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MP Board Class 11th English A Voyage Solutions Chapter 9 To a Skylark (P.B. Shelly)

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To a Skylark Textual Exercise

Word Power

(A) The poem has many adjectives which are images in themselves.
Here are some of them. Explain the images they portray and pick more from the poem as man as you can.
Write more expressions of ‘our own. blithe spirit, sunken sun, unbodied joy, highly born maiden, love-laden soul, heavy-winged thieves, vernal showers, tinkling grass,empty vaunt
Answer:

  • blithe spirit — carefree and light-hearted divine spirit.
  • sunken sun — the setting sun.
  • unbodied joy — joy that has no bodily existence
  • Highly born maiden – the maiden having born in a high class of family (princess).
  • Love-laden soul — soul which is full of love.
  • Heavy winged thieves – one who steals powerful object.
  • Vernal showers — showers which occur in the spring season
  • Twinkling grass — enlightened grass
  • Empty vaunt — boastful speech having no depth.

(B) Following words are used in different meanings in different contexts. See examples and use the given words in sentences of your own in as many contexts as possible.
1. hail — to greet
hail — hail storm
2. strain
3. sweet
4. pine
5. spirit
6. still
Answer:
1. Hail — to greet — She hailed me with a sweet voice.
Hail — hailstorm — We had to drive through hail and snow.

2. Strain — to make an effort to do something — I strained my neck to
take a glimpse of the actor.
Strain — worry anxient No-a-days I am facing great strain,

3. Sweet — tasting as if it contains a lot of sugar — This cup of tea is too seet for me.
Sweet — a small piece of sweet food — I always like to cat a sweetdish at the end of a meal.

4. Pine — a tall forest tree with leaves like needles — Pine crees are evergreen.
Pine — to become sad — I pined for weeks after may son had gone abroad.

5. Spirit — courage. determination or energy — The young boy showed a tremendous spirit.
Spirit — a strong alcoholic drink — I have never tasted any spirit

6. Still — continuing until a particular point in time and flot finishing – am still waiting for his arrival,
Still — calm and quiet — Children can not stay still.
Still — a photograph taken from a cinema film — That is a still from the latest movie

Comprehension

A. Write explanations of the following lines:

Question 1.
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.
Answer:
The poet. in these lines, highlights the musical note of the skylark which it purs with its full heart, Its song is spontaneous overflow of its heart.

Question 2.
Singing hymns unbidden,
Till the world is wrought
To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not.
Answer:
In these lines Shelley compares the bird with a poet He says that it keeps on singing its prayer to God unbidden till the world in transformed to sympathy shedding all its hopes and fears, Here. the bird had been characterized as a high spirit.

Question 3.
Teach me half the gladness
That thy brain must know;
Such harmonious madness
From my lips would flow,
The world should listen then, as I am listening now.
Answer:
In these lines the poet asks the bird to teach him at least half of the gladness that its mind bears. The poet wishes to sing the harmonious madness of the bird from his own lips so that the whole of the world may listen and enjoy it as the poet is listening and enjoying now. The poet means to say that the world has no imaginative or poetic quality enough to understand has the birds sings so he wants to spread the bird’s joy in the world .

Question 4.
We look before and after,
And pine for what is not:
Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.

Read this Hindi verse:
वियोगी होगा पहला कवि, आह से उपजा होगा गान, आँख से निकल कविता बही होगी अनजान

Does this convey the same meaning as in the lines above? Find more examples of the same themes.
Answer:
The lines given above from the poem ‘To a Skylark’ and those from a Hindi poem convey the same meaning. Both of them reveal that pain in the source of real happiness because pain makes one feel the real meaning of life.
Note: Students should collect poems based on the same themes with the help of their teachers.

