A Psalm of Life

Technical Information about the poem:

1. The poem is a dramatic monologue. In this type of poem, a single speaker speaks and the audience listens to it. There are hints in the poem about the presence of listeners. 

2. The lyric has nine stanzas of four lines each. (Nine Quatrains) Total 36 lines.

3. Each stanza has the regular Rhyme Scheme of ABAB.

Difficult Words Explained:

Psalm: A song or poem that praises God; Generally the song or hymn taken from the Bible is called a psalm. The poet has used the title “A Psalm of Life” which means that the poem celebrates life and promotes life as a positive power. The subtitle of the poem “What The Heart Of The Young Man Said To The Psalmist” indicates that the poet is writing from the point of view of a young man in response to a possibly sombre or depressing sermon. 

Psalmist: one who has written the Psalms in the Old Testament of Bible. David is considered to be the writer.

Mournful: Sad, depressing or melancholy दुखी, उदास 

Numbers: lines of poetry; verses; कविता की पंक्तियां या कविताएं 

Slumbers: Sleeps सोता है , drowse, nap नींद ; ऊंघना 

seem: appear to be: लगना ;प्रतीत होना 

Earnest: serious; sincere.

Grave: the burial place; 

Goal: purpose; destination: उद्देश्य; मंज़िल

Returnest: return; go back; 

Spoken of: said about; a Immortal: which does not die

End: goal; purpose;

Farther: further; beyond:

work hard to achieve our goal.

Fleeting: running with a fast speed: तेज़ी से भाग रहा है 

Stout: strong; sturdy

Muffled drums: covered drums: compared with human heart-beats 

Funeral march: walking in groups while taking a dead body for its burial or cremation

Broad: wide, big

Field of battle: battlefield; ground on which a battle is fought

Bivouac: temporary camp or halting place during a battle: लड़ाई के दौरान बीच में ठहरने की अस्थायों Dumb, 

driven cattle: silent, cattle who are driven without choice:

Strife: struggle; war;

Trust: believe in; have faith in 

Heart within: having courage in our hearts 

O'erhead: overhead; above

Sublime: noble; great. 

Departing: going; leaving; , Footprints: marks of our feet;

Generations: people living at the same time:

Solemn: serious and dignified:

Main: sea or ocean;

Forlorn: sad and lonely; deserted; 

Shipwrecked: one whose ship has been destroyed; for at Take heart: feel encouraged

Up and doing: working;

Fare: development; what may happen

Pursuing: following; chasing

Labour work hard; बहुत मेहनत करना

The poem “A Psalm of Life” is written by a celebrated American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem was published in 1838. The poem conveys its optimistic meaning through nine quatrains having the rhyme scheme "abab". The poem can be seen as a reaction against the pessimistic orthodox Christian beliefs about life. The speaker of the poem begins by saying that the preacher or Psalmist must not tell him that life is nothing but an empty dream. People who are not conscious of their gift of life are as good as dead. Poet insists that in reality things are not as they are projected by religion or society.

The poet proclaims that life is real and it is a serious affair and death is not its goal. The line of the Bible "dust thou art, to dust returnest" though stresses upon the futility of human life yet it was not spoken about the soul and it talks only about the body. Life is all about living it in the present without worrying about the future.

Poet points out that the destiny of life is not only enjoyment and sorrow. Only action is the proven course of man's life. We must act in the present so that the future could be better than the present.

The poet further explains that the path of action is long and demanding but time is passing fast. The word art in the stanza conveys a range of meanings like 'life', 'art' or 'gain of knowledge'. Truly man is brave and has a strong heart but with each passing day we are getting near to our ends. The heartbeat of man is indicated by the sound of muffled drums that are beaten at the time of funeral. Time consumes everything.

The poet compares the world to a huge field of battle and life is like a temporary camp in the midst of the battlefield. In simple words life is very short as compared to the expanse of the universe. The poet demands that we should not behave like dumb, driven cattle and must act like heroes in this struggle and fight bravely till the end.

