s
“Travel” — stanza-by-stanza help
(paraphrase, figures of speech, Q&A for
Class 9)
Below I’ve broken Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem into nine readable stanzas. For each: a plain-
language paraphrase, the main figures of speech (named and briefly explained), and 2–3 short
class-9 style questions with answers.
Stanza 1
Text:
I should like to rise and go
Where the golden apples grow;—
Where below another sky
Parrot islands anchored lie,
Paraphrase:
The speaker wishes to get up and travel to exotic places — lands where golden apples grow and
strange islands full of parrots sit under a different sky.
Figures of speech:
Imagery: “golden apples,” “another sky,” and “parrot islands” paint vivid pictures.
Alliteration: “rise and go.”
Metaphor / Idealization: “golden apples” suggests wonderful, almost magical places,
not literal fruit.
Hyperbole (mild): the strong desire to simply “rise and go.”
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: What does “another sky” mean?
A: It means a faraway place with a different atmosphere or climate — somewhere very
different from home.
2. Q: Which image makes the stanza sound exotic?
A: “Parrot islands anchored lie” — it suggests colorful, tropical islands.
Stanza 2
Text:
And, watched by cockatoos and goats,
Lonely Crusoes building boats;—
Paraphrase:
On those islands, cockatoos and goats watch lonely people like Robinson Crusoe as they build
boats.
Figures of speech:
Allusion: “Crusoes” refers to Robinson Crusoe, suggesting castaways.
Personification (implied): animals “watch” the people.
Contrast/Irony: “lonely Crusoes” yet they are building boats — action amid solitude.
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: Why does the poet mention “Crusoes”?
A: To evoke the image of solitary island survivors and adventure.
2. Q: What does “watched by cockatoos and goats” add to the picture?
A: It creates a sense of nature surrounding human activity, adding exotic detail.
Stanza 3
Text:
Where in sunshine reaching out
Eastern cities, miles about,
Are with mosque and minaret
Among sandy gardens set,
And the rich goods from near and far
Hang for sale in the bazaar,—
Paraphrase:
He wants to visit eastern cities bathed in sunlight, full of mosques and minarets set beside sandy
gardens, where traders display valuable goods from many lands in bustling bazaars.
Figures of speech:
Imagery: “mosque and minaret,” “sandy gardens,” “bazaar.”
Alliteration: “rich goods.”
Synecdoche: “mosque and minaret” stand for the whole culture/cityscape.
Cataloguing/listing: gives a sensory inventory of the place.
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: What is a “bazaar”?
A: A marketplace or market street where goods are bought and sold.
2. Q: Which words create the sense of brightness and warmth?
A: “Sunshine reaching out” and “sandy gardens.”
Stanza 4
Text:
Where the Great Wall round China goes,
And on one side the desert blows,
And with bell and voice and drum
Cities on the other hum;—
Paraphrase:
He imagines seeing the Great Wall of China: one side bordered by blowing desert, while on the
other side cities buzz with bells, voices and drums.
Figures of speech:
Contrast / Antithesis: desert on one side, lively cities on the other.
Onomatopoeia / auditory imagery: “bell and voice and drum” — creates soundscape.
Personification: cities “hum.”
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: What contrast does the stanza show?
A: The quiet, empty desert versus busy, noisy cities.
2. Q: Why does the poet use “hum” for cities?
A: To suggest continuous low noise — activity and life.
Stanza 5
Text:
Where are forests, hot as fire,
Wide as England, tall as a spire,
Full of apes and cocoa-nuts
And the negro hunters’ huts;—
Paraphrase:
He pictures hot, vast forests as large as England and very tall, full of monkeys, coconut trees, and
the huts of local hunters.
Figures of speech:
Simile: “hot as fire,” “wide as England,” “tall as a spire.”
Imagery: visual/thermal images of the forest and its inhabitants.
Period language caution: the phrase “negro hunters’ huts” reflects historical vocabulary
(now considered outdated and offensive); it simply points to local people’s dwellings in
the poem’s era.
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: What kind of comparisons are “hot as fire” and “tall as a spire”?
