(The common unrhymed poetry 1 UNCLE. Our uncle, innocent of books,7 Was rich in lore of fields and brooks, 1 unrhymed poetry. Explain. With what noun is "poetry" in apposition? 2 welcome to her home: that is, the mother introduced the children to her own girlhood home. 3 wizard's conjuring-book. Probably a well-thumbed "fortuneteller." 4 Piscataqua. Locate. 5 weird laughter. What felicity in the epithet "weird"? 6 ducks'... lay. Show the picturesqueness of this expression. 7 innocent of books. Explain. 8 lore (from the same root as learn), learning, knowledge, wis dom. The ancient teachers, never dumb, In moons and tides and weather wise, Of beast or bird, had meanings clear, Who knew the tales the sparrows told, What the sage cranes of Nilus said; 1 lyceum. For rhythm's sake the poet places the accent on the first syllable, but properly it is on the penult. 2 divine, foretell. 8 occult (from Latin oc for ob, and calere, to hide), hidden, secret. 4 warded. A "ward" is a projecting ridge of metal in the interior of a lock, to prevent the use of any key which has not a corresponding notch for passing it. Explain the metaphor "cunning-warded keys." 5 Apollonius: that is, Apollonius of Tyana, in Cappadocia, who lived in the time of Christ, and was a follower of the mystical philosopher Pythagoras. He was versed in all Oriental lore, and the people believed him to have the power of working miracles. 6 Hermes: that is, Hermes Trismegistus, a celebrated Egyptian priest and philosopher, of the first century A.D. 7 Nilus, the Nile. Whereof his fondly partial pride SISTER. As one who held herself a part 1 White of Selborne: that is, Gilbert White (1720-1793), the author of a famous book entitled Natural History of Selborne, England -in which are many minute and charming descriptions of the birds and beasts of the district in which he lived. 2 prodigies, wonderful exploits. 8 hermit gray... cell. Show the felicity of this simile. 4 held, deemed, considered. Against the household bosom lean,1 Oh, looking from some heavenly hill, 4 Do those large eyes behold me still? The chill weight of the winter snow For months upon her grave has lain; Whereon she leaned, too frail and weak For something gone which should be nigh, 1 and let ... lean. Explain. 4 reach, a straight portion of a stream, as from one bend to another. 5 too frail . . . to seek: that is, "too frail and weak to seek for the hillside flowers which she loved." A loss in all familiar things, In flower that blooms, and bird that sings. Safe in thy immortality, What change can reach the wealth1 I hold? Where cool and long the shadows grow, 2. THE GENIUS OF THE WEST. [Whittier wrote this fine poem on the occasion of "receiving an eagle's quill from Lake Superior." Its general purpose is to celebrate the breadth, freedom, and opportunity afforded by the Great West.] ALL day the darkness and the cold. 1 the wealth: that is, the wealth of his sister's remembered affection. 2 life's late afternoon. What idea underlies this metaphor? 3 when the sunset gates unbar. Explain this beautifully tender expression. 4 All day... lain. Change this couplet to the prose order. |