Chapter 4.4 - Home Sweet Home
The poet is very fond of his home and remembers it with love when he is away.
He says that though we may roam around palaces and pleasure-filled places, there is no place like home, however simple it may be. Something magical from the sky seems to have made it holy. We cannot find this anywhere else in the world, however much we may search for it. There’s no place like home, sweet home.
The magnificence of other places does not impress the poet when he is forced to be away from home. He longs for his simple thatched cottage, where the birds sing gaily and respond to his call. The poet longs for these birds. But most of all, he wants the peace of mind that he has when he is at home.
The poet looks at the moon as he walks uninterestedly in some wild places. He feels that his mother is now thinking of him as she looks at the same moon from the door of their cottage. He remembers the woodbine, the plant whose sweet, pleasant smell can no longer make him happy. He again longs for his home.
He remembers his father and says that it is so sweet to sit under his fond smile, with his mother’s loving touch comforting and distracting him. He says let the others roam around in new places with delight; he wants the pleasures of his home.
The poet finally tells his home that he will return to it, full of worries and troubles. He will be fully comforted there, and he will never go away from his cottage again. However simple and inexpensive it may be, there’s no place like home, he repeats.
Meanings:
- ‘mid’ – amidst
- charm – something magical.
- to hallow – to make it holy
- exile – forced to be away from home for some reason
- splendour – magnificence
- thatched cottage – a cottage with a roof covered with straw
- tread – walk lightly
- drear – dreary; dull and uninteresting
- woodbine – a climbing plant with pleasant-smelling yellow flowers
- fragrance – pleasant, sweet smell
- caress – a light, loving touch
- soothe – comfort
- beguile – tempt
- solace – comfort
POINTERS
1. Write in your own words.
(a) How does the poet glorify his home in the first stanza?
Ans: The poet says that though we may roam around palaces and pleasure-filled places, there is no place like home, however simple it may be. Something magical from the sky seems to have made it holy. We cannot find this anywhere else in the world, however much we may search for it.
(b) How does the poet describe his home in the second stanza?
Ans: The poet says that his home is a simple thatched cottage, where the birds sing gallantly and respond to his call. He gets the longed-for peace of mind when he is home.
(c) What makes the poet remember his mother?
Ans: The sight of the moon in the sky makes the poet remember his mother.
(d) What does the poet miss?
Ans: The poet misses the gaily singing birds, the fragrant woodbine, his father’s fond smile, and his mother’s loving caress. And of course, he misses his humble thatched cottage.
(e) What does the poet hope for?
Ans: The poet hopes to return to his home and never leave it again.
(f) In which professions is a person forced to stay away from his home/homeland for a long time? Try to guess why the poet is forced to stay away from his home?
Ans: A person in the army, navy, or air force is forced to leave home. If he is a travel writer or a student, too, he may have to leave home. Today, anyone in any profession may have to leave home, depending on what job he is doing.
Probably the opportunities for jobs near the poet’s home are few; hence, he has to leave home in search of a job and is forced to stay away when he gets one.
2. Write out a few things that you would really miss about your home if you were to stay away from it for long.
Ans: If I were to stay away from home, I would first and foremost miss my family. Then I would miss my comfortable bed, the view outside my big bedroom window, and the crow that takes food from my hands. I would also miss my table, cupboard, and rocking chair.