POETRY 4 - THE SONG OF INDIA - 3MARKS

1. “ Shall I sing of the Himalayas with their snow –born peaks, of three seas that wash your palms’ 

a) Whom does ‘ I ‘ refer to ? 

Ans: the poet 

b) How are the Himalayas described here? 

Ans: Himalayas are covered with snow-born peaks. 

c) Name the three seas. 

Ans: The Arabian sea, The Indian ocean, The Bay of Bengal. 

2. “ Sing of the beggar and leaper,  That swarm my streets. Sing of the filth and dirt,That foul my sylvan retreats’

a) Who is the speaker? 

Ans: The motherland 

b) What does ‘ sylvan retreats’ mean? 

Ans: A place of seclusion of in deep woods. 

c) Why does the speaker ask to sing about beggar and leaper? 

Ans: To show sympathy and empathy about these people as they come in crowed on streets. 

3. “ That beat into my ears like gong  That flew about me, a pitiful thing, Like great white birds” 

a) Whom does’ pitiful thing’ refer here? 

Ans: The poet himself 

b) What does ‘that ‘ mean in the context? 

Ans: The indignant word of the motherland.

 

c) Name the figure of speech used here?

Ans: Simile 

4. “Querulous , I said : is there no song that I can sing of you” 

a) Whom do ‘ I’ refer here? 

Ans: The poet 

b) What do you mean by ‘Querulous’? 

Ans: Complaining 

c) What is the tone of the speaker? 

Ans: He is desperate 

5. “ Of these you may sing  But sing also the strikes , early and late” 

a) Who is the speaker? 

Ans: The motherland 

b) Whom do ‘ you’ refer to ? 

Ans: The poet 

c) What does ‘ Of these’ refer here? 

Ans: Of these’ refers to dams, and lakes, steel mills and ship building yard, and the men that work hard.