1.

Dust Of Snow

The way a crow

Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree
Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Explanation of the Poem: The poem is set in a scene where

the poet is in a bad mood and is walking by a tree, a hemlock
tree. Hemlock tree is a poisonous tree. As he passes by, a crow
happens to throw some snow dust on him. Whether it falls on
his head or shoulders is unknown as there is no specific
mention in the poem. Also, the readers are left in doubt about
the bird’s specific action. Whether the crow was landing,
shivering with cold, re adjusting itself on the branch or taking
off, it happened to send some particles of snow upon the
author. Here, the two agents of nature, the hemlock tree and
the crow are signifiers of sadness and gloom just like the
poet’s mood was in the opening scene.
For reasons unknown, the author was having a terrible day.
But the falling of the snow on his head lifted his mood
instantly. He had already spent his day in a bad mood but the
rest of it was saved by the crow and the hemlock tree.
Generally, hemlock tree and crow are used for negative
references but the poet used them beautifully to portray that
inauspicious things can bring joy and happiness too. One must
not take things for granted and should be open and accept
whichever way the nature chooses to bless us.

Literary Devices / Poetic Devices

Rhyme Scheme- abab cdcd
Alliteration- the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the
beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Inversion – when the structure of a sentence is changed by the
poet to create rhyme, this poetic license is called inversion. In
stanza 1, inversion can be seen.
Assonance – the prominence of a vowel sound throughout a
line is called assonance. In stanza 1, line “Shook down on
me” – ‘o’ sound is prominent.
Enjambment – when the same sentence continues to the next
line without the use of any punctuation marks, it is called
enjambment. It has been used throughout the poem.

2. Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favour fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
Explanation of the Poem: The poem expresses the profound
idea that the world would end in either of two ways, either by
ice or fire. One group is of the opinion that someday the
Earth’s core will get so heated up that it would lead to fire
destroying the earth’s surface. On the other hand, the second
group says that if the temperature goes down to an extent that
makes life on Earth impossible, it would have the same
catastrophic effect. The poet then compares fire and ice with
the destructive features of human emotions; desire and hatred.
He says that from what he is aware about “fiery desires”, he
would favour the ones who say that it would be fire. By
saying so, he brings about the idea that human beings let their
emotions rule them and the consequence of unmonitored
longing is chaos. Then by not waving off the first option of
fire, he considers if the world has to expire twice, ice would
be equally competent in ending it. He brings about a contrast
between “ice” and “hatred”. The human capability of
insensitivity and hatred has the potential for inner destruction.
Though slow and steady, it has the same effect that desire has
on us. So if given an option between fire and ice, ice would be
just as good as fire to destroy the world.
Literary Devices/ Poetic Devices
Assonance- it is repetition of vowel sounds in same line. The
repetition is at different places in different words.
Example- The long sound of “o” in “I hold with those who
favour fire”
Alliteration- alliteration is the repetition of a consonant sound
at the start of two or more closely placed words.
Example- The sound of “f” in “favour fire”, “w” in “world
will”
Imagery- Imagery is used to make readers perceive things
involving their five senses. Example- “Some say the world
will end in fire”
“To say that for destruction ice Is also great”
Anaphora- the repetition of a word or expression at the start of
two or more consecutive lines.
Example – “Some say” is repeated at the start of lines 1 and 2.
Personification- Personification is to give human qualities to
inanimate objects. In this poem, “fire” and “ice” are capable
of destruction. Thus, the poet personifies fire and ice by
giving them mind and power to destroy anything.
Enjambment- it is defined as the thought or clause that does
not come to an end at a line break, rather it moves over to the
next line.
Example- “From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire”

3. A Tiger in the Zoo

He stalks in his vivid stripes

The few steps of his cage,
On pads of velvet quiet,
In his quiet rage.
Explanation of the poem passage above – Here the poet
says that the tiger that is confined in the zoo moves around in
the cage under his bright coloured skin. He further says that
the tiger can take only a few steps because the cage is small
and it is not easy to move in it. One cannot hear his footsteps
because he has very soft feet, like velvet because of which
there is no sound of the tiger’s footsteps. The tiger tries to
control his anger by quietly walking in the limited area of his
cage. He is angry because he is not free.
Literary Devices/ Poetic Devices
Rhyme scheme: abcb (cage-rage)
Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet
refers him as ‘he’.
Metaphor: Tiger’s paws are compared with velvet (pads of
velvet)
Enjambment: Sentence is continuing to next line without any
punctuation mark.
Imagery: poet tries to create an image about the tiger (He
stalks in his vivid stripes The few steps of his cage)
Consonance: use of ‘s’ sound (stalks, his, stripes)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘I’ (in his vivid stripes)
Oxymoron: use of adjectives opposite in meaning (quiet rage)

