The Brook Poem Explanation

Poem
I come from haunts of coot and hern;
I make a sudden sally
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
Word Meaning:
haunts: places frequently visited by
coot: a type of water bird with a white spot on the forehead
hern: heron, (another kind of water bird)
sally: emerge suddenly
fern: a flowerless plant which has feathery or leafy fronds
bicker: (here) flow down with a lot of noise
Explanation of the Poem – The poet writes that the brook comes from a place which is frequently visited by coots, herns,
and various other kinds of water birds. The brook suddenly emerges among the fern plants. It then flows down a valley
and it makes a lot of noise while doing so.

Poem
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
Word Meaning:
thorpes: a village
ridge: the line or edge formed where the two sloping sides of a roof meet at the top
Explanation of the Poem – The brook flows through thirty hills and slips down the path where two hills meet. It passes
through around twenty villages, a little town, and half a hundred or fifty bridges.

Poem
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 for ever.
Word Meaning:
brimming: be full to the point of overflowing
Explanation of the Poem – The place through which the brook flows down and joins the overflowing river is Philip’s farm.
The brook sees that the people working in the farm change with time but, the brook itself remains the same and continues
flowing. This is a contrast between human and nature, and how humans are mortals who die at some point of life but the
brook, which continues flowing, will never stop flowing.

Poem
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.
Word Meaning:
chatter: a series of short, quick high-pitched sounds
sharps: a musical tone semitone higher than the natural pitch
trebles: high pitched tune
eddying: spiral movement of water
babble: sound made when one talks gaily
Explanation of the Poem – The brook makes a series of short, quick high-pitched sounds when it splashes and flows
down rocky pathways. One can see bubbles and high-pitched tunes coming from the brook when it flows down into bays.
It flows down into the bays in a spiral manner, which results in bubbles, sharps and trebles. One can hear the sound of
babbling when the brooks down a path full of pebbles, meaning that it sounds like multiple people are talking gaily.

Poem
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.

Word Meaning:
fret: flow or move in small waves
fallow: land left uncultivated to regain fertility
foreland: piece of land that extends into a river etc.
mallow: plant with hairy stems and leaves and pink, white or purple flowers
Explanation of the Poem – When the pathway is curvy, the brook flows down in small waves. It flows down fields,
uncultivated land, forelands, and lands filled with willow-weed and mallow in the same manner.

Poem:
I chatter, chatter, as I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
Word Meaning:
chatter: a series of short, quick high-pitched sounds
brimming: be full to the point of overflowing
Explanation of the Poem – The poet repeats that the brook makes a series of short, quick, high-pitched sounds as it
makes its way to its destination, which is the overflowing river. It reminds us of the contrasting nature of humans and
nature, and how the brook continues flowing and will flow forever but humans, who are mortals, will die someday.

Poem:
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

Word Meaning:
wind: move with a spiral manner
blossom: mature or develop in a promising or healthy way
lusty trout: a big freshwater fish
grayling: another type of freshwater fish
Explanation of the Poem – The brook moves in a spiral manner. It helps the plants mature in a healthy way by supplying
them with sufficient amount of water, hence its sail or journey helps in the blossom of other elements of nature. It also
gives life to aquatic animals like lusty trout, grayling and other freshwater fish.

Poem
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery waterbreak
Above the golden gravel,

Word Meaning:
foamy flake: Foam on surface of fast moving brook
silvery: something which is shiny or lustrous like silver
waterbreak: a place in a brook where the surface of the water is broken by irregularities on the bottom
gravel: sandy surface of Earth beneath the top layer
Explanation of the Poem – The poet describes that along with plants and animals, something else is present in the
brook when it’s about to join the overflowing or brimming river. Due to the fast speed with which the brook travels, the
water accumulates and turns into foam. This foam is present on the surface of the brook and it travels on top of the brook.
Even when there are irregularities present on the bottom and the water is broken into small waves, the foam remains on
top of the water. The waterbreaks, which are situated above the golden-coloured sandy surface of earth, do not disturb
the shine of the water.

Poem
And draw them all along, and flow
To join the brimming river
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
Explanation of the Poem – The brook carries the foam and also sometimes the freshwater fish, and it joins the
overflowing river. Again, the poet repeats that the brook will continue flowing into the river and giving life to aquatic
animals, whereas the humans will die someday.

