4.3 Silver
_ Walter de la Mare
Paraphrase of the poem
The poem ‘Silver’ is written by Walter de la Mare. The poet is the speaker’ in thin poem. The speaker is speaking about the appearance of the moon in the sky and its effect on the world. The moon light silver. The whole world turns into silver with the appearance of moon. The poem describes the visible effects of moonlight on countryside at night. The moon appears slowly and silently at night. The moon appears by putting its mysterious silver shoes. The first effect of moonlight is described on fruit. When the moon appears in the sky, the fruits and trees ore covered with the Silvery light of the moon. The moonlight affects all things one by one. The window of the are touched by the silver beams of the moon. Inside the kennel, the dog is lying down like log. Only the paws of dog’s are silver because the rest of the dog’s body is within the kennel. Inside the dark and shadowy shelter of dove cote, many doves sleep with their feathers exposed to the silvery light of the moon. A very small harvest mouse. The last of moonlight is described on fish/stream and reeds. Because of moonlight the stream appears silvers, However, the tall grass nearby stream also appears like silver. The moveless or motionless fish remains under the gleaming water.
Warming Up!
Chit-Chat:
1. Have you ever attended a sky-watch or a star-gazing party?
Ans: Yes, I have attended a sky-watch or a star-gazing party in the last year. It was a great party. I got a memorable experience.
2. Have you ever slept under the open sky?
Ans: Yes, I have slept under open sky. I slept on the roof of my house. Before sleeping to look at the open sky is really a funny experience.
3. Do you study at night or early in the morning?
Ans: Yes, I get up early in the morning to study. I can do good study early in the morning. It is the best time to study.
4. Do you sleep with your windows closed or opened?
Ans: Yes, I sleep with my windows closed during winter and windows opened during summer.
Images
Imagine that your class is to be divided into groups or houses. Each house will have their own colour, symbol, dress code, sport, motto, a common room with objects of their interest and suitable furniture.
Think of sets of four names for the groups. Form groups and work out the (imaginary) details for each set. Some suggestions are given here.
Category |
Names |
|||
|
Metals |
iron |
cooper |
silver |
gold |
|
Flowers |
rose |
lotus |
jasmine |
lily |
|
Stars or galaxies |
Sirius |
Procyon |
Canopus |
Alphard |
|
Trees |
babul |
neem |
mango |
pine |
|
Seasons |
spring |
winter |
summer |
monsoon |
Margin Questions for Discussion:
1) Why does everything silver in the poem?
Ans: Everything appears silver in the poem because the moonlight is falling on everything.
2) Which of the objects, animals, etc in the poem are at rest without any motion?
Ans: The fruit, trees, casement, thatch, kennel, dog, cote, doves, fish, reeds and the stream.
3) Only two things are shown to move in the poem which are they?
Ans:
i) The moon
ii) The harvest mouses
English Workshop
1. If you were asked to draw a detailed picture of the scene described in the poem, what object, animals, natural features, etc. will you show in the picture? Make a list.
Ans:
1. rabbit, 2. river, 3. icy mountains, 4. swan, 5, white sleeping dog, 6, racket, 7. hut, 8. mirror, 9. windows, 10. mouse, 11. fish, 12. moon and its beams
2. Write the rhyming words and the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Ans:
Rhyming words:
moon-shoon,
sees-trees,
catch- hatch,
log-dog,
peep-sleep,
by-eye,
gleam-stream
Rhyme scheme: aa, bb, cc, dd, ee, ff, gg
3. Underline the word silver/silvery in the poem. In which lines does it occur? What pattern does it show?
Ans: The word silver / silvery occurs in the second, fourth, sixth, eighth, tenth, twelfth and fourteenth line of the poem. The word is occurred in even numbered lines. It adds unity and rhythm to the poem.
4.Can you think of a parallel scene of dawn/evening when everything is steeped in golden light?
Ans: Yes, I can think of a parallel scene of dawn when the sun rises and at evening when the sun sets everything is steeped in golden light.
5. The same landscape appears different at different times. What message can we draw from this?
Ans: We can draw the message that everything has different features. Those features are revealed in different situations in different ways. However, it applies with human beings, we behave in different ways in different situations.
Appreciation
• Title: silver
• Poet: Walter de la Mare
• Rhyme Scheme: ..a. bb. cc. dd. cc. fr. gg.
• Theme/Central idea: The poet describes the magical (-fleets of the silvery moonlight on the countryside at night.
• Favourite lines: Couched in his kennel like a log. Iwith paws of silver sleeps the clog.
• Figure of Speech: Personification. This way and that she peers and sees’. The moon is given the human quality of peering this way and that
• Special Feature: Shows a beautiful and peaceful scene of the countryside at night under the moonlight. The poem gives a clear word picture of the different animals and objects reflecting the moonlight. The poet implies that the same scene/event may appear different at different times. depending on the light you see it in.
• Why I like/don’t like the poem: I like the poem because of the serene scene it portrays. The imagery is beautiful with words like ‘silver’ and ‘silvery’ mentioned in the second line of every couplet.