The promises of the future , however attractive, should not be trusted and the past is equally unimportant. Man cannot control either. The future is uncertain and beyond control where the past is dead and gone; so we should forget both. We should live and act in the present only with courage in our hearts and accepting blessings of God from above.

The poet tells us that the lives of great men have much to teach us and by following their examples we can also make our lives noble. Like these great men we can also leave footprints on the sands of Time so that when people who come after us and get shipwrecked and are left alone in the ocean of life, can find a direction with the help of the footprints. These unhappy, shipwrecked people will take courage by following our example and will restart the journey of life with a new hope.

In the last stanza the poet motivates us to get up and start doing action. The poet encourages us that we all must act and keep our minds prepared for any kind of fate, good or bad. We should continuously keep doing the good work in the present, so we may achieve new things. The poet says that after labouring, we should wait patiently for the results. The message of the poem reminds us about the message given by Krishna to Arjuna in the Geeta, that we should act righteously without worrying about the results. The main theme of the poem, as we can see, is to represent an optimistic view of life. According to the poet, this life is precious. We should not waste it. Rather, we should use this life to do something great, so that people remember us forever. We should enjoy being alive and live every moment with full energy. The poem also captures the spirit of carpe diem or "seize the day". Human life is no doubt transient, still it doesn't mean that we should lose all hope and do nothing in life, rather this transience should inspire us to make the most of whatever time we have on this earth. The poet expresses his deep faith in a life action.

Summary in Hindi:

कविता "A Psalm of Life" एक प्रसिद्ध अमेरिकी कवि, हेनरी वेड्सवर्थ लॉन्गफेलो द्वारा लिखी गई है। कविता 1838 में प्रकाशित हुई थी। कविता अपने आशावादी अर्थ को नौ चौपाइयों के माध्यम से बताती है जिसमें कविता योजना "abab" है। कविता को जीवन के बारे में निराशावादी रूढ़िवादी ईसाई मान्यताओं के खिलाफ प्रतिक्रिया के रूप में देखा जा सकता है। कविता का वक्ता यह कहकर शुरू करता है कि उपदेशक या भजनकार को उसे यह नहीं बताना चाहिए कि जीवन एक खाली सपने के अलावा और कुछ नहीं है। जो लोग अपने जीवन के उपहार के प्रति सचेत नहीं हैं वे मृत के समान हैं। कवि इस बात पर जोर देता है कि वास्तव में चीजें वैसी नहीं हैं जैसी वे धर्म या समाज द्वारा पेश की जाती हैं।

कवि घोषणा करता है कि जीवन वास्तविक है और यह एक गंभीर मामला है और मृत्यु उसका लक्ष्य नहीं है। बाइबिल की पंक्ति "धूल है तू, धूल में लौट जाना है" हालांकि मानव जीवन की व्यर्थता पर जोर देती है फिर भी यह आत्मा के बारे में नहीं कहा गया था और यह केवल शरीर के बारे में बात करता है। जीवन भविष्य की चिंता किए बिना इसे वर्तमान में जीने के बारे में है। कवि बताता है कि जीवन की नियति केवल सुख और दुख नहीं है। केवल कर्म ही मनुष्य के जीवन का सिद्ध मार्ग है। हमें वर्तमान में कार्य करना चाहिए ताकि भविष्य वर्तमान से बेहतर हो सके। कवि आगे बताता है कि कर्म का मार्ग लंबा और मांगलिक है लेकिन समय तेजी से बीत रहा है। छंद में कला शब्द 'जीवन', 'कला' या 'ज्ञान की प्राप्ति' जैसे कई अर्थों को व्यक्त करता है। वास्तव में आदमी बहादुर है और उसका दिल मजबूत है लेकिन हर गुजरते दिन के साथ हम अपने लक्ष्य के करीब पहुंच रहे हैं। अंत्येष्टि के समय पीटे जाने वाले मफल ढोल की आवाज से मनुष्य के हृदय की धड़कन का पता चलता है। समय सब कुछ खा जाता है।

