A Slumber did my Spirit Seal poem Class 9 English NCERT Solutions Summary and Question answer

A Slumber did my Spirit Seal poem Class 9 English NCERT Solutions

A Slumber did my spirit seal Introduction

This is one of the ‘Lucy poems’ written by William Wordsworth. These poems have been dedicated to his beloved. The poet refers to death which is a permanent sleep. The poet did not realize when his beloved Lucy slept forever i.e. she died.

 

यह विलियम वर्ड्सवर्थ द्वारा लिखित 'लुसी कविताओं' में से एक है। ये कविताएँ उनके प्रिय को समर्पित की गई हैं। कवि मृत्यु का उल्लेख करता है जो एक स्थायी नींद है। कवि को पता ही नहीं चला कि उसकी प्यारी लुसी कब हमेशा के लिए सो गई यानी उसकी मौत हो गई।

 

A Slumber did my spirit seal Summary

The poet admits that he was in a sort of a deep sleep because he did not fear the harsh reality of life. He had taken life for granted and had never thought that one day death could separate him from his beloved Lucy. For him she was like an immortal goddess who was unaffected by age and mortality.

As she is dead, she lies motionless. She cannot hear or see. She has been buried in the earth and rotates along with the Earth. One day she will get assimilated with the trees, rocks and stones that are a part of the earth.

कवि स्वीकार करता है कि वह एक प्रकार से गहरी नींद में था क्योंकि उसे जीवन की कठोर सच्चाई का डर नहीं था। उसने जीवन को हल्के में लिया था और उसने कभी नहीं सोचा था कि एक दिन मृत्यु उसे उसकी प्रेमिका लूसी से अलग कर देगी। उसके लिए वह एक अमर देवी की तरह थी जो उम्र और नश्वरता से अप्रभावित थी।

चूंकि वह मर चुकी है, वह निश्चल पड़ी है। वह सुन या देख नहीं सकती। उसे धरती में दबा दिया गया है और वह पृथ्वी के साथ-साथ घूमती है। एक दिन वह पेड़ों, चट्टानों और पत्थरों से मिल जाएगी जो धरती का हिस्सा हैं।

 

Poem and Explanation

A slumber did my spirit seal—
I had no human fears.
She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.

 

Slumber: sleep नींद
Spirit: soul आत्मा

The poet’s soul had drifted into deep sleep as he did not have any realization of the truth. He had taken life for granted and had never thought that one day death would take Lucy away from him. When she was taken away, he could not bear the loss.

सत्य का बोध न होने के कारण कवि की आत्मा गहरी नींद में सो गई थी। उसने जीवन को हल्के में लिया था और उसने कभी नहीं सोचा था कि एक दिन मृत्यु लूसी को उससे दूर ले जाएगी। जब उसे ले जाया गया, तो वह नुकसान सहन नहीं कर सका।

No motion has she now, no force—
She neither hears nor sees,
Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course
With rocks and stones and trees.

diurnal: daily दैनिक

(Earth’s diurnal course” is earth’s daily rotation on its axis) (पृथ्वी का दैनिक पाठ्यक्रम” अपनी धुरी पर पृथ्वी का दैनिक घूर्णन है)

The poet accepts the truth that Lucy is no more. She is motionless, lifeless. She cannot see nor hear. She has been buried in the earth. She will assimilate into the earth and is rotating along with the earth. One day she will become one with the rocks, stones and trees that are a part of the Earth.

कवि इस सच्चाई को स्वीकार करता है कि लूसी अब नहीं रही। वह गतिहीन है, निर्जीव है। वह देख और सुन नहीं सकती। उसे मिट्टी में दबा दिया गया है। वह पृथ्वी में समा जाएगी और पृथ्वी के साथ-साथ घूम रही है। एक दिन वह चट्टानों, पत्थरों और पेड़ों के साथ एक हो जाएगी जो पृथ्वी का हिस्सा हैं।

Literary devices

1. Rhyme scheme – abab cdcd

2. Alliteration – The repetition of a consonant sound at the start of two or more consecutive words is called alliteration. The instances of alliteration are as follows –

‘Spirit sealed’, ‘rolled round’

 

3. Enjambment – when a sentence continues into two or more lines ending without any punctuation marks, it is called Enjambment. The instances of enjambment are as follows –

“She seemed a thing that could not feel
The touch of earthly years.”

 

“Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course
With rocks and stones and trees.”

 

A Slumber did my spirit seal Question and Answers

Question - 1.“A slumber did my spirit seal,” says the poet. That is, a deep sleep ‘closed off ’ his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief ? Or does he feel a great peace?

 

Answer- The poet is shocked and full of grief.  He regrets that he had taken things for granted and did not fear the fact that one day death could separate him from his beloved.

 

Question - 2. The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this?

 

Answer-  She seemed a thing that could not feel

The touch of earthly years.

Question -3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a ‘heaven’)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?

 

Answer-  The poet feels that she is a part of nature. As she has been buried in the Earth, she is a part of it and will assimilate with the rocks, stones and trees. The lines which indicate this are as follows-

“Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course
With rocks and stones and trees.”