Wandering Singers - RTC Questions and Answers
RTC Question 1:
"Where the voice of the wind calls our wandering feet,
Through echoing forest and echoing street,"
a. Who are referred to as "our" in the above lines?
The word "our" refers to the wandering singers.
b. What does the 'voice of the wind' symbolize?
The 'voice of the wind' symbolizes freedom and the call of nature that guides the singers on their journey.
c. What do the words "echoing forest and echoing street" suggest about the singers' journey?
These words suggest that the singers travel through different places, both natural and man-made, and their
songs echo wherever they go.
RTC Question 2:
"With lutes in our hands ever-singing we roam,
All men are our kindred, the world is our home."
a. What is a 'lute' and why is it important to the singers?
A lute is a musical instrument with strings. It is important because the singers use it to sing their songs.
b. What does "all men are our kindred" imply?
It means the singers consider everyone as their family, showing they have no fixed home or close relatives.
c. What does this stanza tell us about the lifestyle of the wandering singers?
It shows that the singers live a free life, always moving and singing, without attachment to one place or group.
RTC Question 3:
"Our lays are of cities whose lustre is shed,
The laughter and beauty of women long dead;"
a. What does "lays" mean in this context?
In this poem, "lays" means old songs or ballads.
b. What kind of subjects do the singers sing about?
They sing about ancient cities, past battles, old kings, and people who lived long ago.
c. What is meant by "cities whose lustre is shed"?
Wandering Singers - RTC Questions and Answers
It means cities that were once rich and glorious but have lost their fame and beauty.
RTC Question 4:
"What hope shall we gather, what dreams shall we sow?
Where the wind calls our wandering footsteps we go."
a. What rhetorical device is used in the first line?
The rhetorical device used is a question (interrogation) to express uncertainty or open thinking.
b. What does the poet mean by "what dreams shall we sow"?
It means the singers do not plan their future or settle anywhere; they just go wherever life takes them.
c. How does this extract reflect the singers' attitude toward life?
It shows that the singers live in the present moment, with no worries about the future or permanent goals.
RTC Question 5:
"No love bids us tarry, no joy bids us wait:
The voice of the wind is the voice of our fate."
a. What does "bids us tarry" mean?
It means asking someone to stay or remain in one place.
b. What do these lines tell us about the singers' attachment to people or places?
These lines show that the singers have no deep attachment to anyone or any place. They keep moving.
c. How is fate portrayed in this poem?
Fate is shown as a guiding force, like the wind, that leads the singers wherever they are meant to go.
Summary of the Poem
The poem 'Wandering Singers' is about a group of singers who travel from place to place, singing songs
about old stories, forgotten cities, and people from the past. They carry lutes in their hands and go wherever
the wind takes them. These singers do not have a permanent home. They consider the whole world as their
home and all people as their family.
They sing songs of happiness, sorrow, old battles, and beautiful memories. They do not stay in one place for
long because no love or joy can stop them. The wind guides their journey, and they follow it without planning
Wandering Singers - RTC Questions and Answers
anything. The poem shows their free and simple life, full of music, movement, and memories.