कवि दुनिया की तुलना युद्ध के विशाल मैदान से करता है और जीवन युद्ध के मैदान के बीच में एक अस्थायी शिविर की तरह है। सरल शब्दों में ब्रह्मांड के विस्तार की तुलना में जीवन बहुत छोटा है। कवि की मांग है कि हमें गूंगे, चालित मवेशियों की तरह व्यवहार नहीं करना चाहिए और इस संघर्ष में नायकों की तरह काम करना चाहिए और अंत तक बहादुरी से लड़ना चाहिए।

भविष्य के वादे, चाहे कितने ही आकर्षक क्यों न हों, उन पर भरोसा नहीं करना चाहिए और अतीत भी उतना ही महत्वहीन है। मनुष्य भी नियंत्रित नहीं कर सकता। भविष्य अनिश्चित और नियंत्रण से परे है जहां अतीत मर चुका है और चला गया है; इसलिए हमें दोनों को भूल जाना चाहिए। हमें अपने दिलों में साहस और ऊपर से ईश्वर का आशीर्वाद स्वीकार करके ही वर्तमान में जीना और कार्य करना चाहिए।

कवि हमें बताता है कि महापुरुषों के जीवन में हमें सिखाने के लिए बहुत कुछ है और उनके उदाहरणों का अनुसरण करके हम अपने जीवन को महान भी बना सकते हैं।

इन महापुरुषों की तरह हम भी समय की रेत पर पदचिन्ह छोड़ सकते हैं ताकि जब हमारे पीछे आने वाले और जलपोत टूटकर जीवन के सागर में अकेले रह जाने वाले लोग पदचिन्हों के सहारे एक दिशा पा सकें। ये दुखी, जलपोत टूट चुके लोग हमारे उदाहरण का अनुसरण करके साहस करेंगे और जीवन की यात्रा को एक नई आशा के साथ फिर से शुरू करेंगे।

अंतिम छंद में कवि हमें उठने और कार्य करने के लिए प्रेरित करता है। कवि हमें प्रोत्साहित करता है कि हम सभी को अच्छे या बुरे किसी भी प्रकार के भाग्य के लिए कार्य करना चाहिए और अपने दिमाग को तैयार रखना चाहिए। हमें निरंतर वर्तमान में अच्छे कार्य करते रहना चाहिए, ताकि हम नई चीजें हासिल कर सकें। कवि कहता है कि परिश्रम करने के बाद हमें धैर्यपूर्वक परिणाम की प्रतीक्षा करनी चाहिए। कविता का संदेश हमें गीता में कृष्ण द्वारा अर्जुन को दिए गए संदेश की याद दिलाता है, कि हमें परिणामों की चिंता किए बिना सही ढंग से कार्य करना चाहिए। कविता का मुख्य विषय, जैसा कि हम देख सकते हैं, जीवन के एक आशावादी दृष्टिकोण का प्रतिनिधित्व करना है। कवि के अनुसार यह जीवन अनमोल है। हमें इसे बर्बाद नहीं करना चाहिए। बल्कि हमें इस जीवन का उपयोग कुछ महान करने में करना चाहिए, ताकि लोग हमें हमेशा याद रखें। हमें जीवित रहने का आनंद लेना चाहिए और हर पल को पूरी ऊर्जा के साथ जीना चाहिए। कविता कार्पे डीयम या "सीज़ द डे" की भावना को भी पकड़ती है। मानव जीवन निःसंदेह क्षणभंगुर है, फिर भी इसका यह अर्थ नहीं है कि हम सारी आशा खो दें और जीवन में कुछ न करें। बल्कि इस क्षणभंगुरता में हमें इस धरती पर जो कुछ भी समय है उसका अधिकतम लाभ उठाने के लिए प्रेरित करना चाहिए। कवि जीवन क्रिया में अपनी गहरी आस्था व्यक्त करता है।

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd,

I stand and look at them long and long.

