The Brook

- Alfred Lord Tennyson

Born 6 August 1809, England

Died 6 October 1892, England.
He was known as poet laureate of great Britain and Ireland and was one of the most popular poet
of the time.
Notable works
a) The kraken
b) The lotos eaters
c) Ulysses
d) In memoriam
e) The eagle

Summary:

In the poem, The Brook the poet realistically drawn a parallelism between the journeys of the
brook with the life of a man. The poet says as in the childhood a child is very agile, energetic and
lively, like that the brook in the beginning stage of its life is also very energetic, enhancing and it
keeps on flowing with a great rush and enthusiasm throughout its life. It falls from great heights
and menders around the wavy path, and when it approaches on plain it slows down yet still
continuing to flow eternally. Like the brook, a man towards the end of his life becomes slow in his
moves and ultimately meets the horns of death and also emerges with its final destination but it
never ceases to flow.

STANZA 1
I come from haunts of coot and hern
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley.
Explanation:

In the poem, The Brook, the poet personifies the brook by using the poetic device I.
It tells from the brook starts its journey and how it exits the place. The brook starts from those
places which are often visited by the coots and herons. The brook emerges suddenly in this hilly
area. It moves through the ferns and sparkles when the sunshine reflects the crystal clear water.
And when the brook moves down it creates a lot of noise.

Poetic devices used

I (Line-1) In the entire poem, the brook is personified
hern is an example of poetic license. The word heron has
been turned into hern to match the rhyming word hern.
I` ................`(Line 1)
I...............`(Line 2) (Anaphora: Using a pronoun or similar
word instead of repeating a word used earlier-used instead of
bicker)
Sudden sally (Alliteration: Use of the same consonant at the
beginning of each stressed syllable in a line of verse)
Bicker (onomatopoeia : sing words that imitate the sound they denote).

STANZA 2
By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorps, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
Explanation:
This stanza is an account of the brooks flowing through different areas Sometimes it also glides
between long and narrow hill ranges, called ridges. Thorps refer to small villages. Between two
small towns, the brook passes several thorps and a large number of bridges. The poet has created
wonderful imageries when we read the brook flowing by thirty hills, slipping between ridges (long
narrow hills), twenty villages, a little town and fifty bridges. The numbers used in this line such
as thirty, twenty, half a hundred should not be taken in the literal sense. These numbers are
used to give the impression of several or many and to maintain the rhythm of the poem.
Poetic Devises in use
1) By thirty hills I hurry down (Inversion)
2) Twenty thorps (Alliteration)
3) By .............................(Line 1)
...................................
By (Line -3) Repetition of Line 1 rhythm.

STANZA 3
Till last by Philips farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on for ever.
Explanation:
The poet here tells us about the merging point of the brook. The brook joins an overflowing river
here Philips farm is symbolised as a land mark of the ending of the journey of the brook. Last two
lines refrain from the main theme of the poem. It states that man is mortal as they come and go
over time. On the contrary, the brook outlives men and continues to flow forever.
Poetic Devices in use
1. Till last by Philips farm I flow (inversion)
2. Men may (Alliteration)
3. Come ..............go (Line-3) (Antithesis)
STANZA 4
I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles.

Explanation:
The brook goes on the stony path creating chattering sounds. It makes sharp high pitched sound
when the brook clashes on the side banks of the land. It makes bubbles when it falls from height
into the spiral movement. When it moves on the pebbles it creates soft pleasing sound.
Poetic Devices in use:
1. Chatter`, trebles`, babble` - onomatopoeia.
2. Line 3 and Line 4 Anaphora.
STANZA 5
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.

Explanation:
The brook moves on taking many curves and creates rough and unpleasant sound on the banks
of the brook. The brook moves through many field and uncultivated lands. The brook goes through
the foreland i.e. the land just before the merging point. The poet describes the land to be fairy land
as with flowers and beautiful plants like willow and mallow it looks so.
Poetic Devices in use:
1. With many a curve my banks I fret Inversion.
2. fairly foreland, with willow seed Alliteration.

