How has the poet described dusk in Nicolas nye poem
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Answer:
Nichlas Nye by Walter de la Mare Line-to-line Explanation: (For Grade VIII)
Poem: Nichlas Nye by Walter de la Mare
Line-to-line Explanation:
Stanza 1
Thistle and darnell and dock grew there,
And a bush, in the corner, of may,
On the orchard wall I used to sprawl
In the blazing heat of the day;
Word-meanings: 1. Thistle: It is a kind of plant with pink flowers
2. Darnell plant with flowers 3. Dock It is also a plant. 4. Bush: A thick growth of plants is called a bush 4. Orchard: a group of fruit trees is called an orchard 5. Sprawl: to lie down in a relaxing manner: 5.
5. Blazing: very bright/shining and hot
Explanation: The poet describes a meadow where plants and bushes like thistle, Darnell and Dock grew in a corner in the month of May. The poet lay (sprawled) there on the wall of an orchard in the shining heat of the sun.
Stanza 2.
Half asleep and half awake,
While the birds went twittering by,
And nobody there my lone to share
But Nicholas Nye.
Word-meanings: 1. Twitter: it is the sound created by birds while they communicate with other birds of their species 2. Lone: loneliness 3. But: Here, it means except
Explanation: The poet lay on the wall of the orchard in a relaxed mode (manner) and he was not fully asleep (half asleep and half awake). The birds went by flying twittering.
“And nobody there my lone to share
But Nicholas Nye: Nobody was there in the corner to share the poet’s loneliness except the donkey Nicholas Rye.
Stanza 3
Nicholas Nye was lean and gray,
Lame of leg and old,
More than a score of donkey's years
He had been since he was foaled;
He munched the thistles, purple and spiked,
Would sometimes stoop and sigh,
And turn his head, as if he'd said,
'Poor Nicholas Nye! '
Word-meanings: 1. A score: It includes twenty things 2. Foaled: Here it means ‘born’ 3. Munch: chewed 4. Spiked: sharp, pointed 5. Stoop: to bow or bend down 6. Sigh: to take a long breath and release it 6. Lame: a defective leg
Explanation: In this stanza, the poet begins to describe the donkey’s physical structure. Nocholas Nye was thin and bent down with gray coloured hair on his body. Its body leaned a little due to his lame (defective) leg. He was old and had crossed more than twenty years since he was born. He would munch (eat and chew) the pointed leaves and purple flowers of the thistle plant. He would sometimes bend down his head, sigh (take a long breath and then release it) as to feel pity on his own miserable (very bad) condition and turning his head would say ‘Poor Nicholas Nye’.
Stanza 4
Alone with his shadow he'd drowse in the meadow,
Lazily swinging his tail,
At break of day he used to bray,-
Not much too hearty and hale;
But a wonderful gumption was under his skin,
And a clean calm light in his eye,
And once in a while; he'd smile:-
Would Nicholas Nye.
Word-meanings: drowse: to feel sleepy, doze 2. Swinging : moving to and fro 3. Bray: sound created by a donkey 4. hearty and hale: hale and hearty: used to show that one is quite healthy 5. Gumption: here it means courage and boldness 6. Calm: peaceful/peace 7. Once in a while: sometimes, not very often
Explanation: The donkey would stand alone in the meadow and drowse swinging his tail here and there lazily. No other donkey is there to accompany him except his own shadow. The lines lay stress on his loneliness. At the sunrise (break of the day), as it is natural for all donkeys to bray, but his bray was not full of energy and liveliness. It showed that the donkey was not hale and hearty i.e. healthy. In spite of all miseries and poor health, the donkey had one thing special in him. It was his boldness to make a smile showing a curious (keen) and peaceful light in his eyes.