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,

They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,

Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,

Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,

Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.

So they show their relations to me and I accept them,

They bring me tokens of myself, they evince them plainly in their possession.

I wonder where they get those tokens,

Did I pass that way huge times ago and negligently drop them?

Myself moving forward then and now and forever,

Link to study Summary of the poem on Internet.

https://poemanalysis.com/walt-whitman/animals/

Gupta, SudipDas. "Animals by Walt Whitman". Poem Analysis, https://poemanalysis.com/walt-whitman/animals/. Accessed 26 August 2021. 

for detailed analysis https://poemanalysis.com/christina-rossetti/song-when-i-am-dead-my-dearest/

Summary of the Poem "When I am Dead, My Dearest"

(Priyanka 20121, BA 2nd Year)

The Victorian poet Christina Rossetti wrote "Song (When I am Dead, My Dearest)" in 1848 at the age of 18, though it wasn't published until 1862 in her collection “Goblin Market and Other Poems”. The poem focuses on death and mourning, with the speaker urging a loved one not to waste too much time grieving for her when she dies. Christina Rossetti’s poem “When I am Dead, My Dearest” has two stanzas and each addresses different issues. In the first stanza, she talks about what she expects her loved ones to do after her death while in the second, she talks about what she will do after her death.Poetess tells her loved ones that no one mourns after her death. She does not want anyone to sing and cry for her after death. She also refuses to let someone plant roses or a shady Cypress tree on her grave. She is against this pretense where people sing songs to mourn, she tells us that when she is dead she won't be able to hear any songs, see any roses or feel the Cypress’ shade. The poet thinks that if  someone really wants to mourn he or she should be humble like grass. The poetess, while addressing to her loved ones, says that to express their love it is a ritual to mourn after her death or after the death of anyone, however, the poetess is against such empty rituals. Instead she would like to be left alone in the dream-like twilight of death. She wishes to be fresh like the green grass that becomes immortal after getting the dewdrops. Tears of true love like the dewdrops will keep the grass always green; such tears will make their love eternal. She gives her dearest one the freedom to remember or forget  her as he or she wishes. After her death, she will be buried in the grave and she will go into the world of the dead. She will pass the rest of her time dreaming through the never ending evening when the sun neither rises nor sets. Perhaps she will remember it. Perhaps she will forget it. She is not afraid of death as it is unavoidable. Everyone has come from mother earth and has to go back to mother earth. It is a universal truth. She also wishes that the people after her death should not mourn over her death but should live their life happily. 

The poem is of 16 lines. The structure is like a ballad which makes it like a song. The poem has two stanzas of 8 lines each. The eight lines can be further divided into 2 quatrains. Each quatrain has the Rhyme-Scheme of ABCB.

e.g.

When I am dead, my dearest,                          A

Sing no sad songs for me;                               B

Plant thou no roses at my head,                     C

Nor shady cypress tree:                                   B

..and so on..

Difficult Words:

My dearest: My most beloved

Thou:  You

at my head: at the head of my grave

Cypress: a tall straight evergreen tree (common in Europe)

Thou wilt :  You will (You want/like)

twilight: the time after the sun has set and before it gets dark.

