The Brook

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

Question 1.
“I come from haunts of coot and hern,
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fem,
To bicker down a valley.”

(a) Explain: “I make a sudden sally”.

Ans. It means the brook emerges suddenly from its source among the ferns.
(b) What makes the brook sparkle?
Ans. When the brook moves through the fern-plants, its water shines brightly with the
sun rays falling on it.
(c) Why does it bicker down a valley?
Ans. Literally, the word „bicker‟ means to quarrel. As the brook flows down the valley, it
makes a lot of noise, which can be compared to the sound of quarrelling. Therefore, the
brook is said to bicker down a valley.
(d) Name the poetic device used in the last line.
Ans. The poetic device used in the last line is onomatopoeia.

Question 2.
“By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.”

(a) Why is the brook said to slip between the ridges?

Ans. The brook glides noiselessly between the mountain ridges.
(b) What are thorpes? What do the words „thirty hills‟ and „twenty thorpes‟ suggest?
Ans. Thorpes mean villages. The words suggest the long and continuous journey of the
brook. The brook covers the vast expanse of land before merging into the brimming
river.
(c) How does the river flow from the ridges?
Ans: The river moves quickly and quietly from the ridges.

Question 3.
“Till last by Philip’s farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever.”
(a) Where is the Philip‟s farm situated?
Answer: Philip‟s farm is situated close to the river into which the brook finally merges.
(b) What does the phrase brimming river mean?
Ans. Brimming river refers to a river which is completely filled with water till the edges or
the brims of the river.
(c) The poet has repeated certain lines in the poem. What is this repetition called?
Ans. This repetition in certain lines of the poem is called refrain.
(d) What is the message conveyed through the refrain in the poem?
Ans: Generations after generations of men come and pass away from the earth but the
brook continues to flow forever. This means that the existence of man is transitory while
that of the brook is perennial.

Question 4.
“I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.”
(a) Explain: “I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles”?
Ans.The brook makes a nonstop musical sound while passing through its stony ways.
(b) What are eddies?
Ans. Eddies are whirlpools created by the circular movement of the current.
(c) Name the poetic devices used in the stanza?
Ans. Onomatopoeia-chatter,babble, Personification-I.

Question 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.
(a) How does the brook behave when it has curves on its banks?
Ans. The brook behaves „angrily‟ when it faces curves on its banks. It is clear because
the poet has used the word „fret‟ to show it erodes the soil/sand near the banks.
(b) Explain: many a fairy foreland set.
Ans. 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
beautiful.
(c) Which poetic devices are used in these lines?
Ans: Personification, Alliteration, Inversion.

Question 6.
“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,”
(a) How does the brook‟s movement “I wind about, and in and out” differ from its earlier
movement?
Ans. In the beginning the brook hurries downhill but gradually it gently meanders along.
(b) What does the poet mean by the phrase „blossom sailing‟?
Ans. It means that the sailing has become slower, smoother and more pleasant with
flower petals floating over it.
(c) Name the fishes that live in the river.
Ans. The fishes that live in the river are trout and grayling.
(d) How can you say brook is full of life?
Ans. The brook is lively and sprightly in its movement. It also supports life of- humans,
plants and animals.

Question 7.
“I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.”
(a) What places does the brook pass by?
Ans.The brook passes by lawns, grassy plots, woods where hazel trees grow and past
bushes bearing forget- me-nots.
(b) Why does the poet say forget-me-nots grow for “happy lovers”?
Ans.The poet says this because forget-me-nots are flowers that symbolize eternal love.
(c) What does the poet want to convey by using the words “steal” and “slide”?
Ans: The poet wants to convey the brook‟s movements in the use of these words. It
moves silently without being seen when it passes by lawns and grassy plots.
(d) How are forget-me-nots sweet?
Sweet brings out the beauty and fragrance of flowers.

Question 8.
“I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.”
(a) Who is “I”? Why has the poet called the narrator “I”?
Ans.The brook here is “I”. The poet uses the device of personification and has
personified the brook to add authenticity and intimacy to the description.
(b) Name the poetic device used in second line.
Ans. The poetic device used in second line is alliteration.
(c) What does “netted sunbeam” mean? How does it dance?
Ans.The interplay of sunshine and shadow makes the sunbeam appear to be trapped
on the surface of the brook; it appears to dance due to the movement of the brook.
(d) The brook calls the swallows „my swallows‟ because…
Ans. flying over the current, the swallows are reflected in the brook‟s water.

Question 9.
“I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;”
(a) What is the difference between “bicker” and “murmur”?
Ans. Bicker expresses the loud noise created by the brook whereas murmur refers to a
soft, whispering sound.
(b) Why do you think the brook is murmuring now?
Ans.The brook is about to reach the river and as it passes through wilderness or bushes
at night, its speed is not very fast so the sound created resembles a murmur.
(c) How does the brook‟s movement differ in these lines from the time when it starts?
Ans. The brook, at first, emerges suddenly from its source. But now it has a gentle,
dawdling pace.
(d) Which literary device is used in the last two lines?
Ans: Anaphora is used in the last two lines.

Question 10.
“And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go, :
But I go on forever.”
(a) Where does the brook meander “out” of?
Ans. The brook meanders “out” of thorny bushes and lonely moors.
(b) Where does the brook flow from?
Ans. The brook flows down from the hilly areas where coot and herons are found.
(c) Which line reflects the importance of the destination?
Ans. The first line indicates that despite the hurdles coming in the brook‟s movements, it
gets ready to join its destination.
(d) Explain: And out again I curve and flow.
Ans. The brook‟s movement is interrupted by the plants and shrubs. It makes a final
dash/ pushes itself with force to reach its destination.
(e) Explain the device used in the last two lines.
Ans. The poet uses Refrain to convey that the existence of man is transitory while that
of the brook is eternal.