later she became the Governor
of the United Provinces in 1947 becoming the first woman to hold
the office of the Governor in Independent India.
‘Indian Weavers’ is a short poem where the poet talks about three
types of garment that the weavers weave at three particular times of
a day. Each stanza of the poem represents the three important events of
human life: birth (childhood), adulthood (young) and death (old). The colours
mentioned in the stanzas are very significant as they indicate the moods related to the events.

Indian Weavers
Weavers, weaving at break of day,
Why do you weave a garment so gay?......
halcyon: Kingfisher, a bird Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild,
which has bright, colourful
plumes We weave the robes of a new-born child.

Weavers, weaving at fall of night,

Why do you weave a garment so bright?........

plumes: soft feathers Like the plumes of a peacock, purple and green,
We weave the marriage-veils of a queen.

Weavers, weaving solemn and still,

What do you weave in the moonlight chill……

shroud: a cloth in which a

White as a feather and white as a cloud,
dead person is wrapped We weave a dead man’s funeral shroud.

- Sarojini Naidu

100
 Robert Southey (1774 to 1843) He was born in Bristol, England. He
was the son of a draper, educated at Westminster School and Balliol
College, Oxford.
He was a Poet Laureate of England from 1813 to 1843. Some
of his short poems like ‘The Scholar’. ‘The Battle of Blenheim’,
‘Bishop Hatto’, ‘The Inchcape Rock’ etc. are very popular with
the school children.
‘The Inchcape Rock’ is a ballad. It’s the story of the 14th century
attempt by the Abbot of Aberbrothok to install a warning bell on
Inchcape, a notorious sandstone reef about 11 miles (18km) off the
east coast of Angus, Scotland, near Dundee and Fife, occupied by the
Bell Rock Lighthouse.
Southey was inspired by the the legendary story of a pirate who removed the bell on the
Inchcape Rock placed by the Abbot of Aberbrothok. The poem gives us a message that those
who do wrong things will meet with due punishment.

The Inchcape Rock

No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,

The ship was as still as she could be,
Her sails from heaven received no motion,
Her keel was steady in the ocean.

Without either sign or sound of their shock

The waves flow’d over the Inchcape Rock;
Abbot : head of Abbey of
So little they rose, so little they fell,
monks (Abbey : a building They did not move the Inchcape Bell.
where monks or nuns live or
used to live) The Abbot of Aberbrothok
Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
buoy : floating object On a buoy in the storm it floated and swung,
anchored in the sea to mark
dangerous places
And over the waves its warning rung.

104
 Give reasons for the sailor’s
appreciation of The Abbot.

surge’s swell : sudden and

When the Rock was hid by the surge’s swell, great rise in the level of the
The mariners heard the warning bell; sea
And then they knew the perilous Rock, perilous : dangerous
And blest the Abbot of Aberbrothok. blest : old English form of
‘blessed’
The Sun in heaven was shining gay, Guess the meaning of :
All things were joyful on that day; ‘wheel’d round’.
The sea-birds scream’d as they wheel’d round,
And there was joyance in their sound.

The buoy of the Inchcape Bell was seen

A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover, walk’d his deck, speck : a tiny dot
And he fix’d his eye on the darker speck. Sir Ralph the Rover : a sea
pirate
He felt the cheering power of spring,
It made him whistle, it made him sing; Describe the state of mind of
Sir Ralph.
His heart was mirthful to excess,
But the Rover’s mirth was wickedness.

His eye was on the Inchcape float;

quoth : said
Quoth he, “My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock, plague : cause pain or trouble
And I’ll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok’.
When the Rover spotted the
The boat is lower’d, the boatmen row, bell, he cut the bell from the
And to the Inchcape Rock they go; buoy. This was an act of-
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat, i. hatred
And he cut the Bell from the Inchcape float. ii. anger
iii. jealousy
iv. frustration
Down sunk the bell with a gurgling sound.
gurgling sound :
The bubbles rose and burst around;
Find the figure of speech.
Quoth Sir Ralph, ‘The next who comes to the Rock
Won’t bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok.’
105
 Sir Ralph the Rover, sail’d away,
He scour’d the seas for many a day;
And now grown rich with plunder’d store,
He steers his course for Scotland’s shore.
scour’d : (here) travelled
freely, energetically for ships
to rob So thick a haze o’erspreads the sky,
plunder’d store : big They cannot see the Sun on high;
amount of looted wealth The wind hath blown a gale all day,
steers : directs the course of At evening it hath died away.
the ship
haze : thin mist On the deck the Rover takes his stand,
So dark it is they see no land.
Quoth Sir Ralph, ‘It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising Moon.’

‘Canst hear’, said one, ‘the breakers roar?