B. Answer the following questions briefly:

Question 1.
Why is Shelley not able to define the Skylark? How does the Skylark exceed the capacity of human language to describe its qualities or the qualities of its song?
Answer:
Shelley finds himself unable to define the skylark exactly. It is because the skylark is not seen. It is carefree and light-hearted bird without any physical frame. It has a tremendous and spontaneous overflow of its song which creates mysteries in the mind of the poet. Its song overpowers the whole universe. Unlike human being it is never sad. In this sense it surpasses us.

Question 2.
Why does the poet use the similes in place of direct definition? Do they adequately describe the skylark?
Answer:
In place of direct definition the poet uses the similes like ‘blithe spirit’, ‘unbodied joy’. These similes exactly suit the skylark. It is because it sings spontaneously. It is above all care and fear. It is hardly visible. Still is soothes the whole world.

Question 3.
What prevents the poet-from singing like the skylark? Why is the skylark’s song is better than even the best productions of human genius, language and emotion?
Answer:
The poet feels that he cannot sing like skylark because being a human, he is fill of vices like hate, pride and fear which prevent him to compete with skylark. It is human nature that we look back and forward and feel sad for what we have not. The bird is above all these feelings.

Question 4.
Why does the poet call the skylark’s song “unpremeditated art”?
Answer:
The poet calls the skylark’s song “unpremeditated art” because it flows spontaneously with varying mood. It has a tremendous kind of joy and freedom which is not possible with a pre-planned art.

Question 5.
Why does the poet compare the skylark’s flight to an unbodied joy?
Answer:
The Skylark’s melodious note resounds and echo in the whole earth and air. But the bird is not visible anywhere as it flies higher and higher. Still its presence is felt somewhere nearby. So the poet calls its flight as an ‘unbodied joy’.

Question 6.
Why does the poet compare the loud voice of the bird with rain? Why is the skylark’s song called “rain of melody”?
Answer:
As the musical notes of the bird seem to be falling direct from heaven spontaneously and soar in the whole atmosphere so the poet feels it is like rain. The melody of skylark pours joy and natural freedom. There is no shadow of sadness near it. So, the poet calls it ‘rain of melody’.

Question 7.
In lines 36 to 55 the poet compares the bird’s song with certain things. Name these things.
Answer:
From lines 36 to 55 the poet compares the skylark with the following

  1. a poet hidden in the light of thought.
  2. a high-born maiden.
  3. A glow-worm golden in a dell of dew.
  4. A rose embowerd in its own green leaves.

Question 8.
What does the poet ask the bird to teach him?
Answer:
The poet asks the bird to teach at least half of the gladness that the bird’s brain possesses. The poet has a wish to immortalize the bird’s song and make the world feel the joy that the bird pours as the poet imagines and enjoys.

Question 9.
What does the poet lament about the mortals?
Answer:
The poet in no way feels human beings to be near the greatness of the bird. It is because we have become a prey to vices like hate, pride and fear. We look forward and backward and feel sad for what we have not. The bird is free from all these vices and it is greater than us.

Question 10.
What does the poet wish for himself in the last stanza?
Answer:
In the last stanza of the poem the poet makes a request to the bird to teach even half of its gladness that its brain possesses. He wishes that the harmonious madness of the bird should ever flow from the poet’s lips so that the whole of the world would listen and enjoy it as the poet is listening and enjoying.

Speaking Activity

A. Read the following poem “To the Skylark” written by Wordsworth, and discuss the questions given after it. ( See Textbook pages 64 – 65)

Questions:
1. How does Shelley’s poem,differ from Wordsworth’s ‘To the Skylark”?
2. Shelley calls his bird “blithe spirit” whereas Wordsworth calls his bird “Ethereal minstrel.” Can you imagine why this difference is there
3. While Shelley’s skylark is the scomer of the ground, Wordsworth’s bird is “type of the wise who soar, but never roam.” Can you say why?
4. Discuss the central idea of both the poems.
5. Are there any similar expressions between the two poems? Point them out.

