Autumn
John Clare
SUMMARY
The poet gives a beautiful picture of the autumnal beauty. He likes the occasional rush of beauty that shakes the casements throughout the day and blows away the withered leaves from the elm trees covered with moss. The leaves fall spinning by the window pane and are sometimes carried away with other leaves down the lane.
The poet is fond of the sombre beauty of the dancing twigs in a bare tree that continues till the evening sets in. The chirping of the sparrows from the thatched roof of a cottage, brings, for a time being the vernal air. It seems as if the spring has just left creating her amorous spell on Nature and left the flowers, her own offspring to lie in the lap of summer.
The smoke from the cottage fireplace curling upwards through the bare and leafless trees enchants the poet. The pigeons gathering round their nest on gloomy days of November, the cock crowing from the cow dung, the wind mills blowing in strong wind are some of the familiar pictures of autumn that attract the poet. Feather from the Ravens breast fall on the leaf that is covered with short lower part of the stems of crops left after the harvest. Small brown nuts of the tree fall now and then creating repeated sound and the pigs rush to collect them.
Short Questions with Answers:
1. What shakes the casements?
Ans: The fitful gust shakes the casements.
2. What does the poet love to see the fitful gust doing?
Ans: The poet loves to see the wind shaking the casement all day. It drives the faded leaves from the mossy elm trees and makes the twig dance till evening.
3. What does the fitful gust do to the faded leaves?
Ans: The fitful gust drives the faded leaves from the mossy elm trees.
4. From where do the faded leaves fall?
Ans: The faded leaves fall from the mossy elm tree.
5. How do the leaves fall?
Ans: The leaves spin round by the window pane and they fall on the ground and lie with other leaves on the lane.
6. Which season is referred to here?
Ans: The autumn season is referred to here.
7. What happens to the leaves of the mossy elm-tree in autumn?
Ans: The colour of the leaves of the mossy elm-tree fades away in autumn. The wind twirls them by the window pane and down the lane with thousand other leaves.
8. Why are the things the poet loves to see on November days?
Ans: On November days the poet loves to see the cottage smoke curl up through the trees, the chirping sparrow, the shaking twig, the pigeons sitting in their nest, the cock crowing upon the dung-hill, the mills sailing on the heath, the feather from a bird’s body falling on the land, the acorns falling down from the tree and the pigs hurrying and falling on their way.
9. How are the days in month of November?
Ans: The days of the month of November are dull.
10. How long does the sparrow dance?
Ans: The sparrow dances till the evening.
Comments