Degree Classes Notes

Professor Akhtar Ali ghuman

1. Leisure By: William Davies Introduction: This is a magnificent poem by William Davies who is recognised world over for his thought provoking poetry. The poem tries to shake the conscience of the modern man who is preoccupied with his worldly pursuits. The poet has made a tremendous effort to attract the attention of the readers towards the natural beauty around us. Summary: The poet says with great dismay that modern man is so much busy that he has no time to pay attention to the natural objects. His life is full of cares and worries. He has no time to stand beneath the shady trees and he does not stare at things as long as sheep and cows do. He does not pay attention to the amazing movements of squirrels that hide their nuts in grass. He also does not observe the beauty of stream in the daylight when the reflected sunrays look like stars at night. Not only thus, but the modern man is also losing his natural instinct of seeing and praising beauty. He is quite indifferent to the beautiful dancing girls, their footsteps and other bewitching movements including their enthusiastic smiles and pleasant expressions of face. Then the poet ends his poem lamenting the lack of time that is resulting in our detachment from the natural beauty. QUESTIONS / ANSWERS Que. 1. What are some of the things that we miss because of lack of time? OR What are some of the simple delights that we miss in our rushed life? Answer: This is a magnificent poem by William Davies who is recognised world over for his thought provoking poetry. The poem tries to shake the conscience of the modern man who is preoccupied with his worldly pursuits. Now we will try to discuss all the objects that according to the poet we miss because of the lack of time. + Summery. Que. 2. What is the message or main idea or the theme of the poem ‘Leisure’? OR How does the poet criticise the hurry and worry of modern man in his poem ‘Leisure’? ‘Leisure’ is a criticism on the modern civilization. What does the poet want to convey in the poem ‘Leisure’? OR Critically evaluate the poem ‘Leisure’. Answer: Introduction + Summery + Thus we can say that the poet in this poem has a deep desire to wake the conscience of modern man who is corrupting his soul in his materialistic pursuits. Que. 3. What is personification? Describe the personification that the poet has used in his poem ‘Leisure’. Answer: Personification is a figure of speech in which a lifeless thing or quality is spoken of as if alive. The poem ‘Leisure’ contains a personification that occurs in the following lines: No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. ‘Beauty’ here stands for ‘dancing girl’. This charming dancing girl is dancing on the stage and we have no time to watch the delicate movement of her feet and the subtle movement when she smiles from eyes to lips. This personification is meant to pinch the sleeping conscience of material minded man whole sole aim is to earn more and more money and he is careless about one of the most attractive object of life, i.e. attractive face of a young girl. Que. 4. Davies in ‘Leisure’ in fact tells us that it is our own attitude towards life that makes it so full of worries. How can we possibly avoid it? Answer: Introduction + It is quite true that it is our own attitude towards life that entangles us in the web of worries and confusions. We are never content with what God gives us. We desire to get more and more is turning us into machines. We are lacking feelings, emotions and passions that are necessary characteristics to be a balanced human being. If we are missing the natural objects around us, ignoring the flashing streams and showing indifference to the beauty of young girls then who is responsible for all this? Nobody, but we ourselves are responsible for this negligence. We can easily avoid it by leading a balanced life. We should struggle for what is necessary for life but we should not go mad in the pursuit of worldly concerns. We can easily spare some time for recreation and enjoyment outside the city, in the midst of natural scenery. We can also avoid our boring life by living a life of contentment and satisfaction. We must believe in God, who gives our share and Who is the sustainer of all the living beings in this universe. Thus we need to adopt a positive attitude to life that is free of envy and undue competition among people. We should also shun our habit of outshining others and must lead a humble and stable life that is free of grudges and ill-will. We should arrange trips to the areas that are rich in natural beauty. Then we should spend some time in contact with natural objects observing the movements of animals, birds and even insects there. If we do so, we can fill our laps with a bundle of pleasures. Explanation with Reference to the Context: What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows Reference: These lines have been selected from William Davies’ poem “Leisure”. Context: These are the opening lines of the poem. The poem tries to attract the attention of the modern man towards the natural beauty around us. One by one the poet discusses a number of beautiful objects that we miss because of our rushed routine life. He starts his poem with a question just to invite our attention. Explanation: In the given lines the poet is expressing his disgust against the life of modern man who is indifferent to the natural beauty around him. To startle the reader and to pinch his conscience, the poet starts the poem with a question. He asks the readers what value of a life can be that is full of worries and anxieties; a life in which a man has no time to stay and enjoy the natural beauty. It is a sickly life where a man has no time to stand under the branches of trees and observe the beauty around. The modern man does not look at beautiful things just as long as sheep or cows do. Thus we are falling below the animal level because of our lack of sensitivity. We appreciate the poet’s serious tone and his great motive behind the composition of this poem. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars like skies at night. Reference: (Same as above) Context: These lines occur in the middle of the poem. Trying to attract the attention of the busy man of today, the poet says that men of today’s rapidly developing world have no time to see around and praise the natural beauty. They do not stay for even a short time under the boughs to stare as long as sheep or cows. Then further he discusses some of the objects that we miss because of our rushed routine life. Explanation: In the given lines the poet laments our negative attitude while passing through woods. Our personal anxieties do not allow us to take interest in the beauty around us. We do not pay attention to the captivating movements of squirrels when they try to hide their nuts in grass. We do not pay much attention to the exquisite beauty of fast running streams with their silver water that reflects golden rays of the sun and presents an atmosphere equal to that of stars at night. These lines show the poets keen observation and his mastery in presenting his experiences in the form of wonderful verses. We appreciate the craft of the poet. No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. Reference: (Same as above) Context: These lines occur towards the end of the poem. Trying to attract the attention of the busy man of today, the poet says that men of today’s rapidly developing world have no time to see around and praise the natural beauty. They miss the beauty of woods, movements of squirrels, streams with flashing stars and so on. Explanation: After drawing our attention to the natural scenery, the poet now diverts our attention to the beauty of girt, that mostly impresses the feelings of men folk. But, it is pity to see that modern man is indifferent even to this one of the most precious gifts of God, i.e. the female beauty. He does not enjoy the charming eyes and dancing feet of a beautiful girl. He does not spare time to enjoy the movements of her smile from her eyes to he lips. This tendency of modern man indicates that he is becoming a machine among machines, devoid of all human feelings and emotions. The credit goes to William Davies for composing such wonderful lines.