For methinks we should be near the shore’.
‘Now where we are I cannot tell,
But I wish I could hear the Inchcape Bell’.
methinks : it seems to me
They hear no sound, the swell is strong;
(archaic form of ‘I think’)
Though the wind hath fallen they drift along,
Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,-
‘O Christ! it is the Inchcape Rock!’
drift : move slowly
Sir Ralph the Rover tore his hair;
He curst himself in his despair;
‘O Christ ! It is the Inchcape
Rock’ - What made Ralph The waves rush in every side,
the Rover to exclaim this The ship is sinking beneath the tide.
line?
tore : pulled hard But even in his dying fear
One dreadful sound could the Rover hear,
A sound as if with the Inchcape Bell,
The Devil below was ringing his knell.
-Robert South

knell : the sound of a bell

rung solemnly after death or
at funeral announcement of
death

106
 Edgar Guest (1881 to 1959) was born in England and was
brought to the United States when he was ten years old. He
began his writing career in 1895 at the age of fourteen.
Edgar Guest is known as ‘people’s poet’ for his simple
style and optimistic tone of writing. Guest is an American
writer of newspaper and magazines.
This is an inspirational poem. In this poem, the speaker is
asking the readers whether they have done anything to improve
the life of another human being or not. It is up to you whether
you will have a better future or not. Therefore, one should consider
one’s actions and deeds carefully and plan accordingly for a better
future.

Have you Earned your Tomorrow

Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
toiling time : time spent This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
in hard physical work Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
How do you greet your
elders?
Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came
churlish : rude
along?
Howdy : an informal
Or a churlish sort of “Howdy” and then vanish in the throng?
friendly greeting
Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the
throng : crowd, a large
way,
number
Or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today?

Can you say tonight, in parting with the days that’s slipping
fast,
That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said;
Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look
ahead?

Did you waste the day, or lose it, was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God
would say,
You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did
today?
- Edgar Guest

112
 Dilip Chitre (1938 to 2009) was a celebrated bilingual poet and
translator with a remarkable work in Marathi and English. His
versatile creativity extends to painting, film-making and his notable
contribution as a magazine columnist. He received the prestigious
Sahitya Akademi Award, both for poetry as well as for his well-
known translation work ‘Says Tuka’, popular abhangas (spiritual
poems) by Sant Tukaram. He had started translation of literary
work of saints in Marathi at the age of 16. Exile, alienation self
-disintegration and death are observed to be the major themes of his
works.
This poem is taken from ‘Travelling in a Cage’. It draws a portrait of a suburban
commuter. It depicts his dull, monotonous, exhausting and equally pitiable daily routine. It
describes a forced alienation at home, which is reflected through the stale food and lack of
sharing. His children refuse to share their joys and sorrows with the hardworking father who
as a result is forced to retire into solitude. This very painful loneliness is a symbol of man’s
isolation from the materialistic man-made world.

Father Returning Home

My father travels on the late evening train
commuters : those who Standing among silent commuters in the yellow light
travel regularly from one
place to another typically Suburbs slide past his unseeing eyes
to work
His shirt and pants are soggy and his black raincoat
Stained with mud and his bag stuffed with books
Is falling apart. His eyes dimmed by age
Fade homeward through the humid monsoon night.
Now I can see him getting off the train
Like a word dropped from a long sentence.

grey platform : It is grey He hurries across the length of the grey platform,
due to cement. Here, ‘grey’
suggests old age, dullness, Crosses the railway line, enters the lane,
sordidness of a father’s life.
His chappals are sticky with mud, but he hurries onward.

Home again, I see him drinking weak tea,

Eating a stale chapati, reading a book.

116
He goes into the toilet to contemplate contemplate : think deeply
estrangement : alienation
Man’s estrangement from a man-made world.
Coming out he trembles at the sink,
The cold water running over his brown hands,
A few droplets cling to the greying hair on his wrists.
His sullen children have often refused to share sullen : bad tempered

Jokes and secrets with him.

Refusal of the children to
He will now go to sleep share jokes and secrets
indicates :
Listening to the static on the radio, dreaming (1) They are angry
(2) Generation gap
Of his ancestors and grandchildren, thinking
(3) Lack of concern
Of nomads entering a subcontinent through a narrow pass.
-Dilip Chitre

117
 William H. Davies (1871 to 1940) William H. Davies was a
Welsh poet and writer. He spent a significant part of his life
as a tramp or hobo in the United Kingdom and the United
States. He became a peddler and street singer in England.
After several years of a wandering life, he published his first
volume, ‘The Soul’s Destroyer and other Poems’.
The poem tells us about the rich man who wants to be
a poor man to find the real happiness. It is when we do not
have money or have lost our money, we realize how important the
money is. At the end, the poet says that now he doesn’t have money,
he has true friends though they may be few.