B. Wordsworth calls his poem on the Skylark an “ode” while Shelley’s is known to be a lyric. What is the difference between an ode and a lyric? Explain with reasons.
Answers:

  1. Shelley’s poem differs from that of Wordsworth’s ‘To the
    Skylark’, in the sense that Shelley’s Skylark is an unbodied spirit whereas Wordsworth’s Skylark is an ethereal minstrel.
  2. This difference is meant for showing two different ideas, one is heavenly and the other is earthly.
  3. It is so because Shelley’s bird differs from human being. It has no vices of human nature. But Wordsworth’s bird is an earthly creature who goes to visit the sky in imagination.
  4. The central idea of Shelley’s poem is to highlight the weaknesses of human being and the nature’s bliss. Wordsworth in his poem , highlights the high flight of the imagination of human beings. To some extent both the poems are similar.
  5. The similar expressions between the two poems are that they express poets attitude towards human weakness and its solution.
  6. Wordsworth’s poem is an ore while Shelly’s is a lyric. Ode is a poem that speaks to a person or thing or celebrates special events which while lyric is a poem which expression the poet’s personal feeling and thought.

Writing Activity

(A) Write out the most striking features of the poem ‘To a skylark’ by Shelly based on your discussions in the groups.
Answer:
“To a Skylark’ is one of the greatest poems of English literature. It is written by P.B.-Shellev. Welcoming the skylark the poet says that it is not simply a bird but a carefree light-hearted bird which has been never seen before. It pours its copious and plentiful natural spontaneous musical notes direct from heaven. It goes higher and higher springing from the earth like a cloud of fire. Its singing soars and soars all around as a wave. It is floating and running like an unbodied joy in the midst of golden lightening of the setting sun over which the clouds are brightening.

Everything pale or purple which signifies sadness melts around its flight. The skylark like the heaven star is invisible in day but still its joyful musical note is audible. It is keen like the arrows of the moon whose intense light comes closer in the while clear dawn. Though we see its hardly, we feel its presence somewhere around there. Its voice overpowers all over the earth and air in the lonely night from the lonely cloud. Its musical delight overflows.

The poet fails to define the bird in the actual sense. Never before such a bright drop has flown as its melody comes. The bird is like a poet hidden in the hilt of thought Ringing hymns unbidden until the whole world is wrought to sympathy wise hopes and fears. For the poet it appears to be a high-born maiden in the palace tower who soothes her love laden soul with her sweet music. Sometimes its looks like glow-worm which glitters among flowers and grass without being seen anywhere. It is like a rose surrounded by its green leaves. It gets deflowered by the warm winds spreading its fragrance overpowering its leaves which had stolen it from the sight. Its fresh music surpasses the spring sound which was till now joyous and clear.

The poet asks this spirit or bird whoever it is to teach him what sweet thoughts does it have. The poet has never heard of such a flood of rapture so divine. It is difficult to match it with any wedding chorus or triumphant song with its divine music. Still we feel there is a want hidden in its song.The poet fails to guess what does the bird pours through its musical strain.

There is a tremendous mystery behind it of love or ignorance of pain. No shadow of sadness does ever come near the joyance of its song for there is only love and love not its pangs. The bird’s song flows in such a crystal stream that it makes no difference whether it is walking or asleep. Even in this sense it surpasses human beings. It is the nature of human beings to look back and forward and be sad for what we have not.

Our sincerest laughter is mixed with pain. Our sweetest songs are those that tell of our saddest thoughts.
The poet in no way feels human being to be near the greatness of the bird even if we shed all our vices like hate, pride or fear.

Glorifying the bird the poet says that it is beyond all measures or delightful sound and available treasures written in the books by poets. The poet makes a request to the bird to teach even half of its gladness that its brain preserves. He wishes that the harmonious madness of the bird should ever flow from the poet’s lips so that the whole of the world would listen and enjoy it as the poet is listening and enjoying.