 

2.       Tartary

          By:    Walter De La Mare

Introduction:

            This is a romantic poem by Walter De La Mare who is famous for his imaginary and exquisite poems. The poem expresses its poet’s vaulting ambition to become the lord of Tartary, that is an imaginary land somewhere in the east. With the power of his imagination the poet draws such a picture of this land, as we are likely to remember ever after we read it.  

Summary:

            The poet wants to become the sovereign ruler of Tartary. He will not tolerate any partnership with anyone. As a ruler he wants to have his bed made of ivory and his throne made of gold. He would like to see peacocks moving in his court and tigers moving in his forests and then colourful fish moving in his pools and reflecting the sunrays. He would like to attend his meals after receiving a call from the trumpeters. He would enlighten his courts with colourful lamps and would listen colourful music of harp, flute and mandoline. He would wear a rich dress embroidered with colourful and thick beads. Early in the morning he would like to wear his rich dress and get on the coach drawn by seven zebras to visit Tartary’s dark passages among the woods. Then he would enjoy the fruitful trees of Tartary, its silver pale rivers, its mountains, its woods, its valleys, wavy lakes and seas free of foam and citron trees that host the singing birds in the purple valleys. 

           

            QUESTIONS / ANSWERS

Que. 1. Discuss ‘Tartary’ as a romantic land of the poet’s imagination.  OR

Discuss ‘Tartary’ as romantic or imaginary poem full of fancies.  OR

What concept of imaginary land does Walter de la Mare present in his poem ‘Tartary’?

What s the main idea of the poem?

Answer:  Introduction + A romantic poem is that poem in which a poet makes extensive use of his imagination to draw the picture of an ideal world. The poem under discussion is also romantic in the sense that it has all the elements that make a poem romantic. + Summary + At the end, we can conclude that this poem is a fine example of romantic or poetry.

Que. 2.  What are the various wishes/aspirations or desires of the poet that he wants to be

               fulfilled as the lord of Tartary? Or  How does the poet look as the king of Tartary?

               Or How does the poet fulfil his dream of getting power on earth?

Answer: In ‘Tartary’ the poet expresses a number of desires that he would like to be fulfilled if he becomes the sovereign lord of Tartary. The detail of his wishes is as follows. + Summary + Thus the poet fulfils his dream of becoming a sovereign lord with the power of his imagination.

Que. 3.Discuss all the colour words that the poet has used in his poem ‘Tartary.

Answer:  This is a romantic poem by Walter De La Mare who is famous for his imaginary and exquisite poems. The poet has used different colours to represent different ideas. The following lines will give us the detail of his selection of colour worlds.

