Chapter 3.1 - Tartary
The poet says that if he were the only ruler of Tartary (an imaginary state), he would have a bed of ivory and a throne made of sheets of gold. He would have a court where peacocks would proudly show off. There would be tigers in the forests, and his pools would be full of big fish whose fins would move in the sun.
He says that if he were the Lord of Tartary, trumpeters would call him for every meal every day and blow their trumpets in his courtyard. In the evening, yellow and red lamps would shine. Sweet and gay music would be played by musical instruments like the harp, the flute, and the mandolin.
According to the poet, if he were the Lord of Tartary, he would wear a robe made of white. gold and green beads grouped closely together like seeds. before the morning star could disappear. He’d wear his robe and carry his sword. His carriage would be drawn by seven zebras through the dark places in the forests of Tartary.
The poet sees himself as the Lord of Tartary’s fruits and silver rivers. her hills, woods, and valleys Nature in Tartary is beautiful, with shining stars, scented breezes, and rippling lakes. There would be citron trees in every purple valley, attracting delighted birds.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. Find the words that mean the following from the first stanza.
(i) Gold hammered into a flat, thin shape
Ans: beaten gold
(ii) show off proudly
Ans: flaunt
(iii) tilt, move at an angle
Ans: slant
(iv) across, especially in a slanting direction
Ans: athwart
2. Find the names of the exotic musical instruments and animals mentioned in the poem.
Ans:
Exotic musical instruments – trumpet, harp, flute, mandoline.
Exotic animals – peacocks, tigers, great fishes, zebras.
3. In the last stanza, there are three four-letter words that refer to a beautiful valley.
They are :
Ans: glen, dale, vale.
4. From the poem, find three lines that use comparisons.
Ans:
(i) Yellow as honey, red as wine.
(ii) And clustered thick as seeds.
(iii) Her trembling lake like foamless seas. All the three are Similes.
5. Colour, sound and images from nature add to the beauty of a poem : ‘Tartary’ is a perfect example of the above. Pick out lines that contain –
(a) Colour
Ans:
(i) Yellow as honey, red as wine
(ii) White, and gold and green they’d be
(iii) Her rivers silver-pale
(iv) In every purple vale
(b) Sound
Ans:
(i) Trumpeters every day
To every meal would summon me.
And in my courtyard bray.
(ii) While harp, and flute, and mandoline.
Made music sweet and gay.
(c) Images from nature
Ans:
(i) And in my court should peacocks flaunt,
And in my forests tigers haunt.
And in my pools great fishes slant,
Their fins athwart the sun.
(ii) And ere should wane the morning star
(iii) And zebras seven should draw my car
Through Tartary’s dark glades.
(iv) Her rivers silver-pale
(v) Glen, thicket, wood and dale!
Her flashing stars, her scented breeze,
Her trembling lake like foamless seas,
Her bird-delighting citron trees,
In every purple vale.
6. Complete the following phrases with the help of the poem.
______ music
______ rivers
______ breeze
______ lake
______ citron-trees
Ans:
(i) sweet and gay music
(ii) silver-pale rivers
(iii) scented breeze
(iv) trembling lake
(v) bird-delighting citron-trees
7. Write about the daily routine of the ‘Lord of Tartary’ in 8-10 lines.
Ans: The poet says that if he were the Lord of Tartary, trumpeters would summon him for every meal and blow their trumpets in his courtyard every day. In the evening, yellow and red lamps would shine. Sweet and gay music would be played by musical instruments like the harp, the flute, and the mandolin. He would have a beautiful robe. Early in the morning, before the morning star could disappear, he’d wear his robe and carry his sword. His carriage would be drawn by seven zebras through the dark glades of Tartary.
8. Using your imagination, write about a beautiful region – its landforms, water bodies, flora and fauna, night sky, people, etc.
Ans: The first image that comes to mind when I think of a “beautiful” region is that of Goa. I adore Goa’s natural beauty. If you visit during or shortly after the monsoon, you will see small hills covered in a thick carpet of greenery. The air smells delicious and enlightening. There are numerous rivers and streams with clear water. The sun’s rays reflecting on the rippling waters give the impression that the night’s stars have been captured here. The tall, swaying lines of coconut trees lend a romantic feel to the area.
At night, the sky is surprisingly clear, and one can lie down on the sand and watch the night sky if one goes to any of the clean and spacious beaches. The plethora of twinkling stars makes one wonder who or what is up there. The moon shines a loving light on her earthly children. Finally, there are the locals, who seem to be happy and pleasant.
9. Language Study :
Consonance : Consonance is repetition of one or more consonant sounds especially at the end of words. Consonance is usually pleasant to the ear.
Examples :
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter
Rivers silver-pale
The lint was sent with the tent.
All’s well that ends well.
Find at least two examples of consonance from poems that you study in this book.
Ans:
(i) Her rivers silver-pale.
(ii) Her trembling lake like foamless seas.