Poem
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.
Word Meaning:
steal by: move somewhere quietly
hazel: a small tree or bush with edible nuts
forget-me-nots : a type of flowers
Explanation of the Poem – The brook flows through lawns and land full of grass quietly. It passes through hazel trees
and bushes in a manner that makes it look like the brook is sliding. It flows through a type of flower named forget-me-nots,
and provides water to it. This leads to the healthy growth of the flowers, which are eventually plucked to enrich the love
between two happy lovers. Hence, in this stanza, we see how the brook enriches not only plants, trees, bushes, and
animals, but also the love among human beings.

Poem
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.

Word Meaning:
glance: hit something at an angle and bounce off obliquely
skimming: Remove something from the surface, here fishes in the brook
swallows: a bird which dives into the brook for its prey, the fish
netted sunbeam: Pattern of a net formed when the sunlight passes through the trees and falls on the brook’s surface
sandy shallows: Base of the brook which is not deep and has sand

Explanation of the Poem – The brook moves with a smooth sliding motion. It travels through some gloomy or dark
looking places, and it changes its direction when it hits some rocks. Many birds, who feed on fish, dive into the brook and
remove the fish from the surface of the brook. When the sunlight passes through the trees and falls on the brook’s
surface, a pattern of net is formed on the water. The continuous flow of the water in the brook makes the netted sunbeam
dance, meaning that the wavering of the brook results in a blurry image of the netted sunlight, which is really hard to
capture as it disappears and then appears too quickly. The sunbeam brightens up a part of the depth of the brook which is
the sandy shallows, the part of the base of the brook which is not too deep and is covered with sand.

Poem
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars;
I loiter round my cresses;

Word Meaning:
murmur: speak softly
brambly: covered with brambles and ferns and other undergrowth
wildernesses: an uncultivated and uninhabited region
linger: stay around something for some time
shingly: covered with small rounded pebbles
bar: ridges, sandy shallow
loiter: stand or wait around without apparent purpose
cresses: a pungent leaved plant like a cabbage
Explanation of the Poem – When it is nighttime, that is, the brook is flowing under the moon and the infinite number of
stars, it sounds like a group of people are talking to one another in a soft voice and low volume. This is the murmuring
sound that the brook makes during the night. When the brook enters an uncultivated and uninhabited region (a region
where the weeds and the undergrowth is not maintained and hence it is brambly, and where no animal resides), the brook
stays at the ridges and the sandy shallow for some time. Hence there is accumulation of water in those places. The brook
becomes stagnant when it comes in contact with pungent leaved plants like cabbage which grow in it.

Poem
And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
Explanation of the Poem – Although the brook is said to be stuck at one place when it gets accumulated in the ridges,
sandy shallows and around cresses, the water eventually starts flowing again in a curved manner. It then joins the
overflowing river. Due to the whole process of the brook becoming stagnant at one point but immediately starting to flow
again is in contrast with the permanent stagnant nature of humans. The brook is a continuous water body and it does not
stop even after encountering several obstacles. Hence the brook cannot be stopped. However, we humans have a limited
life span and we can be stopped by death.

Literary Devices
1. Rhyme Scheme: abab
2. Personification: A non human object or an animal is given abilities to behave like a human. Like they speak, feel,
see, hear. Here the brook has been personified. It is present throughout the poem.
3. Alliteration: Repetition of a consonant sound in the beginning of two or more consecutive words. Like sudden
sally, men may, with willow weed.
4. Repetition: Any word or sentence may be repeated in the same stanza or in the poem to emphasize or create
rhyming effect.
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
5. Inversion: The structure of a sentence is reversed. The object is placed before the subject to lay emphasis and
create distinction.
By thirty hills I hurry down
6. Onomatopoeia: Use of sound words to create dramatic effect. Like chatter, babble, murmur.
7. Anaphora: The same word is repeated at the start of consecutive sentences. Like I bubble into….. I babble
on…….
8. Antithesis: Words which contrast or have opposite meanings are used. Like come go, in out.
9. Asyndeton: It is a style of writing in which conjunctions are not used in the sentence.