He should be lurking in shadow,

Sliding through long grass
Near the water hole
Where plump deer pass.
Explanation of the poem passage above – The poet says that
if this tiger was free, he would have hid himself behind the
long grass near the water bodies so that he could easily catch a
deer in order to have it as its food. Basically, the poet wants to
say that the actual life of a tiger is to live in jungle where he
could catch his prey and eat it but the tiger in the cage can not
do so.

Literary Devices/ Poetic Devices

Rhyme: rhyme scheme is abcb (grass-pass)
Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation
marks. (Sliding through….deer pass)
Alliteration: use of sound ‘p’ at the start of two words (plump
pass)
Imagery: The poet has tries to create an image of tiger’s
activities (lurking in shadow).
He should be snarling around houses
At the jungle’s edge,
Baring his white fangs, his claws,
Terrorising the village!
Explanation of the poem passage above- The poet says that
if the tiger would have been free, he would have snarled
around the houses located at the outskirts of the forest. He
would terrorise people with his sharp tooth and claws. This
would create fear among the people living in the villages.

Literary devices
Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (edge,
village)
Enjambment: Line continues to next line without punctuation
marks (He should be snarling around houses At the jungle’s
edge,)
Onomatopoeia: using words which denote sound (snarling)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘I’ (should, around,
houses), (Baring, his, white, his)
Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, fangs, his,
claws)
But he’s locked in a concrete cell,
His strength behind bars,
Stalking the length of his cage,
Ignoring visitors.
Explanation of the poem passage above- Now the poet
comes to the reality of the tiger that is inside the cage. He says
that the tiger is confined in a strong cell which is made of
strong building material. He further says that as the tiger is
behind bars, so his ferociousness is also behind the bars. He
just stalks in the cage. He never tries to terrorise the visitors
because his power is restricted by the cage. Therefore, he
never tries to terrorise the visitors as he cannot attack them.

Literary devices
Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (bars-
visitors)
Personification: The tiger is personified because the poet
refers him as ‘he’.
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (he, locked, concrete, cell)
Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (his, strength, bars)
Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two words (behind
bars)

He hears the last voice at night,

The patrolling cars,
And stares with his brilliant eyes
At the brilliant stars.
Explanation of the poem passage above- The poet says that
in the night, the tiger hears the sounds of the patrolling cars.
Patrolling cars are the vehicles of police which are used to
guard at night. So, in the night the tiger hears the sounds of
these cars. He then stares at the shining stars with his shining
eyes. The poet wants to say that the tiger is sad and as he is
confined in the cage, so, he cannot do anything. Therefore, he
stares at the stars in the night and tries to divert his thoughts
towards them.
Literary devices:
Rhyme Scheme: abcb rhyme scheme is followed (cars-stars)
Enjambment: Line three continues to line four without any
punctuation mark. (And stares with his brilliant eyes At the
brilliant stars.)
Alliteration: use of sound ‘h’ in the starting of two words (he
hears)
Assonance: use of ‘I’ sound (with, his, brilliant)

4. How to Tell Wild Animals

If ever you should go by chance

To jungles in the east;
And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast,
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet is telling
the readers that how they can recognize various animals in the
jungles of the east. So, in first stanza she says that if the
reader comes across an animal whose skin is yellowish brown
in colour and if it roars at him so strongly that he can die out
of fear, it means that he has encountered an Asian Lion. She
has humorously explained the Asian Lion which could kill a
person with its roar.

Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (chance-advance,
east-beast, dyin-lion)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (and
if there…..tawny beast)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (if there should
to you advance)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ’o’ (you should go, should to
you, roars,)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of
animal, etc (Asian Lion)
Or if some time when roaming round,
A noble wild beast greets you,
With black stripes on a yellow ground,
Just notice if he eats you.
This simple rule may help you learn
The Bengal Tiger to discern.
Explanation of the poem passage above: She explains an
animal that roams in the jungle and belongs to a royal clan.
The colour of its skin is yellowish with black stripes. She says
that if you notice that he kills you and eats you up, then this
means that you have surely seen a Bengal Tiger. This time
also she has used dark humour to explain how a tiger looks
like because once a person has been eaten up by a wild
animal, there is no use in determining which wild animal it is.

Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (round-ground,
you-you learn-discern)
Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound ‘r’ at start of two or
more closely connected words (roaming round)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (The Bengal
Tiger to discern)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of
animal, etc (Bengal Tiger)
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ’o’ (or if some time when
roaming round)
If strolling forth, a beast you view,
Whose hide with spots is peppered,
As soon as he has lept on you,
You’ll know it is the Leopard.
’Twill do no good to roar with pain,
He’ll only lep and lep again.
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that
if you are casually walking in a jungle, you will meet an
animal who has a skin with spots on it. This animal is so fast
that it will leap on you at once which means that it will jump
on you. This jumping is an indication that it is none other than
the Leopard. Moreover, she adds that if you will cry out in
pain, it is not going to be of any use as it will keep on jumping
on you. So, in this stanza the poet has explained the
characteristic of a leopard.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (view- you,
peppered- Leopard, pain-again)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘h’ in the beginning of
two words (he has)
Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the spellings in
order to create rhyme or rhythm in a poem (use of lept instead
of leapt)
Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line.
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (strolling-forth-you,
whose-spot, do no good to roar)
Consonance: use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only lep lep)

If when you’re walking round your yard

You meet a creature there,
Who hugs you very, very hard,
Be sure it is a Bear.
If you have any doubts, I guess
He’ll give you just one more caress.
Explanation of the poem passage above: If you are walking
in the lawn area of your house and you meet a creature which
hugs you tightly, it is a bear. She further adds that if you are
still in doubt regarding the animal, the easiest way is that he
will keep hugging and touching you very gently. This act of
his will make you sure about its identity. You will come to
know that it is a bear.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (yard-hard, there-
bear, guess-caress)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (if
you were walking….creature there)
Alliteration: use of ‘w’ sound (when-walking), use of ‘h’
sound (who- hugs), use of ‘b’ sound (be-bear)
Assonance: use of vowel ‘e’ (meet a creature there)

Though to distinguish beasts of prey

A novice might nonplus,
The Crocodile you always may
Tell from the Hyena thus:
Hyenas come with merry smiles;
But if they weep they’re Crocodiles
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that
for someone who is new to the job of recognizing animals, it
will be like a puzzle to recognize animals that hunt other
animals for their food. So here the poet tries to help out the
readers by telling the difference between two animals. He says
that Hyenas will be smiling whereas if it is a crocodile, it is
always in tears. Both of these animals are dangerous.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (prey-may,
nonplus-thus, smiles-crocodiles)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘n’ (novice-nonplus), use
of ‘th’ sound (the-thus)
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (though
to distinguish….might nonplus, The crocodile…..hyena thus)

The true Chameleon is small,

A lizard sort of thing;
He hasn’t any ears at all,
And not a single wing.
If there is nothing on the tree,
’Tis the chameleon you see.
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that
the next is Chameleon which is a small creature. It looks like
a lizard but the difference between the two is that chameleon
does not have ears and wings. Moreover she says that
chameleon has the ability to change its color according to the
surface on which it is sitting. Therefore, if you see a tree and
find nothing else on it, then it must be a chameleon sitting on
it. It has changed its colour into the color of tree.

Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (small-all, thing-
wing, tree-see)
Alliteration: use of ‘h’ sound (he hasn’t)
Consonance: use of ‘g’ sound (single wing)
5. The Ball Poem
What is the boy now, who has lost his ball,
What, what is he to do? I saw it go
Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then
Merrily over — there it is in the water!
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet is talking
about a boy who has lost his ball. He wants to know about
him and his reaction because he has lost his ball. Further, he
asks to himself that what this boy will do after losing his ball.
The poet has seen the ball going away from the boy. He says
that the ball was cheerfully jumping up and down in the street.
This means that when the ball skipped from boy’s hand it
went into the street and later on, it fell into the nearby river.

