The Brook: Summary 'The Brook' is an example of Tennyson's superb versification.

He had a rare capacity for creating music out of simple words. Tennyson makes the brook narrate its history- the history of its origin, its meandering and uneven journey through forest and hills and open spaces until it joins the 'brimming river'. The Brook originates from a source on the highlands filled with mountain forest cover, where the wild birds of coot (a type of duck) and heron are found in plenty. Its rushing waters touch all the ferns that grow on its banks till it reaches the open valley. In its initial rushing journey, the brook passes through the slopes of thirty hills and flows beneath more than four dozen bridges. Then it touches twenty different villages before reaching a little town. Before joining the main river, the brook passes by Phillip's farm. As it comes rushing down the hills, its waters produces different musical notes as it dashes against the stony pebbles. The brook makes its presence felt when it passes through the different fields of uncultivated lands and many front lying promontory lands where the weeping willows grow. It winds about with immense power and its cool pleasant waters brings all kinds of fresh water fish to a lively activity. The brook forms the foamy flake which is accumulatd at the shores where gravels gather in plenty, as it continues to travel down the hills. Sometimes it overflows and incur upon the grassy plots in the lawns. It even overflows to the gounds of Hazel plants and touches the sweet forget-me-nots. All the different sounds and movements that a stream makes as it flows are charmingly conveyed through the words used with feeling. The trees on the banks, the fish playing about, the blossoms floating on the water, the stretches of darkness and light are vividly reflected on the flowing verse. Above all, the spirit of joy and freedom comes through eloquently. Each morning when the sun rises, the rays and the beams hit the waters and brightly reflect the shiny dance of the active movement of the brook on the sandy banks. When evening sets in and total darkness covers the surroundings of the countryside, the flow of the brook continues to murmur under the light of the moon and stars. The effects of the brook on the shores in the daytime is as much as in the night. Tennyson significantly relates the brook to human life to the sad reflection that man's life is impermanent compared with the relative permanence of a river (men may come and men may go, But I go on forever). About the author Alfred Tennyson (6 August 1809 6 October 1892) was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language. Tennyson excelled at penning short lyrics, such as "The Charge of the Light Brigade", and "Crossing the Bar". Much of his verse was based on classical mythological themes, such as Ulysses, although In Memoriam A.H.H. was written to commemorate his best friend Arthur Hallam. Tennyson also wrote some notable blank verse including "Ulysses," and "Tithonus." During his career, Tennyson attempted drama, but his plays enjoyed little success.

A number of phrases from Tennyson's work have become commonplaces of the English language, including "Nature, red in tooth and claw", "'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all", "My strength is as the strength of ten, / Because my heart is pure", and "Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers", Tennyson wrote at a time when it was fashionable for Victorian poets to idealize nature and to see nature as perfect and human society as flawed and unnatural. This view came about partly because of the industrial revolution.

THE BROOK
I come from haunts of coot and hern, I make a sudden sally, And sparkle out among the fern, To bicker down a valley. By thirty hills I hurry down, Or slip between the ridges, By twenty thorps, a little town, And half a hundred bridges. Till last by Philip's farm I flow To join the brimming river, For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles, I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles. With many a curve my banks I fret by many a field and fallow, And many a fairy foreland set With willow-weed and mallow. I chatter, chatter, as I flow To join the brimming river, For men may comeand men may go, But I go on forever. I wind about, and in and out, with here a blossom sailing, And here and there a lusty trout, And here and there a grayling, And here and there a foamy flake Upon me, as I travel With many a silver water-break