A: Similes (they use “as” to compare).
2. Q: Why should we be careful with the phrase “negro hunters’ huts”?
A: It’s an old term no longer acceptable; modern readers should use respectful, current
terms like “local hunters’ huts” or name the specific group if known.
Stanza 6
Text:
Where the knotty crocodile
Lies and blinks in the Nile,
And the red flamingo flies
Hunting fish before his eyes;—
Paraphrase:
He imagines seeing knobbly crocodiles resting and blinking in the Nile, and red flamingos flying
as they search for fish.
Figures of speech:
Imagery: strong visual images of crocodile and flamingo.
Personification: crocodile “blinks,” flamingo “hunts” — animals given active,
humanlike descriptions.
Alliteration: “flamingo flies.”
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: Which river is mentioned here and why is it famous?
A: The Nile — famous for its wildlife and its importance to ancient Egyptian civilization.
2. Q: What mood does the stanza create?
A: A lively, natural scene full of animal activity.
Stanza 7
Text:
Where in jungles, near and far,
Man-devouring tigers are,
Lying close and giving ear
Lest the hunt be drawing near,
Or a comer-by be seen
Swinging in a palanquin;—
Paraphrase:
He pictures jungles where dangerous, man-eating tigers lie quietly, listening carefully so they
can ambush hunters or notice travelers who pass by in carried palanquins.
Figures of speech:
Hyperbole / dramatic detail: “man-devouring tigers” heightens danger.
Personification: tigers “give ear” (listen).
Imagery & suspense: creates tension and fear.
Cultural reference: “palanquin” evokes historical forms of travel.
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: What is a “palanquin”?
A: A covered litter carried by bearers, used historically to transport people.
2. Q: How does the poet build suspense in this stanza?
A: By describing quiet, alert tigers waiting to ambush — words like “lying close” and
“giving ear” create tension.
Stanza 8
Text:
Where among the desert sands
Some deserted city stands,
All its children, sweep and prince,
Grown to manhood ages since,
Not a foot in street or house,
Not a stir of child or mouse,
And when kindly falls the night,
In all the town no spark of light.
Paraphrase:
He imagines ruins of a once-inhabited city in the desert, now empty — children, servants and
rulers long gone, with no movement in streets or houses; at night the whole place is dark and
lifeless.
Figures of speech:
Imagery: desolate visual of an abandoned city.
Anaphora / repetition: “Not a foot… Not a stir…” emphasises emptiness.
Personification / irony: “kindly falls the night” — night described kindly, though the
scene is bleak.
Contrast: the idea of former life (prince, children) versus present silence.
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: What mood does this stanza create?
A: A mood of desolation, emptiness and eerie silence.
2. Q: What do the repeated negatives (“Not a foot… Not a stir…”) emphasize?
A: The complete abandonment of the city — no life remains.
Stanza 9 (final)
Text:
There I’ll come when I’m a man
With a camel caravan;
Light a fire in the gloom
Of some dusty dining-room;
See the pictures on the walls,
Heroes, fights and festivals;
And in a corner find the toys
Of the old Egyptian boys.
Paraphrase:
The speaker promises that as an adult he will return to such places with a caravan of camels,
make a fire in a dusty room, look at wall paintings of heroes and festivals, and discover old toys
belonging to Egyptian children.
Figures of speech:
Future intention: “There I’ll come when I’m a man” — determination and fantasy.
Imagery: “camel caravan,” “dusty dining-room,” “pictures on the walls.”
Juxtaposition: adult explorer noticing children’s toys — mix of adventure and
tenderness.
Symbolism: “toys of the old Egyptian boys” suggest continuity of human life across
history.
Class 9 Q&A
1. Q: What does the “camel caravan” suggest about the speaker’s imagined travel?
A: Traditional, long-distance travel across deserts — an adventurous, exotic journey.
2. Q: How does the final stanza combine adventure with human detail?
A: It mixes grand images (caravan, heroes on walls) with a small, touching detail
(children’s toys), showing interest in both history and everyday life.
