Question

Plz give me a good intro. before i start explaining about brook.

Actually i am assigned to teach the students about Brook.

So i want a good intro.

Answer 1

STANZA – 1

I come from haunts of coot and hern

  I make a sudden sally,

And sparkle out among the fern,

  To bicker down a valley.

Ø  The brook starts from those places which are often visited by the coot and hern (heron). The brook emerges suddenly in this hilly area. It moves through the ferns and sparkles when the sunshine reflects the crystal clear water. And when the brook moves creates a lot of noise.

Poetic devices used –

·         ‘I” (Line-1) – The whole poem brook is personified

·         ‘hern’ is an example of poetic license. The word ‘heron’ has been turned into ‘hern’ to match the rhyming word ‘hern’.

·         ‘I` ................`(Line – 1)

‘I...............`(Line – 2) Anaphora

·         “Sudden sally” (Alliteration)

·         “Bicker” – (onomatopoeia)

STANZA – 2

By thirty hills I hurry down,

  Or slip between the ridges,

By twenty thorps, a little town,

  And half a hundred bridges.

This stanza is an account of the brook’s flowing through different areas. The poet has created wonderful imageries when we read the brook flowing by thirty hills, slipping between ridges (long narrow hills), twenty villages, a little town and fifty bridges.

Poetic Devises in use –

1) By thirty hills I hurry down (Inversion)

2) Twenty thorpes (Alliteration)

3) By .............................(Line – 1)

...................................

By (Line -3) – Repetition



STANZA – 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 for ever.

The poet here tells us about the merging point of the brook. The brook joins an overflowing river here Philips farm is symbolised as a land mark of the ending of the journey of the brook. Last two lines are the refrain bearing the main theme of the poem. The brook is ever flowing, eternal without ceasing whereas we, the men are ephemeral. We shall not live forever. We are subject to decay, decline and death.

Poetic – Devices in use

1. Till last by Philip’s farm I flow (inversion)

2. Men may (Alliteration)

3. Come ..............go (Line-3) (Antithesis)

STANZA – 4

I chatter over stony ways,

  In little sharps and trebles,

I bubble into eddying bays,

  I babble on the pebbles.

The brook goes on the stony path creating chattering sounds. It makes sharp high pitched sound when the brook clashes on the side banks of the land. It makes bubbles when it falls from height in the spiral movement. When it moves on the pebbles it creates soft pleasing sound.

Poetic Devices in use:

1. ‘Chatter`, ‘trebles`, ‘babble` - onomatopoeia.

2. Line – 3 and Line – 4 – Anaphora.



STANZA – 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.

The brook moves on taking many curves and creates rough and unpleasant sound on the banks of the brook. 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 so.

Poetic Devices in use:

1. “With many a curve my banks I fret” – Inversion.

2. “fairly foreland”,” with willow seed” – Alliteration.
STANZA – 6


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.


The brook creates various sounds before merging with its destination .The last two lines are the examples of refrain which highlights the eternal state of the brook and its activity and the ephemeral state of we, the humans.


Poetic Device in use :

1.  Chatter chatter- Repetition

2.  Chatter – Onomatopoeia

3.  Chatter chatter , men may –Alliteration

4.  ……….come ………go- Antithesis
 

STANZA-7

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


     The brook on its way had lots of ups and downs and in its winding movement it often falls from height and goes in deep water and comes out to continue to flow. The brook carries blossoms on its way. Along with the brook there go a lot of fishes like lusty trout and grayling.


Poetic Device in use:


1) .......................and inand out – Antithesis

2) 2) .........about and – Alliteration

3) Line (3) and ........................

(4) .......................       Anaphora.

      4) here and there – Repetition


STANZA – 8


And here and there a foamy flake

  Upon me, as I travel

With many a silvery water break

  Above the golden gravel,
 

When the brook moves , the waves clash with each other and creates bubbles and those bubbles in group make pieces of foams.The brook moves through different curves and the clashes creates silvery water break .These foams and silvery water break can be visible on the surface of the water and at the base of the brook there are golden coloured stones .


Poetic device in use –

1 here and there – Antithesis

2.  foamy flake ,golden gravel –Alliteration