(B) Poet has used three figures of speech in the poem ‘personification’ ‘simile’ and ‘alliteration’ find examples of all the three from the poem and write about these explaining the meanings and figures of speech used by the poet.
Answer:
Personification though dost float and run.
Simile: like an unbodied joy.
Alliteration: And Singing Still dost Soar, and Soaning ever Singest,

Things To Do

(A) Read the following poem and compare it with lines 85-90.
(B) Write out the similar and different feelings in the poems.
Answer:
For self attempt.

To a Skylark  Summary in English

“To a Skylark’ is one of the greatest poems of English literature. It is written by P.B.-Shellev. Welcoming the skylark the poet says that it is not simply a bird but a carefree light-hearted bird which has been never seen before. It pours its copious and plentiful natural spontaneous musical notes direct from heaven. It goes higher and higher springing from the earth like a cloud of fire. Its singing soars and soars all around as a wave. It is floating and running like an unbodied joy in the midst of golden lightening of the setting sun over which the clouds are brightening.

Everything pale or purple which signifies sadness melts around its flight. The skylark like the heaven star is invisible in day but still its joyful musical note is audible. It is keen like the arrows of the moon whose intense light comes closer in the while clear dawn. Though we see its hardly, we feel its presence somewhere around there. Its voice overpowers all over the earth and air in the lonely night from the lonely cloud. Its musical delight overflows.

The poet fails to define the bird in the actual sense. Never before such a bright drop has flown as its melody comes. The bird is like a poet hidden in the hilt of thought Ringing hymns unbidden until the whole world is wrought to sympathy wise hopes and fears. For the poet it appears to be a high-born maiden in the palace tower who soothes her love laden soul with her sweet music. Sometimes its looks like glow-worm which glitters among flowers and grass without being seen anywhere. It is like a rose surrounded by its green leaves. It gets deflowered by the warm winds spreading its fragrance overpowering its leaves which had stolen it from the sight. Its fresh music surpasses the spring sound which was till now joyous and clear.

The poet asks this spirit or bird whoever it is to teach him what sweet thoughts does it have. The poet has never heard of such a flood of rapture so divine. It is difficult to match it with any wedding chorus or triumphant song with its divine music. Still we feel there is a want hidden in its song.The poet fails to guess what does the bird pours through its musical strain.

There is a tremendous mystery behind it of love or ignorance of pain. No shadow of sadness does ever come near the joyance of its song for there is only love and love not its pangs. The bird’s song flows in such a crystal stream that it makes no difference whether it is walking or asleep. Even in this sense it surpasses human beings. It is the nature of human beings to look back and forward and be sad for what we have not.

Our sincerest laughter is mixed with pain. Our sweetest songs are those that tell of our saddest thoughts.
The poet in no way feels human being to be near the greatness of the bird even if we shed all our vices like hate, pride or fear.

Glorifying the bird the poet says that it is beyond all measures or delightful sound and available treasures written in the books by poets. The poet makes a request to the bird to teach even half of its gladness that its brain preserves. He wishes that the harmonious madness of the bird should ever flow from the poet’s lips so that the whole of the world would listen and enjoy it as the poet is listening and enjoying.

To a Skylark Summary in Hindi

‘Toaskylark’ अंग्रेजी साहित्य की महान कविताओं में एक है। इसकी रचना पी. बी. शैली द्वारा की गई है। चातक पक्षी Skylark-a singing bird’ का स्वागत करते हुए कवि कहता है कि यह एक साधारण पक्षी नहीं है बल्कि एक स्वच्छंद, उन्मुक्त हदय वाला पक्षी है जो कभी दिखाई नहीं देता। यह अपनी मधुर और विविध प्राकृतिक सतत् संगीत को धुन सीधे आकाश से उड़ेलती है। यह आग के बादल की तरह धरती से उठकर ऊँचे से ऊँचा चली जाती है। इसका संगीत चारों ओर एक वेग की तरह गूंजता है।

