Chapter 2.5 – Autumn
The season of autumn arrives like a graceful, beautiful and slender maiden. The beautiful lilies and the tender rice stems seem to adorn her hair. She seems to have been dressed in green grass and its flowers. Her swaying movements and graceful walk are welcomed by the birds and their happy cooing which sounds like a tinkling song of a sweet bracelet.
At night, a beautiful crown of stars seems to adorn this beautiful lady. Her robe of silk is made of beautiful white moonlight. This Autumn maid with her bewitching smiles will soon grow up to be an even more beautiful woman.
slender : slim
diadem : crown
bars (here) : patches
ruffles : disturb a smooth surface
POINT FORMAT
Title: Autumn
Poet: Written by Kalidas and translated by A. W. Ryder.
Rhyme Scheme:
The Rhyme Scheme is abab, cdcd, efef, ghgh.
Favourite line:
The autumn comes, a maiden fair
In slenderness and grace
A diadem adorns the night
Of multitudinous stars;
Theme/Central idea:
Autumn is a beautiful poem personifying Nature as a beautiful young maiden. The autumn season that gives birth to fresh nature is compared to a beautiful graceful young girl who will soon become a lady. The observer of this beautiful nature is like an eager lover who is waiting for this beautiful lady, which is similar to the beauty of nature in autumn.
Figure of Speech:
‘She seems a slender maid, who soon….
The figure of speech is Alliteration. The sound of the letter ‘s’ is repeated for poetic effect.
Special Feature/Implied meaning, etc.:
The special feature of the poem is the imagination of the poet and beautiful imagery. He has described Autumn in a very beautiful manner and compared it to a woman.
Why I like/don’t like the poem:
I loved the way the poet vividly described the beauty of Nature by personifying the Autumn season as a beautiful young maiden. The poet uses words to create images that brilliantly interpret the poem.
PARAGRAPH FORMAT
The poem ‘Autumn’ is written by Kalidas. The main theme of this poem is the poet’s beautiful description of the advent of the autumn season. The poet has compared the season of autumn to a graceful maiden who has beautified herself in many ways. The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef ghgh. Alliteration is an example of a figure of speech. In the line ‘She seems a slender maid, who soon…’ there is repetition of the sound of the letter’s’. The special feature of the poem is the imagination of the poet and the beautiful imagery. He has described autumn in a very beautiful manner and compared it to a woman. My favourite lines are And on her face (the radiant moon) Bewitching smiles are shown: She seems a slender maid, who soon Will be a woman grown’. I like the poem because of its beautiful imagery.
∗ ∗ ∗ Warming up! ∗ ∗ ∗
1. What changes do you see in nature in each of the following seasons?
A few sentences are given below as examples. Use these and your own to describe a season appropriately.
- New grass sprouts.
- We see mist in the morning.
- Tender leaves shoot out on plants or trees.
- There are sudden showers and hailstorms.
- Migratory birds return.
- The sun shines brighter than before.
Trees blossom.
Ans:
(i) Summer
(a) Sun shines brighter than before
(b) birds nest and raise their young in summer
(c) summer is the perennial tree fruiting season
(d) summer is a great time for insect activity
(ii) Winter
(a) migratory birds return
(b) we see fog in the morning
(c) plunging temperature and icing weather
(d) time for animal hibernation
(iii) Monsoon
(a) there are sudden showers and hailstorms
(b) tree blossoms
(c) tender leaves shoot out on plants or trees
(d) new grass sprouts
(a) Name the six seasons according to the Indian calendar. Which of the seasons is equivalent to Autumn?
Ans: The seasons according to the Indian calendar are Vasant, Grishma, Varsha, Sharad, Hemant and Shishir / Shita. The season equivalent to Autumn is Sharad.
(b) What changes do we see in the life of human beings when the season changes? Write with reference to their
(a) clothes
Ans: During summer we wear cotton garments as they can soak the sweat and make the summer heat bearable. In the monsoon season we wear clothes made from synthetic materials as they do not soak water and dry up quickly. Woollen sweaters and overcoats keep us warm in the winter season.