Haply: perhaps/ may be

Difficult Words:-

1.  At my head: at the head of her grave, where head is lying buried

2. Shady cypress tree: Cypress tree which gives shade

3. Dewdrops: drops of the dew (ओस की बूँदें)

4. Wilt: will; poetic form of " wilt"

5. Unconventional: not traditional ( पारंपरिक नहीं)

6. Twilight: sundown; evening immediately after sunset (सूर्यास्त के तुरंत बाद शाम)

7. Haply: perhaps (शायद)

Background story in the line: "I shall not hear the nightingale sing on as if in pain"

This particular line refers to the mythical lament of the nightingale related to its song. The story tells us about Philomela who was the princess of Athens and younger sister of Procne, the wife of King Tereus of Thrace.  While the myth has several variations, the general depiction is that Philomela, after being raped and mutilated (her tongue is cut out by Tereus lest she should tell anyone about the incident) by her sister's husband,Tereus, obtains her revenge and is transformed into a Nightingale (बुलबुल), a bird renowned for its song. Because of the violence associated with the myth, the song of the nightingale is often depicted or interpreted as a sorrowful lament. In nature, the female nightingale is actually mute, and only the male of the species sings. 

(Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philomela)

 “The Olive Tree” by Mark O’ Connor

Mark O’Connor is one of the best-known contemporary poets from Australia. He was born in 1945.  The poet celebrates the resilience of nature  and the ability to revive itself again and again.  The resilience of nature is symbolised by Olive trees. The olive is a traditional symbol of peace, prosperity, fertility in the western culture. The poem was written when the poet lived in Italy during 1977-80. The tree is beneficial to man  because it has high rates of productivity and the olive oil which can be extracted from the trees is economically profitable.  The poem can be interpreted as an example of Ecopoetry. Ecopoetry revolves around nature, environment and conservationism. On the surface level, the poem ‘The Olive Tree’ talks about the longevity of the olive tree and its resilience. At the symbolic level, the poem celebrates nature’s ability to revive, despite all kinds of natural calamities and human efforts to destroy it. The themes of resilience of the olive, invincibility of nature and conflict between the human world and the world of nature are indicated in this poem. 

"The Olive Tree '' is a nature poem. The poem describes how in times of war the olive trees would be cut down and destroyed, but they come back to life. This poem is about nature's power of resurrection.  On the surface level, the poem talks about the longevity and resilience of the Olive tree. The poem celebrates nature's ability to revive,  despite all kinds of natural calamities and human efforts to destroy it. The poem describes the power of nature through The Olive tree. The poet begins by saying that nobody knows how long an olive tree lives because,"Drought, axe,fire" have all proved to be failures in the destruction of olive trees. Even when Olive tree is hacked down, and its main root is dug out for fuel, shoots will spring out from the side roots in the spring. In simple words, nobody knows how long it takes to kill an Olive tree. Sometimes the tree is left leafless for years due to frost,  but when a favourable season arrives, they revive again. Invading armies can cut them down for their war vehicles, but the trees return to life through the debris of the war machine. Further, the poet says that there is something that can destroy the Olive Tree. Goats nibble up the leaves of the tree leaving it bare. These goats have been the enemies of the trees for ages. The poet talks about the ability of goats to master or control the growth of olive trees. Olives are very resilient and tough to kill but perhaps the goats can harm the olives and destroy them. However, in the next lines the poet recounts the story of a man who comes across a dead orchard of olive trees that were destroyed by fire or goats centuries ago. He settles down at that place and fences it. Over some time the stumps of the dead Olive trees revive again. This man was able to earn profit and his future generations reaped economic benefits from the olive oil trade. Then again there is a natural calamity of war. Olive orchards might get destroyed and get buried under the ground only to be repaired in another age. The poet emphasizes that Olives or nature are permanent and  impossible to destroy. The olives may go through the cycle of birth and near-death but they will revive again. This cycle of destruction and renewal goes off endlessly. Socrates who lived a thousand years ago lectured in the shade of the Olive tree that lives to this day. It is said that, In the garden of Gethsemane, Christ spent the night before his crucifixion. This poem tells us about the power of nature, no matter how difficult it may be, but nature never ends.This poem tells us that no matter what happens, olive trees are always there. The theme of the poem  is resilience of nature, power of nature, and revival in due course of time. The eternal cycle of nature where death or destruction is followed by birth or revival. Nature is a source of sustenance for man that is symbolised by the fruit of Olive tree which gives precious and highly useful olive oil. The poem is also an example of ecopoetry and the message is to preserve and sustain nature so that future generations can live happily on this planet. Nature is the Natural and sustainable humankind.  The themes of resilience of olive, invincibility of nature and conflict between the human world and the world of nature are indicated in this poem. 

