Question

Given below is the stanza taken from the poetry ' A Photograph ' by Shirley Toulson.


The cardboard shows me how it was
When the two girl cousins went paddling
Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,
And she the big girl - some twelve years or so.
All three stood still to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera, A sweet face
My mother’s, that was before I was born
And the sea, which appears to have changed less
Washed their terribly transient feet.



Read the above stanza carefully and explain the meaning of the line ' And the sea, which appears to have changed less washed their terribly transient feet ' .


Class - 11​

Answer 1

The line 'And the sea, which appears to have changed less washed their terribly transient feet' depicts the difference between the life of immortal beings and the life of mortal beings. The sea, which is considered immortal, is a permanent being on earth. It does not change by the passing of time. Human life, however, is temporary and transient, as mentioned in the line. Humans go through various changes, be it physically or mentally. The sea, however, stays the same.

As mentioned in the poem, the poet sees her mother and her cousins in a photograph, somewhere around the sea. As time goes on, she remembers her mother, who is probably old or had passed away. She says that the sea appears to have changed less. This indicates that human life phases keep changing. It could be gone the next day. But the sea is eternal.

From the lesson, A Photograph - Shirley Toulson.

Answer 2

Answer:

The cardboard shows me how it was

When the two girl cousins went paddling

Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,

And she the big girl - some twelve years or so.

All three stood still to smile through their hair

At the uncle with the camera, A sweet face

My mother’s, that was before I was born

And the sea, which appears to have changed less

Washed their terribly transient feet.

Read the above stanza carefully and explain the meaning of the line ' And the sea, which appears to have changed less washed their terribly transient feet ' .