1.      The poet has used ivory colour for his bed.

2.      “Beaten gold for his throne.

3.      The poet has desired the evening lamps to shine yellow as honey and red as wine.

4.      He has further used  white, gold and green colours for his pearls.

5.      The dark colour for glades, silver pale colour for rivers and purple colour for every vale.

Que. 4. Describe the most fanciful image in ‘Tartary’.

Answer: The most fanciful image is discussed in the 3^rd stanza of the poem. The poet gives free hand to his power of imagination and wishes to get on a coach that is drawn by seven zebras. This is a unique image and is nowhere to be seen elsewhere. Zebras are not meant to pull a cart. They are wild animals and are free of human bondage. But since they bear some resemblance to horses and donkeys, the poet wants to yoke them before a cart and then he we would visit different paradise like spots of his country.

Que. 5. Discuss De La Mare as a lover of nature with reference to his poem Tartary’.

·        Answer:    Introduction + After reading this poem we come to the conclusion that he is a great lover of natural beauty.  We can see that it is poet’s firm belief that natural objects are a constant source of pleasure for us. The aim of his poetry is to give aesthetic pleasure to the readers and create in their minds a love of natural beauty. This is what we see in his poem ‘Tartary’. (Write very brief summary of the poem). Thus we come to conclusion that he has great fascination for nature.

Explanation with Reference to the Context:                                                                                      

If I were Lord of Tartary,
Myself, and me alone,
My bed should be of ivory,
Of beaten gold my throne;

Reference: These lines have been taken from ‘Tartary’ a romantic poem written by Walter de la Mare”.

Context:        These are the opening lines of the poem. Giving a romantic touch to the poem, the poet expresses his desire to be the sole lord of Tartary, an imaginary land, somewhere in the East. Then he mentions his desires to be fulfilled in case he achieves his goal.

Explanation: At the very outset (start) of the poem, the poet begins to tell the readers that he wishes to be the sovereign lord of the Tartary. He would like to rule over the state exclusively. He would not tolerate the sharing of power with others. He would have his bed made of ivory. He would order a throne for him made of pure gold.

            We can see that the very opening of the poem is full of romantic elements. The poet gives a free hand to his imagination to roam about. These fanciful desires of the poet appeal the readers and they forget their solid world around and start enjoying the imaginary land in the poem.

And in my court should peacocks flaunt,
And in my forests tigers haunt,
And in my pools great fishes slant
Their fins athwart the sun.

Reference:    (Same as above)

 Context:  These lines are part of opening stanza. The poet wishes to be the sovereign lord of Tartary, an imaginary land. He wishes to have his bed made of ivory and his throne made of pure gold. Then he discusses some more desires of him.      

Explanation:  The poet in these lines expresses some further desires. He would like to decorate his court with the movements of peacocks displaying colourful tails.  He would be happy to see the tigers moving gracefully in the forests of his state. Then he wishes to see beautiful fish in the clear waters of his pools reflecting the sun rays and issuing different colours.

            The lines are praiseworthy for their beautiful imagery. They give us aesthetic pleasure as we see the word picture made by the poet. The credit must go to Walter de la Mare for composing such wonderful lines. 

If I were Lord of Tartary,
Trumpeters every day
To every meal should summon me,
And in my courtyards bray;

Reference:    (Same as above)

Context: These lines appear in the second stanza of the poem. The poet wants to be the lord of Tartary, an imaginary land. Then he discusses one by one all of his wishes that he would like to be fulfilled there. He wants ivory bed, golden throne, display of peacocks and so on.

Explanation: Mentioning his fanciful desires, the poet says that he would like to be invited for meals by trumpeters. The trumpeters would blow their bugles to inform the king that his meal was ready. This sound of the trumpets would increase the pomp and show of his court.

            This desire of the poet indicates his feeling of superiority over others. He wants grandeur and an upper hand. However, these romantic desires of the poet make the verses rich and increase the appeal of the poem. The reader cannot pass by such verses without praising the art of its creator.

And in the evening lamps should shine,
Yellow as honey, red as wine,
While harp, and flute, and mandoline
Made music sweet and gay.

Reference:    (Same as above)

Context: These lines appear in the second stanza of the poem. The poet wants to be the lord of Tartary, an imaginary land. Then he discusses one by one all of his wishes that he would like to be fulfilled there. He wants ivory bed, golden throne, display of peacocks, trumpeters to summon for meals and so on.