Difficult Words:

Drought : a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water. (सूखा )

Hack :  cut with rough or heavy blows; Chop बेरहमी से काटना ;  टुकड़े कर देना 

Grub: dig or poke about in soil. खोदना 

Shoot: a young branch or sucker springing from the main stock of a tree or other plant. ; Sprout उगना, फलना; कोंपल निकलना

Frost: cover (something) with or as if with frost; freeze ; become covered with small ice crystals.  Cold Weather

Invading Armies: (of an armed force) enter (a country or region) so as to subjugate or occupy it. हमलावर 

Fell: cut down (a tree). काट डालना  

Siege: a military operation in which enemy forces surround a town or building, cutting off essential supplies, with the aim of compelling those inside to surrender. 

Siege Machine :A vehicle used to control or siege an area.

Nibble :  graze  take small bites out of. कुतरना 

Malice: the desire to harm someone; ill will द्वेष 

Master: to gain control

Goat cropped: closely bitten off by goats 

Stump: bottom part of a tree left in the ground after the tree has been cut down  ठूंठ 

Fences: makes a fence

Arduous: Difficult and tiring दुष्कर , कठिन 

Prosper:  be financially successful. समृद्ध होना 

Wash over: To get destroyed

Go under: become dead or bankrupt; मर जाना , परास्त होना  

Withered : (of a plant) dry and shrivelled. (dry and lifeless)

Grove: a small wood or other group of trees. (Olive trees)

Bearing: manage to tolerate (a situation or experience).  (olive trees are still alive)

Critical Summary of the Poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree"

"The Lake Isle of Innisfree" written by W.B. Yeats explores the poet's desire for the peace and calm of Innisfree. While he stands on the roadway or the grey pavements in the city, he feels sick of his monotonous and humdrum life. Fed up with the city life, he begins to hear, imaginatively of course, the sound of the lake water striking against the shores. This Increases his desire to escape to the Lake Island of Innisfree. He plans to build a small cabin "of clay and wattles" there. He will have nine bean-rows and a beehive and live alone in the valley which is full of the humming of bees. He says that he will have peace there. He thinks that there peace drops from heaven from the morning till evening. There midnight is a glimmer, while the noon is a purple glow. The evening is full of the linnet's wings.

           The poet presents a very romantic and exotic picture of the land-island of Innisfree. The place, as he sees it in his imagination, seems to be a land of wonder, charm and magic. There the times of the day are different from what they seem to be in the cities. There is the beauty of sights and sounds from morning till midnight. In the morning there is the sweet music of the crickets. At midnight there is the soft, delicate light of the moon. This light becomes warm and purple during the afternoon. The evening is full of the sound of singing birds like the linnet. There is also the gentle sound of the water of the lake striking softly against the shore. The whole setting is thus idyllic. And it has a romantic quality about it.

                The central theme of "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is the romantic desire for escape from the monotonous and humdrum life of the city to a beautiful place in nature where one can find not only a lot of natural beauty but also peace and quiet. The poet envisions the lake-island of Innisfree as such a place where "peace comes dropping slow." He develops this theme by referring to each stage of the day and bringing his vision to life for us with his vivid descriptions and beautiful imagery. In the morning, the mist is like a veil thrown over the lake. At noon, there is the purple glow under the sun. The evening is full of the sound of the linnet's wings. At night the stars fill the sky, with the result that "midnight's all a glimmer." The poem thus expresses the natural human need for peace and quiet and the inner drive for harmony with nature.