Literary devices:
Anaphora: use of repeated words in two or more lines (What
is the boy… what, what and merrily bouncing… merrily over)
Assonance: repeated use of vowel ‘o’ (boy, now, who, lost)
Imagery: when poet says merrily bouncing down the street
repetition: ‘what’ is repeated

No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy
As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down
All his young days into the harbour where
His ball went. I would not intrude on him;
A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now
He senses first responsibility
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that
there is no benefit of consoling the boy by saying that he will
get another ball because he has other balls too. He says so
because the boy is feeling very sad. He is completely
surrounded by sorrow. He is sad because all the memories of
the childhood days went down the harbour with the ball. Here
the poet says that the boy is very sad as the ball which has
now gone into the water reminds him of those sweet
memories, of the times when he owned it. This loss is
unbearable for him and he is grief stricken. The poet says that
he can’t even tell the boy to take some money from him in
order to buy another ball. He says so because the new ball will
not bring the sense of belonging to the boy. Further, the poet
says that the time has come for the boy to learn the
responsibility of taking care of his things.

Literary devices:
Repetition: use of word ‘ball’
Asyndeton: no use of conjunction in a sentence (A dime,
another ball, is worthless)

In a world of possessions. People will take

Balls, balls will be lost always, little boy.
And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.
He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,
The epistemology of loss, how to stand up
Knowing what every man must one day know
And most know many days, how to stand up.
Explanation of the poem passage above: Here the poet says
that the boy has to learn that in this materialistic world, many
of his belongings will be lost. He personifies the ball as his
belongings, be it the worldly things or the relationships he is
in possession of. So, he says that he has to learn to live
without them no matter what. He says no one can buy back
such things for him. The poet said so because according to
him money can’t buy you everything. If it does buy you some
materialistic thing, still, it will not be able to buy the sense of
belongingness. He says that the boy is learning how to stand
up against the sense of lost things. This means that the boy is
trying to learn the real truth of life which states that you have
to accept the miseries of life and stand up again. This is the
truth which everyone has to learn in his or her life. The harsh
truth of standing up against the odd miseries of life that
everyone has to bear.

Literary devices:
Alliteration: use of sound ‘b’ at the start of two consecutive
words (buys a ball back)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ (He is learning, well
behind his desperate eyes)
Repetition: ‘ball’ word is repeated
Rhyme scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed in the
poem.

6. Amanda
Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!
Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!
Stop that slouching and sit up straight,
Amanda!
(There is a languid, emerald sea,
where the sole inhabitant is me—
a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet is

describing Amanda, a little girl who is always pointed out by
her mother for her mistakes and how she imagines her life to
be. The poet says that the mother is pointing out Amanda for
biting nails which is a bad habit. Next she asks her to sit
straight without bending her shoulders. Amanda who has
habit of bending her shoulders and sitting lazily is being
pointed out because her mother wants her to sit in the right
posture. At this point of time, when she is being scolded by
her mother, she imagines herself to be in a deep green sea.
She says that she wants to be the only resident of this
beautiful green sea. She imagines herself like a mermaid who
is alone there and leads her life in a very relaxing way. She
says that she wants to be carried away by the current of water
and feel the relaxing environment there.
Literary devices:
Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more
lines (don’t bite… don’t hunch)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (don’t hunch your
shoulders)
Metaphor: use of word emerald sea for green colour of sea
being similar to the colour of emrald
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
Imagery: drifting blissfully
Alliteration: ‘Stop that slouching and sit up straight’ – ‘s’
sound is being repeated at the start of closely placed words.
Allusion: ‘mermaid’ is a well known imaginary creature.

Did you finish your homework, Amanda?

Did you tidy your room, Amanda?
I thought I told you to clean your shoes,
Amanda!
(I am an orphan, roaming the street.
I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet.
The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

Explanation of the poem passage above: Here the poet says

that Amanda’s mother is inquiring her about whether she has
done her homework or not? And then she asks her whether
she has cleaned her room or not. Moreover she is also
reminded to clean her shoes. So, here we can see that the
mother is constantly asking her questions regarding her
homework being done or not or whether she had cleaned up
her room and shoes or not. But on the other hand, while
Amanda is listening to her mother’s instructions, she imagines
herself to be an orphan who is roaming in the streets. This
means that she imagines if she would have been without
parents she would have walked freely in the streets. She
would have drawn designs on the soft dust with her uncovered
feet very quietly. So, we can see that she thinks opposite to
her mother. Her mother wants her to keep everything neat and
clean. But Amanda wants to play in dust with her bare feet.
Moreover, she is so fed up of these constant instructions from
her mother, that she says silence is golden which means that
silence is very crucial and precious. She further says that
freedom is sweet. This means she never feels free when she is
with her mother.
Literary devices:
Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at start of two or more
lines (did you finish….did you tidy)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (Thought, told, you, your,
shoes)
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
Metaphor: silence is golden – silence is said to be glorious
like golden colour
freedom is sweet – freedom is said to be sweet in taste.

Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!
Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,
Amanda!
(I am Rapunzel; I have not a care;
life in a tower is tranquil and rare;
I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)
Explanation of the poem passage above: Next, Amanda’s
mother is disallowing her to eat chocolates. She reminds her
of pimples that Amanda faces due to eating chocolates. At last
she scolds her for not paying attention to what her mother
says. At this moment Amanda imagines herself to be
Rapunzel. Rapunzel was a character from a fairy tale that was
captured in tower by a witch. The witch used to climb the
tower with the help of long hair of Rapunzel that were let
down by her through the window. So, now Amanda wants to
be Rapunzel because she feels that life in the tower will be
peaceful and unusual. She thinks she will be free and live in a
peaceful environment in the tower. She also confirms to
herself that she will never let her hair down to anyone so that
nobody could come to her in the tower.

Literary devices:
Allusion: use of famous fairy tale character Rapunzel
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘e’ and ‘o’ (Will you please
look at me when I’m speaking to you
Consonance: use of sound ‘r’ (I am Rapunzel; I have not a
care …..Bright hair)
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’

Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!

You’re always so moody, Amanda!
Anyone would think that I nagged at you,
Amanda!
Explanation of the poem passage above: Amanda’s mother
now warns her for behaving in a very odd manner. She asks
her to stop being in a bad mood. Moreover she blames her of
having such an unstable mood. She also scolds her by saying
that her behavior will one day make people think that Amanda
was constantly being harassed by her mother. So, here we can
say that though Amanda is always pointed out by her mother
on every small thing but she can’t react to this. If she reacts
towards this by getting emotional her mother takes this
against her sense of pride and scolds her that she should not
behave like this as others would think that Amanda’s mother
is very dominating towards her child.
Literary Devices:
Alliteration: ‘Stop that sulking’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated at the
start of closely placed words
Repetition: use of word ‘Amanda’
Rhyme scheme: aaha (Amanda, Amanda, you, Amanda)

7. Fog

The fog comes

on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbour and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
Explanation of the poem passage above – The poet is
describing fog. Fog is a thick cloud of tiny water droplets
present in the atmosphere. It is generally seen during the
winter season. Here the poet describes the advancement of fog
towards the city and the harbour. He says the fog comes like a
cat comes on its little feet. This means the fog advances
towards the city very slowly and calmly just like a cat. One
never knows how and when the fog will enter the city.
Therefore, fog is compared to the cat which enters our home
in an unpredictable manner. Next he says that the fog sits over
the whole of the city as a cat sits silently by folding her legs
behind itself and looks around the nearby places and things.
Similarly, it seems that the fog silently covers the whole of the
city and the harbour and is sitting over them looking around
like a cat. After a while the fog leaves the city and moves on.
The poet says so because it is a natural phenomenon that fog
does not stay at a place for long and leaves the place after a
few hours. So, here also the poet says that just like a cat, the
fog leaves the place very silently without being noticed by
anyone.
Literary devices:
Metaphor: Fog is compared to cat (On little cat feet)
Rhyme scheme: There is no rhyme scheme followed. Poem is
in free verse
Enjambment: When a sentence continues to next line (It sits
looking….. then moves on)
Personification: fog has been personified – Fog comes, it sits

8. The Trees
The trees inside are moving out into the forest,
the forest that was empty all these days
where no bird could sit
no insect hide
no sun bury its feet in shadow
the forest that was empty all these nights
will be full of trees by morning.
Explanation of the Poem: The poet says that the trees are
moving out of the confines of the houses, into the open forest.
This is unrealistic as trees are immovable and hence, we
realize that the poem has a symbolic meaning. We interpret
that trees refer to females who have healed themselves and are
ready to move out of their homes, into the forests to fulfil
their primary purpose of filling the world with mankind.
Further she adds that the forest has been empty for the past
many days and so, no birds can be seen as they do not have
any trees to sit on, on insects can be seen as they do not have
any shelter and the Sunlight cannot form any shadows. The
forest of humanity has remained empty for many days but will
soon be full and bright.
Literary Devices:
Personification: Sun bury it’s feet. Sun has been personified.
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (the
forest that was…… trees by morning).
Anaphora: 2 lines begin with ‘no’
imagery: “The trees inside are moving out into the forest” –
shows kinestatic imagery