Explanation: Giving far-reaching touch to his romantic poem, the poet expresses his wish to illuminate his court with colourful lamps. Not one but multicolour lamps are needed to decorate the court. He needs lamps with a light that is as yellow as honey and as red as wine. He is not content yet. He further demands different musical instruments to give sonorous and melodious touch to his court.

            The lines quoted above are full of aesthetic beauty. They impart sensuous pleasure to the readers on different levels.  We must appreciate such a remarkable piece of poetry.

If I were Lord of Tartary,
I'd wear a robe of beads,
White, and gold, and green they'd be --
And small and thick as seeds;

 Reference:   (Same as above)

Context: These lines appear in the third stanza of the poem. The poet wants to be the lord of Tartary, an imaginary land. Then he discusses one by one all of his wishes that he would like to be fulfilled there. He wants ivory bed, golden throne, display of peacocks, trumpeters to summon for meals, colourful lamps, sweet music and so on.

Explanation: Giving a free vent to his imagination the poet utters another fanciful desire of him. He says that if he becomes the lord of Tartary, he would like to wear quite rich and costly dress. He would not wear plain and simple dress but a dress that is profusely embroidered with beads of different colours. He would like to have his dress decorated with white, golden and green beads that are attached to his clothes as thickly as seeds.

            The lines quoted above are full of aesthetic beauty. They impart sensuous pleasure to the readers on different levels.  We must appreciate such a remarkable piece of poetry.

And ere should wane the morning star,
I'd don my robe and scimitar.
And zebras seven should draw my car
Through Tartary's dark glades.

Reference:    (Same as above)

Context: These lines appear in the third stanza of the poem. The poet wants to be the lord of Tartary, an imaginary land. Then he discusses one by one all of his wishes that he would like to be fulfilled there. He wants ivory bed, golden throne, display of peacocks, trumpeters to summon for meals, colourful lamps, sweet music, a robe full of beads and so on.

Explanation: In the given lines we see that the poet is expressing his most fanciful wishes. The poet says that if he were the lord of Tartary he would get up early in the morning and would wear his costly and precious dress full of beads. Then he would attach to it his curved sword. After properly decorating himself, the poet would demand a carriage that is drawn by seven zebras. He would get on that carriage gracefully and would visit the narrow passages in the woods of his imaginary state. 

            The lines contain the most fanciful image of a carriage drawn by seven zebras. Such an image is nowhere to be seen. So, this image gives a unique touch to the poem and adds to its grace.

Lord of the fruits of Tartary.
Her rivers silver-pale!
Lord of the hills of Tartary.
Glen, thicket, wood, and dale!

Reference:    (Same as above)

Context: These lines appear in the last stanza of the poem. The poet wants to be the lord of Tartary, an imaginary land. Then he discusses one by one all of his wishes that he would like to be fulfilled there. He wants ivory bed, golden throne, display of peacocks, trumpeters to summon for meals, colourful lamps, sweet music, a robe full of beads, a carriage drawn by seven zebras and so on.

Explanation: The poet is expressing his vaulting aspiration of becoming the sole lord of Tartary, an imaginary land. The poet says that he will feel utmost pleasure in being the lord and owner of all the rivers with silver-coloured waters. He will enjoy the rule over all the hills of his imaginary pleasure land. He will be sovereign lord of valleys, woods and other charming scenes of that land.

            The lines are a bare proof of poet’s superb art. He has closely woven a number of images to give aesthetic pleasure to the readers. He gives us a word picture that passes in a quick succession before our eyes.

Her flashing stars, her scented breeze,
Her trembling lakes, like foamless seas,
Her bird-delighting citron-trees,
In every purple vale!

Reference:    (Same as above)

Context: These are the concluding lines of the poem. The poet wants to be the lord of Tartary, an imaginary land. Then he discusses one by one all of his wishes that he would like to be fulfilled there. He wants ivory bed, golden throne, display of peacocks, trumpeters to summon for meals, colourful lamps, sweet music, a robe full of beads, a carriage drawn by seven zebras and so on.

Explanation: Wandering in the world of imagination, the poet is expressing in these lines a number of wishes that he would like to be fulfilled in case he becomes the sovereign lord of his imaginary land, Tartary. He will enjoy himself in the natural atmosphere full of flashing stars. He will be delighted to inhale the scented breeze of that land. He would like to see the lakes of his state raising bewitching waves as foamless seas do. He will be happy to see the chirping birds sitting in the citron trees in the purple valley of his imaginary land.

            The lines quoted above are full of aesthetic beauty. They impart sensuous pleasure to the readers on different levels.  We must appreciate such a remarkable piece of poetry.

                                           Notes By: Prof Akhtar Ali