For more detailed analysis you can also visit the page:

https://poemanalysis.com/william-butler-yeats/the-lake-isle-of-innisfree/

The poem has 12 lines. There are 3 quatrains and these three quatrains have the rhyme scheme of ABAB.

Difficult Words:

Wattle: A material for making fences, walls, etc., consisting of rods or stakes interlaced with twigs or branches.  

clay:A stiff, sticky fine-grained earth, typically yellow, red, or bluish-gray in color and often forming an impermeable layer in the soil. It can be molded when wet, and is dried and baked to make bricks, pottery, and ceramics.

veil : A piece of fine material worn by women to protect or conceal the face.

glade: An open space in a forest.

glimmer : Shine faintly with a wavering light.

Linnet : a mainly brown and grey finch with a reddish breast and forehead. 

Pavement : path covered with tiles/concrete/stones/bricks etc. 

In Hindi:

Difficult Words:-

• Cabin: छोटा सा घर 

• Veil: घूँघट

• Glimmer: हलकी हलकी सी रौशनी

• Glow: रोशनी

• Linnet: एक गाने वाला छोटा पक्षी

• Lapping: हलकी आवाज से टकराना

• Pravement: पक्का रास्ता

• Core: किसी चीज का बहुत जरुरी भाग

• Innisfree: सलाईगो के पास झील में बना टापू

Critical Summary of the Poem" Refugee Mother and Child"

Refugee mother and child is a moving and intense poem written by Chinua Achebe (1930-2013), a renowned Nigerian poet and novelist. His most famous work is "Things Fall Apart" (1959). He focuses on the conflict between Western and African values and their representation in literature. He has tried to undo the damage done to representation of African culture through his writings.

The poem "Refugee Mother and Child" portrays the pain of a mother, whose son is on the edge of dying. The poet states that no picture of Christ and Virgin Mary can match the poignancy of the image of the refugee mother and the child.  The subsequent stanza shows the horrors of a life at a refugee camp with images of disease and death-the heavy stench of children sick with diarrhoea, their unwashed, dried up bottoms and blown empty stomachs and these children making a visible effort to walk. At surface level the poem depicts the squalor and destitute conditions of a refugee camp somewhere in Africa where there is starvation and death everywhere. Children are suffering from malnutrition diseases and life in general seems hopeless. In this context the poet highlights the image of this particular refugee mother who is holding her weak son in her arms keeping a faint ironical smile and an other-worldly shadow of mother's pride on her face. She seems to putting her son to sleep by softly singing some inaudible lullaby. In comparison to this realistic account of a poor woman, the poet refers to the image of the Madonna and the Child, a famous painting which lies at the heart of Western civilization as a perfect example of motherhood depicting Virgin Mary and the Baby Christ. The poet indirectly comments and compares that no Western symbol of mother's tenderness, love and sacrifice could be compared to the tenderness, love and sacrifice shown by this helpless refugee mother towards her dying son. The refugee mother has nothing to offer to her departing child; she simply combs his thin rust-coloured hair and draws a parting as though she is bidding farewell to the weak child who may not be able to live much longer.

The refugee mother's act could easily have been the daily ritual that a mother carries out before dispatching her child to school. However, in this case it is an act that has a tenderness which is equal to putting flowers on a tiny grave of a child. 

The images of 'ghost' and 'rust' have been used to illustrate 'death' in the poem. The poet refers to the exceptional resilience of this mother, her eyes almost singing a song, as she takes care to clean up her child and even comb his rust coloured hair before laying him to rest.