यह एक अशारीरिक आनंद की तरह डूबते सूर्य के सुनहली रेखाओं के बीच जहां बादल चमकता होता है प्रवाहित होती है और दौड़ती है। हर पीलापन या बदरंग जो दु:ख का सूचक है वह इसकी उड़ान के साथ विलीन हो जाता है। चातक स्वर्गिक तारों की तरह दिन में अदृश्य रहता है लेकिन फिर भी इसका आनंददायक संगीत सुनाई देता है। यह चांद के तीर की तरह तेज है। जिसका तेज प्रकाश खेत संध्या के समय इसके करीब आ जाता है। यद्यपि हम इसे शायद ही देख पाते हैं, इसकी उपस्थिति कहीं न कहीं हमारे आसपास महसूस होती है। इसकी आवाज धरती और वायुमंडल में सुनसान रात के समय अकेले बादल से चारों ओर फैली होती है। इसका संगीतरूपी आनंद प्रवाहित होता रहता है।

कवि सही अर्थों में इस पक्षी को परिभाषित करने में अपने को असफल पाता है। इससे पहले कभी-भी ऐसा मधुर ध्वनि को बूंदै प्रवाहित नहीं हुआ। यह पक्षी विचारों के प्रकाश के पीछे छिपा हआ कवि है जो लगातार अपना गान तब तक गाए जा रहा है जबतक कि यह संसार सहानुभूति के साथ आशा और भय से ऊपर उठ न जाए। कवि के लिए यह एक उच्च कुलीन राजकुमारी है जो महल से अपने मधुर संगीत से अपने प्यार को सहलाती – की

मीच बिना दिखाई दिए चमकता है यह हरी पत्तियों के बीच छिपा हुआ गुलाब की तरह है। यह अपनी पंखुड़ियां तेज हवा के साथ बिखेरती है और अपनी सुगंध चारों और फैलाती है जिसे पत्तियों ने छिपा रखा था। इसकी ताजा संगीत वसंत के धुन को भी मात देता है जब अवतक स्वच्छ और आनंददायक था। कवि इस दैविक आत्मा या पक्षी-यह जो भी है, उससे अपने को यह शिक्षा देने को कहता है कि इसके अंदर कौन-सा मधुर विचार है। कवि आनंद का ऐसा दैविक प्रवाह इससे पहले कभी नहीं सुना। किस भी वैवाहिक संगीत या विजय गान से इस स्वर्गिक संगीत को तुलना करना मुश्किल है। फिर भी हमें महसूस होता है कि इसके पीछे एक चाहत छिपी है।

कवि यह अनुमान लगाने में असफल है कि यह पक्षी अपनी संगीतमयी धारा से क्या उडेलती है। इसमें प्यार और दर्द के अनजाने पन को एक अजीब-सा रहस्य है।। संगीत के आनंद के आसपास उदासी की छाया भी नहीं है क्योंकि वहाँ केवल प्यार है न कि प्यार का विद्रोह। पक्षी का संगीत एक स्वच्छ धारा के रूप में इस तरह बहती है जैसे इसके लय और शांति के बीच कोई अंतर ही नहीं लगता। इस अर्थ में भी यह मानव जाति से ऊपर है। मनुष्य का यह स्वभाव है कि वह आगे और पीछे देखता है और जो उसके पास नहीं है, उसके लिए दु:खी होता है।