(b) diet
Ans: During summer one must have cooling food that will balance our diet, keep our energy level stable and keep us well hydrated. Whereas in winter and monsoon season one should have healthy food and avoid overeating as one may have more food cravings during winter. One can rely on fruits, oats and soups.
(c) celebrations
Ans: Indian festivals are celebrated during different seasons of the year.
Summer:
Buddha Purnima, Baisakhi, Ram Navami, Holi
Winter:
Christmas, Lohri, Pongal, Diwali
Monsoon:
Ganesh Utsav Janamashtami, Raksha Bandhan, Onam.
2. Guess what is personified and fill in the gaps. Choose from the brackets.
(Sun, alarm, bird, car, wind, stars, machine)
(a) The weary _____ was also petrol- hungry.
Ans: car
(b) The playful _____ whistled among the trees.
Ans: wind
(c) The annoying _____ screamed at 5 am.
Ans: alarm
(d) The naughty _____ winked at me from above.
Ans: stars
(e) The rising _____ stretched its arms.
Ans: sun
(f) The cheerful _____ sang as it perched on a tree.
Ans: bird
(g) The tireless _____ hummed as it worked hard.
Ans: machine
∗ ∗ ∗ In Between the Poetry ∗ ∗ ∗
Q1. Why is Autumn called a ‘maiden fair’?
Ans: The Autumn season is personified as a fair maiden, a beautiful young girl. Autumn arrives in slenderness and grace and everything in Nature looks lovely, like a young girl who has adorned herself with attractive ornaments.
Q2. What is the cooing of birds compared to?
Ans: The cooing of birds is directly compared to the tinkling of a maiden’s bracelet in her wrist.
Q3. How does Autumn dress up at night?
Ans: Autumn is dressed as a beautiful bride having a tiara studded with stars beautifying the clear, cloud-free sky. She is wearing the white and bright coloured robe made of gleaming moonlight and the face of autumn is lit up by the radiant moon, wearing a mesmerising smile on her face.
∗ ∗ ∗ ENGLISH WORKSHOP ∗ ∗ ∗
1. Find three lines each that contain images of nature in the autumn season.
During daytime
Ans:
(1) With nodding rice – stems in her hair
(2) In flowers of grasses she is clad
(3) Birds greet her with their cooing glad
At night
Ans:
(1) A diadem adorns the night
(2) Her silken robe is white moonlight
(3) Of multitudinous stars
2. Pick out words from the poem that describe the following. List them in Column ‘A’. Substitute each of those describing words with another word/phrase of the same meaning.
Ans:
3. Find one example of each of the following from the poem :
Simile
Ans: Birds greet her with their cooing glad, like bracelets’ tinkling song
Metaphor
Ans: Her silken robe is white moonlight
4. Write the rhyme scheme of the poem. (Refer to the Language Study pages.)
Ans: The rhyme scheme of the poem is ababcdcd.
5. Think and write in your own words.
(a) Why is the maiden Autumn said to wear rice stems in her hair ?
Ans: With the onset of Autumn, rice plantations with their fresh stems are fascinating to look at and that’s why the poet says the maiden autumn wears rice stems in her hair.
(b) How can the tender maiden Autumn become a full grown woman? What change in nature does this imply?
Ans: With the advent of Autumn there are several changes in the season, plants shed their leaves in the beginning of the season. But towards the end of the season plants starts fruiting, the brightly lit evening moon and clear sky helps the farmers harvest their crop, birds nest and raise their young ones so nature becomes completely bountiful and mature.
(c) Why do you think birds greet the autumn season gladly?
Ans: Birds greet the Autumn season gladly as it is the favourable season for them to nest and raise their young ones.
6. Compare the Indian Monsoon season to a powerful king of a prosperous kingdom. Write down a few similarities. Use them to compose a poem of your own.
Ans: Students should do this on their own.
7. Which is your favourite ‘Nature’ poem from your mother tongue ? Write the poem and try to translate it into English. Your translation can be in the form of a poem or a paraphrase.
Ans: Students should do this on their own.
8. Read the ode ‘To Autumn’ by the famous poet John Keats. ‘Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…’
Ans: Students should do this on their own.