All night the roots work

to disengage themselves from the cracks
in the veranda floor.
The leaves strain toward the glass
small twigs stiff with exertion
long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof
like newly discharged patients
half-dazed, moving
to the clinic doors.
Explanation of the Poem: The poet explains the struggle by
the plants to reach the forest. She says that the roots worked
for the whole night to separate themselves from the veranda
floor. The leaves tried hard to reach the window of glass so
that they could go outside. Even the small stems of the trees
put much of their effort in order to set themselves free. The
big branches were also trying a lot to go out from the roof of
the room. We can say that women are desperate for a change
and their effort is compared to that made by a patient who has
been released from the hospital and he tries to move out in a
hurry although he is confused. Maybe because they are half
conscious and are under the influence of some medication,
they are unsteady but in a hurry to leave the clinic.
Literary Devices:
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (the
leaves strain……. Half dazed)
Simile: trees compared to patients (like newly discharged
patients)
Personification: twigs and boughs have been personified.

I sit inside, doors open to the veranda

writing long letters
in which I scarcely mention the departure
of the forest from the house.
The night is fresh, the whole moon shines
in a sky still open
the smell of leaves and lichen
still reaches like a voice into the rooms
Explanation of the Poem – The poet says that she is sitting
on her veranda, writing long letters. She does not mention the
trees leaving her house in her letters. She says that the night is
very clear. She can see the complete moon which is shining.
The smell of leaves and lichens is like a voice that is yelling
and expressing a desire for freedom from the confines of the
house.
Literary Devices:
Alliteration: ‘long letters’ forest from’ ‘sky still’ ‘leaves and
lichen’
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (doors
open….the house)
Imagery: the poet has tried to create a scene in which she is
observing all the things happening (the night is fresh…… in
the rooms)
My head is full of whispers
which tomorrow will be silent
Listen. The glass is breaking.
The trees are stumbling forward
into the night. Winds rush to meet them.
The moon is broken like a mirror,
its pieces flash now in the crown
of the tallest oak.
Explanation of the Poem – Her head is full of the slow
sounds made by the trees which are desperate to move out.
These sounds will not be heard the next day. The poet asks the
reader to listen carefully as a change is about to take place.
She hears the glass window breaking and the trees stumble out
into the night. The wind is blowing outside. It meets the trees.
The moon is like a mirror and it appears to have been broken
into pieces as the shadow of the oak tree divides the moon
into many fragments.
Literary devices:
Simile: The moon is compared to a mirror (Moon is broken
like a mirror)

9. The Tale of Custard the Dragon

Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little grey mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that
once there was a little girl named Belinda. She lived in a little
white house. She lived with some creatures who were her
pets. They were a black kitten, a grey mouse, a yellow dog, a
little red wagon and a creature that the poet says was really
and truly a dragon.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, wagon-dragon)
Repetition: use of the word ‘little’
oxymoron: use of two words with opposite meanings ‘ “pet
dragon”
Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive
lines. (And a little ….And a realio)
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a
realio, trulio,)
poetic license: realio, trulio for real, true. The spellings have
been changed to create a musical effect
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little grey mouse, she called him Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.

Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet explains

the name of all the animals that are tamed by Belinda. He says
that the name of black kitten is ink. The name of grey mouse
is blink. The little yellow dog had yellow colour and so she
calls him mustard and the dragon that was a coward means
was a weakling was called custard.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (ink-blink, mustard-custard)
simile: dog compared to mustard “And the little yellow dog
was sharp as Mustard”
Alliteration: “coward, and she called him Custard” – “c”
sound
Anaphora: repeated use of word at the start of two consecutive
lines (And the little grey…And the little yellow)
Repetition: use of word little

Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,

And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio daggers on his toes.

Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet descrides

the dragon that it had big sharp teeth and spikes on top. This
means that its skin was pointed on the top. On the lower part it
had scales which were bony plates to protect the skin. His
mouth has been compared to a fireplace because it is assumed
that dragons can release fire from the mouth. Even his nose is
compared to a chimney which is used to pass out smoke. His
feet are like a sharp knife i.e. a dagger.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (teeth-underneath, nose-toes)
Simile: Dragon’s mouth is compared with fireplace (mouth
like a fireplace)
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a
realio, trulio,)
Metaphor: “chimney for a nose”. The nose is like a chimney.

Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,

And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Explanation of the poem passage above: So, now the poet

explains the inner strength or the bravery of various characters
of the poem. He says that Belinda was as brave as a group of
bears and ink and blink were so brave that they could hunt
lions. So here he has shown the bravery of the kitten and the
little mouse that could hunt even a lion. The dog was very
brave just like an angry tiger. But to contrast of all of them
was Custard. Custard, the dragon was not brave he was so
afraid of everything that he always demanded a safe cage.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (bears-stairs, rage-cage)
Alliteration: Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears “b”
sound is repeated

Simile: Belinda’s bravery is compared to that of a barrel full

of bears (as a barrel full of bears), Mustard’s bravery is
compared to that of an angry tiger (Mustard was as brave as a
tiger in a rage)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘a’ (Belinda was as brave as a
barrel full of bears)

Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,

Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.

Explanation of the poem passage above: Belinda used to

stroke the dragon in a very cruel way. Ink, blink and mustard
made fun of him by comparing him to a knight named
Percival who was thought to be brave but ran away due to
lack of courage. They used to tease the dragon while sitting in
their little red wagon.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (unmerciful-Percival, wagon-dragon)
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a
realio, trulio,)
Repetition: use of the word ‘tickled him’
Allusion: reference to any person or place (Percival)
Personification: Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called
him Percival

Belinda giggled till she shook the house,

And Blink said Weeck! which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.

Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that

Belinda used to laugh so loudly that her voice echoed in the
house. Blink, the mouse used to laugh and make a sound of
weeck. On the other hand, ink and mustard would tease him
by asking the dragon his age whenever he used to demand for
a nice safe cage.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (house-mouse, rage-cage)
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic
effect (giggled, weeck)
Repetition: Custard cried for a nice safe cage

Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,

And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda

Explanation of the poem passage above: So, while all of

them were making fun of the dragon, they heard a sound of
someone entering the house. When they looked towards the
window they saw a pirate climbing up the wall. The dog
barked at him and the kitten meowed to him. Belinda cried
‘ooh’ because all of them were scared of the pirate (who robs
ships).

Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (sound-around, Belinda-winda)
Consonance: use of consonant sound ‘s’ (Suddenly, suddenly
they heard a nasty sound)
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic
effect (Mustard growled, Meowch, cried ink)
Poetic license: window is written as ‘winda’ to create rhyme.

Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,

And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet describes
the appearance of the pirate. He says that the pirate was
holding handguns in both his hands and had a little sword too.
He was holding his sword with his teeth. He had a black beard
and his one leg was made of wood. This means that though
the pirate was a disabled person but still he was frightening all
the other characters. Moreover, he intended to harm them.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (right- bright, wood- good)
Alliteration: beard was black “b”, he held his “h”
Imagery: An image is created about the appearance of the
pirate.

Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!

But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed

Explanation of the poem passage above: When all of them

saw the pirate they got frightened. Belinda was so frightened
that she turned yellow due to fear and started crying for help.
Mustard the dog started crying for help too. The kitten ink ran
down towards the bottom of the house as if he had already
planned for it. The mouse ink ran into his little mouse hole in
order to save himself.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (help-yelp, household – mousehold)
transferred epithet: terrified yelp
Repetition: help help
Poetic license: use of the word mousehold to rhyme with
household
But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.

Explanation of the poem passage above: When all the other

characters that were earlier defined as very brave got
frightened, the dragon did the most unexpected thing. He
jumped onto the pirate and made such a strong sound with his
nose as if the engine was producing a sound. Not only this, he
hit his tail on the ground with great force that it produced a
heavy sound of metal being rubbed against each other in the
underground prisons. He attacked the pirate just like robin
bird that attacks the worms.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (engine-dungeon, squirm-worm)
Simile: sound of dragon is compared with sound of engine
(snorting like an engine), Clashed his tail like irons in a
dungeon, dragon’s attack on pirate is compared to robin bird
(like a robin at a worm)
Onomatopoeia: usage of sound words to create a dramatic
effect (clatter, clank, jangling)
Imagery: The attack by the dragon is expressed in a way to
make an image in our minds.