STANZA 6
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.
Explanation:
The brook creates various sounds before merging with its destination .The last two lines are the
examples of refrain which highlights the eternal state of the brook and its activity and the
ephemeral state of we, the humans.
Poetic Device in use:
1. Chatter chatter- Repetition
2. Chatter Onomatopoeia
3. Chatter chatter , men may Alliteration
4. .come go- Antithesis

STANZA-7
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

Explanation:
The brook on its way had lots of ups and downs and in its winding movement it often falls from
height and goes in deep water and comes out to continue to flow. The brook carries blossoms on
its way. Along with the brook there go a lot of fishes like lusty trout and grayling.
Poetic Device in use:
1) .......................and in and out Antithesis
2) .........about and Alliteration
3) Line (3) and ........................
4) .......................
Anaphora.
4) here and there Repetition
STANZA 8
And here and there a foamy flake
Upon me, as I travel
With many a silvery water break
Above the golden gravel,

Explanation:
When the brook moves, the waves clash with each other and creates bubbles and those bubbles in
group make pieces of foams. The brook moves through different curves and the clashes creates
silvery water break .These foams and silvery water break can be visible on the surface of the water
and at the base of the brook there are golden coloured stones .
Poetic device in use
1 here and there Antithesis
2. foamy flake ,golden gravel Alliteration

STANZA-9
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:
The brook carries fishes, foams and flowers with it to join the brimming river. And then the
refrain comes meaning the eternal state of the river to that of transient one of humans.
Poetic device in use:
1) All along, men may Alliteration
2) Men may Repetition
3) Com ................go Antithesis.
STANZA 10
I steal by lawns and grassy plots,
I slide by hazel covers ;
I move the sweet forget-me-nots
That grow for happy lovers.

Explanation:
The brook secretly moves though the grassy plots and lawns and moves swiftly by the bushy
hazel trees. The brook shakes and sweet forget me- not flowers which grow for happy lovers.
Poetic Devices in use.
1) I (Line 1,2 and 3) Anaphora.
STANZA 11
I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows ;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows.

Explanation:
The brook moves along making different movements like slipping, sliding, moving through
darkness and so on. And there we find swallow birds to skim on the surface of the water for food.
The brook waves create a net like structure on which the sunshine sparkles and it seems to us as
if the sun beams are dancing.
Poetic Devices in use
1) I slip, I slide, ZI gloom, I glance Asyndeton
2) Skimming swallows sandy shallows Alliteration

STANZA 12
I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses ;
I linger by my shingly bars ;
I loiter round my cresses ;

Explanation:
At night under the moon and stars, the brook goes on moving creating murmuring sound
through the natural land where thorny bushes grow. The brook often lingers because of the stones
on the way. The brook water moves purposelessly around the plant named cresses.

Poetic Device in use

1) Murmur Onomatopoeia.
2) 2) Line 2 and 3 Anaphora.
STANZA 13
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:
After facing the obstacles the brook again takes a curve and starts flowing to join the brimming
river. Last two lines refer to the refrain meaning the eternal state of the brook and transient state
of the humans.
Poetic Device in use.
1) And out again I curve and flow Inversion,
2) Menmay Alliteration
3) Men may Repetition

6. On the basis of your understanding of the poem, answer the following questions by ticking the
correct choice.
(a) The message of the poem is that the life of a brook is ___________.
(i) temporary
(ii) short-lived
(iii) eternal
(v) momentary
Answer: (iii) eternal

(b) The poet draws a parallelism between the journey of the brook with ___________.
(i) the life of a man
(ii) the death of man
(iii) the difficulties in a man's life
(iv) the endless talking of human beings
Answer: (i) the life of a man
(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
Answer :(i) Personification
(d) In the poem, 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) fishes survive because of water
(iv) the brook witnesses all kinds of scenes
Answer: (i) the brook is a source of life [Page No: 62]