हमारा सबसे बड़ा सुख दर्द से भरा है। हमारा सबसे मधुर संगीत है वह है जो हमारे सबसे अधिक दुःखी भावनाओं से उत्पन्न होता है। कवि किसी भी तरह पक्षी की महानता के आसपास भी मनुष्य को नहीं पाता यदि हम घृणा, अहंकार या भय जैसी बुराईयों को छोड़ भी दें तो। – कवि पक्षी के महानता को उजागर करते हुए कहता है कि यह किसी भी आनंदायक ध्वनि के पैमाने या कवियों द्वारा वर्णिन किसी भी खजाने से बहुत अंतर है। कवि पक्षी से यह अनुरोध करता है कि अपने दिमाग में आनन्द का आधा भी यह उसे सिखाए। वह यह उम्मीद कर है कि पक्षी के सुमधुर पागलपन को ध्वनि कवि के होठों से निकले जिससे कि जैसे कवि इसे सुनकर आनंदित होता है उसी तरह संपूर्ण संसार इसे सुने और आनंदित हो।

To a Skylark Word Meaning

MP Board Class 11th English A Voyage Solutions Chapter 9 To a Skylark 1 MP Board Class 11th English A Voyage Solutions Chapter 9 To a Skylark 2

To a Skylark Comprehension

1. Read the following stanzas carefully and answer the questions that follow:

I. Hail! to thee, blithe spirit!
Bird thou never wert
That from heaven or near it
Pourest thy full heart
In profuse strains of unpremeditated art.
Higher still and higher
From the earth thou springest,
Like a cloud of fire;
The blue deep thou wingest,
And singing still dost soar, and soaring ever singest.

Questions:
(î) Who is ‘the’ in these lines?
(ii) What does the poet mean by ‘blithe spirit’?
(iii) What does the bird do?
(iv) From where does the bird spring and where does it go?
(v) Find a word from the lines which means same as ‘unplanned’.
Answers:
(I) ‘Thee’ is the sky lark (a bird).
(ii) The poet means a carefree and light-hearted bird.
(iii) The bird pours its spontaneous note of music.
(iv) The bird springs from the earth and it goes higher and higher in the sky.
(v) ‘Premcditated.

2. Like a high-born maiden
In a palace tower,
Soothing her love-laden
Soul in secret hour
With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower:
Like a glow-worm golden
ma dell of dew,
Scattering unbeholden
Its aerial hue
Among the flowers and grass which screen it from the view:

Questions:
(i) Who does the poet compose with the bird in the first given stanza?
(ii) What does she do?
(iii) What is the effect of her music?
(iv) What is composed with in the second stanza given here?
(v) Find a word from the above stanzas which is similar in meaning to ‘invisible’.
Answers:
(i) The bird is compared with a high-born maiden.
(ii) She soothes her love-laden soul.
(iii) Her music overflows her bower.
(iv) Here, the bird is compared with glow worm.
(v) ‘Unbeholden’.

3: Teach us, sprite or bird,
What sweet thoughts are thine:
I have never heard Praise of love or wine
That panted forth a flood of rapture so divine.
Chorus hymeneal,
Or triumphal chant,
Match’d with thine would be all
But an empty vaunt
A thing wherein we feel there is some hidden want.

Questions:
(i) What does the poet ask the bird to teach him?
(ii) What has the poet never heard?
(iii) What is chorus?
(iv) What does the poet guess in the bird’s song?
(v) Give a word from the above stanzas which is similar in meaning to ‘victory’.
Answers:
(i) The poet asks the bird to teach him the secret of its song.
(ii) The poet has never heard a song as sweet and divine as that of the bird.
(iii) Chorus is group song.
(iv) The poet guesses that there is some hidden want in the bird’s song.
(v) ‘triumphal’.

4. We look before and after,
And pine for what is not:
Our sincerest laughter With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought.

Questions:
(i) What human weakness that the poet finds in these lines?
(ii) What does the poet mean by ‘sincerest laughter’?
(iii) What are our sweetest songs?
(iv) Give the opposite word from the above stanza for ‘enjoy’
Answers:
(i) The poet finds that human being looks before and after and feels sad for what is not.
(ii) By ‘sincerest laughter’ the poet means extreme happiness.
(iii) Our sweetest songs are those that express our saddest thought.
(iv) ‘pine’.

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