The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,

And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets, but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
Explanation of the poem passage above: The pirate got so
shocked by the dragon’s reaction that he opened his mouth
wide with shock. To gather some strength, he drank some
alcohol from a container in his pocket. After gathering some
courage, he fired two bullets on the dragon but missed it.
Custard the dragon ate every bit of this fierce looking pirate.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (dragon-flagon, hit-bit)
alliteration: gulped some grog “g”
Imagery: They have shown the reaction and actions made by
the pirate on seeing the dragon.

Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,

No one mourned for his pirate victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.

Explanation of the poem passage above: When the pirate

was dead, Belinda hugged the dragon and mustard licked him.
No one was sad for the death of the pirate, they all were
happy. Both ink and blink were running around the dragon in
happiness. So, here the poet says that all the characters were
happy and they were showing their gratitude towards the
dragon as he had saved them.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (him-victim, gyrate-pirate)
alliteration: glee did gyrate “g”
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (no one mourned for), use
of vowel sound ‘I’ (ink and blink in glee did), use of vowel
sound ‘a’ (that ate the pirate)

But presently up spoke little dog Mustard,

I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t been flustered.
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,
We’d have been three times as brave, we think,
And Custard said, I quite agree
That everybody is braver than me.

Explanation of the poem passage above: After they thanked

and showed their love towards the dragon, they changed their
mind. They were reminded of how they used to make fun of
this coward dragon and now they all were praising him. So at
once the dog said that it was just because of some confusion
that he wasn’t able to do anything otherwise he would have
been twice as brave as custard. Both ink and blink also said
that they would have been three times braver than custard. To
this, the dragon said that he fully agreed to this that all of
them were more powerful and braver than him.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme scheme: aabb (mustard-flustered, blink-ink, agree-me)

Belinda still lives in her little white house,

With her little black kitten and her little grey mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her realio, trulio little pet dragon.

Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,

And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage

Explanation of the poem passage above: At last, the poet

used the same lines again to show that after this terrific
episode in which the dragon was the hero where all the other
characters still undermined him by saying that they were more
powerful than him and could have handled the situation in a
much better way, the poet says that life started again in the
same manner. Belinda still lives in that little white house with
ink, blink, mustard and custard and all of them are very brave
whereas the dragon is still a coward who always wants to stay
safe in his cage.

Literary Devices
Refrain: Repetition of a sentence again and again (And a
realio, trulio)
Repetition: stanza has been repeated

10. For Anne Gregory

“Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”

Explanation of the poem passage above – This poem is a

conversation between the poet and a girl named Anne
Gregory. The poet says to the girl that a young man can
become hopeless, if you will reject him. But this doesn’t mean
that he had true love for you in his heart. It is because you
have beautiful hair with which he had fallen in love. The girl
has very beautiful hair. They fall on her ears and seemingly
protect them just like a boundary wall protects the fort. So,
here, the poet is pointing out at the reality which many people
face during their youth, that they are liked by the opposite
gender, not because of their inner beauty but because of their
appearance.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb
Metaphor: honey-coloured Ramparts at your ear (Anne’s hair
is compared to the ramparts of a fort)

“But I can get a hair-dye

And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.”

Explanation of the poem passage above – Anne replies that

she has a nice solution to this situation. She can dye her hair
and change the colour into black, brown or carrot as this will
no longer make her look less attractive. Then maybe she will
find the young man who will love her inner beauty and not her
appearance.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb
Alliteration: repetition of consonant ‘s’ sound at the start of
two consecutive words.

“I heard an old religious man

But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”

Explanation of the poem passage above – After hearing

Anne Gregory, the poet says that he had heard an old religious
man say that he could prove a fact with a text that he had
found in some religious book. The fact was that it is only God
who loves us for what we are and not how we look. He loves
us for our inner qualities. Only God can do this.

Literary Devices:
Rhyme Scheme: abcbdb
Anaphora: Repeated use of a word at the beginning of two
lines (That he….That only god)
Alliteration: he had, your yellow