Above the golden gravel, And draw them all along, and flow To join the brimming river, For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. I steal by lawns and grassy plots, I slide by hazel covers; I move the sweet forget-me-nots That grow for happy lovers. I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance, Among my skimming swallows; I make the netted sunbeam dance Against my sandy shallows. I murmur under moon and stars In brambly wildernesses; I linger by my shingly bars; I loiter round my cresses; And out again I curve and flow To join the brimming river, For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. I come from haunts of coot and hern.- The brook starts from a place the coots (a kind of duck) & herns (commonly known as herons) spend most of their times. I make a sudden sally,-The brook suddenly rushes down. And sparkle out among the fern,-As the brook flows it sparkles because of sun rays, and it flows through a ground which mostly have grasses and flowerless plants (ferns). To bicker down a valley.-The brook flows down a valley making noisy sounds. By thirty hills I hurry down,-Here the brook swiftly flows down many hills. There are not literally 'Thirty hills' but the poet make's the line creative by using 'Thirty' and not 'many'. Or slip between the ridges,-The brook 'slips'(quickly moves) between long narrow hilltops. By twenty thorps, a little town,-The brook flows down past many villages (Thorp-Old word for village) - again the poet tries to make the line creative by using 'Twenty' - 'Twenty villages' and a little town as well. And half a hundred bridges.-The brook flows and passes by/through many bridges-not literally 'Half a hundred' bridges. Till last by Philip's farm I flow-The brook flows by a farm probably owned by a man

named Philip. To join the brimming river,-After the farm the brook flows to join a overflowing river. For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. Men/people have a short life spam but the brook is immortal so it has a longer life spam and hence goes on 'forever'.

I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles, -As the brook flows it chatters (makes an interesting and musical sound) over a stony creek bed. I bubble into eddying bays, -When the brook flows backward it 'pushes' the air and makes bubbles. I babble on the pebbles, -As the brook moves it makes sound because of the pebbles. With many a curve my banks I fret-The brook flows curvily because at one point the path curves and it wears away. By many a field and fallow,-The brook flows by many fields and bare places (fallows), probably the soil is infertile which is why the land is bare and no plants grow. And many a fairy foreland set, With willow-weed & mallow. -There are many pieces of land sticking out in the brook (called foreland) which have some plants such as 'Willow-weed & mallow'. Where colorful & bright birds, insects & butterflies come which look like fairies from far away. I chatter, chatter as I flow-The brook makes sound as it flows. To join the brimming river, The brook joins the river which is full to the brim. For men may come and men may go, The brook is saying that while humans are mortal and do not last a long time,. But I go on forever. the brook is perennial I wind about, and in and out, The brook meanders in and out with here a blossom sailing, and there are flowers (blossoms) floating on top of the brook. And here and there a lusty trout, There are also trouts (fish) found within the brook... And here and there a grayling, as well as graylings (European fish) And here and there a foamy flake There are also lakes found in the course of the brooks journey which are filled with foam Upon me, as I travel which occur along as the brook travels. With many a silver water-break colour with many breaks in the water which are silvery in

Above the golden gravel, There are also pebbles found on the bed of the brook which are golden because they reflect the sun And draw them all along, and flow The brook takes them all along with it and flows To join the brimming river, to join the overflowing river. For men may come and men may go, It states that while men are immortal and hence keep coming and going, But I go on forever. the brook is perennial. I steal by lawns and grassy plots, The brook quietly goes by lawns and plots of grass I slide by hazel covers; The brook flows by hazel trees I move the sweet forget-me-nots In its course, the brook moves because of the flow of water forget-me-nots, generally That grow for happy lovers. given by happy lovers to one another so much that they seem to have grown especially for them.. I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance, The brook slips, slides, glooms and glances... Among my skimming swallows; among its own reaches which seperates solid objects from liquids I make the netted sunbeam dance The brook makes the rays of sunlight appear as if dancing Against my sandy shallows. Against the sandy shallow portions of the brook I murmur under moon and stars The brook also flows at night and makes a murmuring sound as it does so. In brambly wildernesses; It flows into the wilderness which is teeming with brambles I linger by my shingly bars; The brook spends a long time over its pebbly confines I loiter round my cresses; The brook moves idly around plants growing within the brook And out again I curve and flow And once again, the brook curves out and flows To join the brimming river, in order to join the overflowing river. For men may come and men may go, Men/people have a short life spam But I go on forever. but the brook is immortal so it has a longer life spam and hence goes on
'forever'.

Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate alternative from those given below : (3 Marks) I wind about, and in and out, With here a blossom sailing, And here and there a lusty trout, And here and there a grayling, (a) Describe the movement of the brook as depicted in line 1. (i) Line 1 shows the spiral movement of water. (ii) The brook flows around the obstruction on its way. (iii) And then flows along its path. (iv) all of the above (b) Match the following 1. lusty trout A. fresh water fish 2. grayling B. another type of fish 3. a big fresh water fish (i) 1-A. 2-A (ii) 1-B, 2-B (iii) 1-C, 2-B (iv) 1-C, 2-C (c) What all does the brook carry as it moves along ? (i) flowers blossom (ii) the lusty trout and grayling (iii) foamy flakes (iv) all of the above
Multiple choice question

Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate alternative from those given below : (3 Marks) i steal by lawn and grassy plots, i slide by hazel covers i move the sweet forget-me-nots That grow for happy lovers. (a) What does the word steal suggest about the movement of the brook ? (i) it moves slowly. (ii) it moves quickly. (iii) it moves sometimes only. (iv) (i) and (ii) (b) What kind of a terrain is the brook moving on now ? (i) it is moving through mountains. (ii) it is moving in the plains.

(iii) it is moving in meadows. (iv) it is moving in pastures. (c) How is the brook associated with the happy lovers ? (i) The happy lovers are always united here. (ii) They meet here. (iii) They throw the flower, i.e. forget me nots into the brook which it carries along with its flow. (iv) They swear here not to forget each other.
Multiple choice question

On the basis of your understanding of the poem 'The Brook', answer the following questions by ticking the correct choice. (CBSE Textbook) (a) The message of the poem is that the life of a book is . (i) temporary (ii) short-lived (iii) eternal (iv) momentary (b) The poet draws a parallelism between the journey of the book and . (i) the life of a man (ii) the death of man (iii) the difficulties in a man's life (iv) the endl ess talking of human being (c) The poem is narrated in the first person by the brook. This figure of speech is . (i) personification (ii) metaphor (iii) simile (iv) transferred epithet (d) in the poem, the below mentioned lines: And here and there a lusty trout, And here and there a grayling suggest that . (i) the brook is a source of life (ii) people enjoy the brook (iii) fish survive because of water (iv) the brook witnesses all kinds of scenes Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate alternative from those given below : (3 Marks) i chatter over stony ways, in little sharps and trebles, i bubble into eddying bays, i babble on the pebbles.

(a) Explain what makes the brook chatter. (i) The brook produces loud sounds as it flows over rocky terrain continuously. (ii) The brook produces offending noise. (iii) The brook creates a lot of noise. (iv) The brook is silent. (b) What happens to the brook as it flows into eddying bays ? (i) it flows as usual. Nothing happens to the brook. (ii) it flows forcefully into edding bays forming bubbles. (iii) Nothing special happens. (iv) it jumps over stony paths. (c) Pick out the figure of speech used in the last line. (i) simile (ii) personification (iii) metaphor (iv) Alliteration-the sound of b is repeated.
Multiple choice question

Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate alternative from those given below : (3 Marks) i murmur under moon and stars in brambly wildernesses; i linger by my shingly bars; i loiter round my cresses; (a) The word murmur suggests that the brook flows (i) very slowly and quickly. (ii) fast. (iii) and stops. (iv) constantly and continuously. (b) Why does the brook linger by my shingly bars ? (i) As the current of the brook is no longer forceful or fast, it stops by the obstructions in its path. (ii) it stops because the current of the brook is always forceful or fast. (iii) Storms on the way make the brook linger. (iv) (ii) or (iii) (c) loiter round the cresses suggests movement of the brook. (i) the slow (ii) the fast (iii) the constant (iv) the steady

Multiple choice question

Read the following extract carefully and answer the questions that follow by choosing the most appropriate alternative from those given below : (3 Marks) i make a sudden sally And sparkle out among the fern to bicker down a valley, (a) i sparkles (i) as the sun rays fall on it. (ii) due to radiant hot sun. (iii) due to silvery moon. (iv) due to radiant stars. (b) i moves in (i) the grassy areas. (ii) the rocky and mountainous regions (iii) the plains area. (iv) the vast sea. (c) Explain bicker down. (i) flow down with a great noise (ii) loud movement (iii) As the brook flows down the valley forcefully, it produces loud sounds. its loud noisy movement has been referred to as bicker down. (iv) making a noise