For more detailed analysis you can visit the page:

https://poemanalysis.com/chinua-achebe/refugee-mother-and-child/

http://englishliteraturestudents.blogspot.com/2017/09/refugee-mother-and-child-by-chinua.html

Difficult Words:-      (Neha 20132)

• Madonna and child (the picture of virgin Mary and the child Jesus): मैरी और बेबी जीसस की तस्वीर

• Mother's tenderness (the soft feeling that a mother has for her child): माँ की ममता

• Odours (smell): दुर्गन्ध

• Diarrhoea (loose motions): दस्तों की बीमारी

• Unwashed children (children whose bottoms had not been washed): जिन बच्चों को धोया न गया

• Blown empty bellies (swollen valleys because of starvation):खाना न मिलने से फूले हुए पेट

• Ceased(stopped, given up):छोड़ दी थी आशा

• Ghost smile (a painful, ironical smile):एक दर्द और भाग्य पर व्यंग से भरी भूतिया सी मुस्कान

• Rust-colored (hair had changed colour and started falling): बालों का रंग भी बदल गया था जंग के रंग की तरह

• Of no consequence(unimportant):महत्वहीन

Critical Summary of the poem " If " by Rudyard Kipling

Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was a famous British short story writer, novelist, and poet. He achieved instant fame for his short stories and novels. He was the first British author to win the Nobel Prize in 1907. Kipling was a supporter of colonialism. His stories have an extraordinary variety. Though many of his stories are apparently for children, they are concerned with complex issues such as historical, national, and racial identity.

Kipling had written this poem in 1909 for his son while giving him valuable advice for life and for self-development. It is an inspiring poem which gives some useful lessons to the young so that they can be strong, clear in their mind, and happy. In the first stanza the poet shows his son and the general reader the ideal way to act during critical times. He tells him to make himself strong enough so that he can take responsibility for his actions and not blame others. He should believe in himself and his potential when everyone else gives up. There are always going to be people who think differently or misunderstand and misjudge him. But he must rise above this and do what is right and just. He should not let others provoke him into actions which are wrong. He should understand his worth and have confidence, without being proud. In short, he must be calm, humble, patient, self-confident, and sensitive to criticism. Kipling asks his son and the general reader to dream of great things. But at the same time he advises him to be realistic in his approach. He should not let his dreams control him. He should not let defeat affect him. Instead, he should treat every defeat as a chance to learn yet another lesson. The road to success is always full of obstacles. Many people will try to bring him down. But if by chance he loses everything, he should accept his fate and start afresh. The poet advises his son to be able to risk all his achievements while aiming at a bigger goal. If he loses, he must start all over again with renewed effort and will.

Finally, Kipling wants his son and the general reader to become a man who can fit equally well with the high and the low. He must be able to mix with the common crowd without losing his individuality. He should never lose his sympathy, nor should he become proud if he climbs high in life. He should reach such a stage in which no friends or enemies can have the power to hurt him. The poet also advises his son not to waste his time. If he wastes his time, time will never forgive him. Needless to say, the advice is very sound, practical, and wise and anyone who could achieve these qualities will become a man or a woman in the true sense and he or she will become the master of the Earth and all the things on it. In fact the poem has a timeless, universal quality as it offers a valuable philosophy for human life to the readers, young and old, in any country, at any given time. The poem advises the young to strive for honesty, patience, fortitude of character, modesty, humility, truthfulness, righteousness, detachment, and strength of will power. It also advises to find a balance between pride and humility, between thought and action, between gain and loss, and to persevere despite obstacles and failures. Kipling's counsel is equally relevant even today.

For detailed analysis you can visit the page:

https://poemanalysis.com/rudyard-kipling/if/

https://englicist.com/topics/poem-if

Speaker: a person who delivers a poem; narrator of a poem

personification: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form

allowance: tolerance; sufferance

triumph :achieve a victory; be successful

impostor: a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain

knave: a dishonest or unscrupulous man

pitch and toss :a gambling game in which the player who manages to throw a coin closest to a mark gets to toss all the coins, winning those that land with the head up

sinew :a piece of tough fibrous tissue uniting muscle to bone or bone to bone; a tendon or ligament 

will : the thing that one desires or ordains

virtue : a quality considered morally good or desirable in a person

foe : an enemy or opponent