7. Answer the following questions.

(a) How does the brook sparkle?
Answer:
The brook sparkles because of the suns rays which shine on its water. The sudden emergence or rush of
the brook is shown to be in a sparkling motion.
(b) Bicker means to quarrel. Why does the poet use this word here?
Answer:
Bicker means a noisy discussion or an argument. The poet uses the word bicker to describe the noisy
flow of the brook as it flows through the valley as it sounds like quarrel.
(c) How many hills and bridges does it pass during is journey?
Answer:
The brook passes thirty hills and fifty bridges during its journey.
(d) Where does it finally meet the river?
Answer:
The brook finally meets the river near Phillips farm.
(e) Why has the word chatter been repeated in the poem?
Answer:

The word chatter has been repeated in the poem because it represents the sound frequently made by the
flowing brook. It seems that the brook talks about its journey that it has travelled throughout in a lively
mood.
(f) With many a curve my banks I fret- What does the poet mean by this statement?
Answer:
The brook becomes tired occasionally as it has to curve and move round and round, again and again.
(g) I wind about, and in and out.' What kind of a picture does this line create in your mind?
Answer:
The brook does not flow in a straight line but veers and twists itself along its way. It creates a picture of
flowing waters of the brook resembling a maze or whirlpool.
(h) Name the different things that can be found floating in the brook.
Answer :
The different things that can be found floating in the river are pumice, flowers, wood chips, foamy flakes,
bark of trees, twigs and leaves.
(i) What does the poet want to convey by using the words steal and slide?
Answer:
By using the words steal and slide, the poet refers to smooth and noiseless movement of the brook.
(j) The poem has many examples of alliteration. List five examples.
Answer :
Five examples of alliteration in the poem are:
Sudden sally
Field and fallow
Willow-weed
Golden gravel
Slip, slide
(k) I make the netted sunbeam dance. What does the netted sunbeam mean? How does it dance?
Answer:
The sunrays filtering through the leaves and bushes make a net-like pattern on shallow water-pools. They
are reflected on the surface of water and appear to be dancing as the water flows.
(l) What is the refrain in the poem? What effect does it create?
Answer:
In the referred poem, the refrain is:
For men may come and men may go
But I go on for ever.
The repetition of the refrain emphasis the transitory nature of man and the eternal nature of the brook.
8. Read the given lines and answer the questions
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.

(a) Who does I refer to in the given lines?

(b) How does it 'chatter'?
(c) Why has the poet used the word 'brimming'? What kind of a picture does it create?
(d) Explain the last two lines of the stanza.

Answer:
(a) I refers to the brook in the given lines.
(b) The brook chatters by flowing over the pebbles making a lot of meaningless noise.
(c) Brimming means full to the brim or top. It creates an impression on our mind of the picture of a big
river in flood.
(d) These lines tell us that men have a short span of life; man is mortal and human life is transient. The
life of the brook, however, is continuous and will never end. Nature is immortal and can outlive man.
That is why the brook says it will go on forever. The immortal nature of the brook is contrasted with the
fleeting nature of man's life.
9. Identity the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Answer:
The rhyme scheme is ab ab cd cd .....
10. The poem is full of images that come alive through skilful use of words. List out any two images
that appeal to you the most, quoting the lines from the poem.
Answer:
The first vivid image created by the poet is that of the brook flowing through hills and valleys, under the
bridges and by the villages.
By thirty hills I hurry down
Or slip between the ridges
By twenty thorpes, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges.
The second striking image is that of serpent. Like flow of the brook, with flowers and fish floating on it.
This image is most appealing because it is apt, colourful and poetic.
11. The brook appears to be a symbol for life. Pick out examples of parallelism between life and the
brook.
Answer:
The brook appears to be a symbol for life, which becomes the central theme of the poem. Various instances
that can be seen in the poem which draw parallel between brook and life.
The brook is a small stream that is born in some mountain. It grows bigger and stronger in the course of its
journey. It makes so many types of sounds as it flows through the pebbles. Its movements are also varied.
It slips and slides; it steals and winds its curves and flows. It chatters and babbles, it makes musical as well
as harsh sounds. The brooks birth and growth, chattering and babbling are very much similar to the
activities of a human being. The brook represents life in general. Both have an origin, a middle stage and
an end. Both struggle against various adversities, odds and keep moving towards their goal. Above all, the
brook represents life. Men may come and men may go, but life goes on forever. The same rule applies in
the case of the brook. It keeps flowing eternally, like life.