Money
When I had money, money, O!
I knew no joy till I went poor;
For many a false man as a friend
Came knocking all day at my door.

trumpet : a brass musical Then felt I like a child that holds

instrument
A trumpet that he must not blow
Because a man is dead; I dared
Not speak to let this false world know.

Much have I thought of life, and seen

How poor men’s hearts are ever light;
hum : sing with closed lips And how their wives do hum like bees
About their work from morn till night.

So, when I hear these poor ones laugh,

Poor ones laugh And see the rich ones coldly frown
because…… Poor men, think I, need not go up
So much as rich men should come down.

When I had money, money, O!

My many friends proved all untrue;
But now I have no money, O!
My friends are real, though very few.
- William H. Davies
122
 George Gordon Byron (1788 to 1824), known simply as Lord Byron
was a famous English Romantic poet and also a satirist. He attended
a number of schools, including the famous Public School, Harrow
and then went to Trinity College, Cambridge. At the age of 21, he
started a tour of Europe and the Orient after which he composed
‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage’ which made him immensely popular
in England.
‘She Walks in Beauty’ is a short lyrical poem celebrating female
beauty. The poet describes an unnamed woman who is exceptionally
striking. The poet describes not only her external appearance but also her
inner goodness which makes her so captivatingly attractive. Byron compares
her to the night sky describing her serene and perfect beauty. Although the poem is generally
thought to be a love poem, the poet never actually declares his love for this lady.

She Walks in Beauty

She walks in beauty, like the night
climes : climate
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
aspect : features Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
mellowed : made smooth Thus mellowed to that tender light
and soft
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
gaudy : bright and showy

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
raven : a large bird of the Or softly lightens o’er her face;
crow family with shiny
black feathers Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
The colour of the lady’s How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
hair is …..
The phrase ‘dwelling-
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
place’ refers to her ……
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
eloquent : expressive The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!
- Lord Byron

126
 Mamang Dai (born 1957) is a poet, novelist, journalist and former
civil servant from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, who writes in English
as well as Adi language. She is also an active radio and TV journalist
covering news programmes and interviews for All India Radio and
Doordarshan, Itanagar. She was a programme officer with World
Wide Fund for Nature and worked with Biodiversity Hotspot
Conservation Programme. She has received Padmashree Award in
2011 and Sahitya Akademi Award in 2017. Mamang Dai is a strong
voice from the North East, a writer and a poet par excellence whose
work has the fragrance of her land and her people.
The poem, ‘Small Towns and Rivers’ is taken from the collection
of the poems,’The River Poems’, published in 2004. The poem describes a
landscape and Nature where river is a dominant phenomenon. Through the concepts like
‘river has a soul’ and ‘river knows immortality of water,’ the poet makes us aware of the
lively nature around her hometown ‘Pasighat’ and the eternity of the natural elements. She
finds that even life and death are transient. The poem is based on the belief of the tribal
people from the North East, that the souls of the beloved ones always continue to dwell in
the natural elements around. So she remembers death when she sees the towns. The towns,
she implies, have prospered when Nature has been destroyed. The poet has expressed anxiety
at the developments in the small towns.

Small Towns and Rivers

wreath: an arrangement of
flowers, leaves and stems Small towns always remind me of death.
fastened in a ring and used My hometown lies calmly amidst the trees,
for decoration or laying on it is always the same,
a grave or a dead body
in summer or winter,
rituals: religious or solemn with the dust flying,
ceremony consisting of a or the wind howling down the gorge.
series of actions performed
according to a prescribed
way
Just the other day someone died.
In the dreadful silence we wept
looking at the sad wreath of tuberoses.
Life and death, life and death,
only the rituals are permanent.

130
 The river has a soul.
In the summer it cuts through the land
like a torrent of grief. Sometimes,
sometimes, I think it holds its breath
Describe the river in the
seeking a land of fish and stars 3rd stanza.

The river has a soul.

It knows, stretching past the town,
from the first drop of rain to dry earth
and mist on the mountaintops,
the river knows Guess the meaning :
the immortality of water. • immortality

A shrine of happy pictures

shrine: a place regarded
marks the days of childhood.
as holy because of its
Small towns grow with anxiety associations with divinity
for the future. or a sacred person or relic
The dead are placed pointing west. marked by a building or
other construction
When the soul rises
it will walk into the golden east, Give reasons -
into the house of the sun. The dead are placed
pointing to the west.
In the cool bamboo,
restored in sunlight,
life matters, like this.

In small towns by the river

we all want to walk with the gods.
- Mamang Dai

131