3.1 Silver
Complete textbook exercise solutions for the poem "Silver" by Walter de la Mare — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Nine.
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Warming Up!
| Category | Names | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metals | steel | copper | silver | gold |
| Flowers | Rose | Lotus | Jasmine | Marigold |
| Stars or galaxies | Milky Way | Andromeda | Sirius | Polaris |
| Trees | Neem | Banyan | Gulmohur | Ashoka |
| Seasons | Summer | Winter | Monsoon | Autumn |
Golden Glow
Soon after dawn, rises the sun;
It wakes and enlivens every one.
It scares away the long, dark night;
The shining stars go out of sight.
From tree to tree birds flit and fly,
Searching for food, with a sharp eye.
The buds that open now show their face;
As flowers they dance with beauty and grace.
The hill slope wears a grassy green glow,
The curved sparkling river, it gold flow.
The cock then crows to give a loud call,
Come on! wake up, folks! One and all.
I, then wake up, 'Good Morning' to say,
Let's all look forward to a golden day.
Margin Questions
◆ Which of the objects, animals, etc. in the poem are at rest without any motion?
The objects and animals that are at rest without any motion are the sleeping dog in its kennel, the sleeping doves in their shadowy cote, and the moveless fish in the water.
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English Workshop
I would include the following details in the picture:
- The moon walking and shining in the night sky.
- Trees covered in silver light with silver fruits on them.
- A house with windows (casements) and a silvery thatched roof.
- A dog sleeping inside its kennel like a log.
- White-breasted doves sleeping in their shadowy cote (shelter).
- A harvest mouse scampering by with silver claws and eyes.
- Motionless fish gleaming in a silver stream next to silver reeds.
Rhyming words:
- moon - shoon
- sees - trees
- catch - thatch
- log - dog
- peep - sleep
- by - eye
- gleam - stream
Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme of the poem is aa, bb, cc, dd, ee, ff, gg. The poem is written entirely in rhyming couplets.
The words silver or silvery occur in the following lines:
- Line 2: "silver shoon"
- Line 4: "Silver fruit upon silver trees"
- Line 6: "silvery thatch"
- Line 8: "paws of silver"
- Line 10: "silver feathered sleep"
- Line 12: "silver claws, and silver eye"
- Line 14: "silver reeds in a silver stream"
Pattern: 'Silver' (or 'silvery') comes in the second line of every couplet, that is, in every alternate (even-numbered) line. It shows that the moonlight touches everything and turns the whole scene silver.
Yes, a parallel scene happens during a beautiful dawn or late evening (the golden hour). During this time, the warm, golden rays of the sun gently touch the treetops, rivers, open fields, and the windows of houses. Everything bathed in this light looks soft, glowing, and magical, turning the ordinary landscape into a shimmering, golden world.
The message we can draw from this is that our perception of the world changes depending on the light or context in which we view it. Nature is incredibly dynamic. Just as the moonlight transforms a common, everyday landscape into a magical silver fairyland, different circumstances in life can reveal entirely new and beautiful aspects of the exact same things if we look closely.
Note: This is an independent reading activity. Students are encouraged to read the suggested poems by Walter de la Mare on their own to enjoy his unique poetic style.