Explanation of each line of the poem The Brook By Alfred Lord Tennyson?

Answer 1

'The Brook' is a composition of Lord Alfred Tennyson whose fame rested on his perfect control of sound, the synthesis of sound and meaning, the union of pictorial and musical elements. The poem is about a brook which appears to be a symbol of life, which becomes the central theme of the composition. A dictionary would define a brook as a stream or a small river. The brook starts from the mountains most of the times. Suddenly after originating from there the brook rushes down. The later flow of the brook sees it sparkling bright because of the sun rays. The brook flows through a ground which have grass and flowerless plants. 'Bicker' means to run rapidly or rush in a hurry. Thus, here the brook is said to flow down a valley making noisy sounds. This noisy movement full of vigour shows its hurry to reach its destination similar to man in his youth who is very energetic, lively, enthusiastic and full of vigour. The poet has shown the swift flow of the brook by using the words like 'hurry down', 'slip between', etc. The brook flows down many hills, many being emphasized by the word 'thirty' and narrow hilltops. The brook flows down past many villages, where the 'thorp', an old English word has been used for 'village'. Here, again, the poet tries to make the line creative by using 'Twenty'-not literally 'Twenty villages' and a little town as well. It flows through fields, uncultivated lands, and lands with different stems, leaves and flowers of various colours of pink, purple and white. In this early phase of life, the brook has a very fast motion and it overcomes all the obstacles, stones and pebbles in its way. This nature of the brook can be compared to man in his youth when he is enthusiastic and is ready to face all the challenges that come in his way. After flowing by Philip's farm, the brook joins an overflowing river. Here, the brook significantly describes the life cycle of human being. It exemplifies the fact that men have a short lifespan and their cycle of arrival and departure goes on forever. However, in this aspect, the brook is different from man, having an immortal life because of which it goes on 'forever'. The noise made by the quick flow of the brook is what makes it 'chatter'. While the river wanders in a wild and natural course, it makes a natural swirling, chattering noise. Brimming here means to be abundantly filled with water, to the point of overflow. The poet has used 'brimming' to indicate the amount of water in the river which the brook joins finally. It creates a picture of immense volume and abundance. The brook flows in curves because at one point the path curves. The meandering flow makes it wear away. 'Slip', 'slide', 'gloom', 'glance', 'steal', 'slide', 'move', etc. are words which signify the various movements of the brook. The parallelism between the brook's journey and a man's life is evident in the lines where the brook is shown to take a lot of things along with it like blossoms, silt, gravel and fish which is quite similar to the way man meets and accompanies people and moves forward in life with the people he meets, in the journey of his life. The last two lines very well explains the central theme of the poem, that is, the fact that human life is mortal while the beauty of nature remains eternal. The brook says in these lines that human lives come to an end and another generation begins. However, the flow of the brook is continuous and goes on forever. The immortality and permanence of the brook has been compared and contrasted with human life, which is mortal and finishes after a certain span of time.

Answer 2

I come from haunts of coot and hern.- The brook starts from a place the coots (a kind of duck) & herns (commonly known as herons) spend most of their times.

I make a sudden sally,-The brook suddenly rushes down.

And sparkle out among the fern,-As the brook flows it sparkles because of sun rays, and it flows through a ground which mostly have grasses and flowerless plants (ferns).

To bicker down a valley.-The brook flows down a valley making noisy sounds.

By thirty hills I hurry down,-Here the brook swiftly flows down many hills. There are not literally 'Thirty hills' but the poet make's the line creative by using 'Thirty' and not 'many'.

Or slip between the ridges,-The brook 'slips'(quickly moves) between long narrow hilltops.

By twenty thorps, a little town,-The brook flows down past many villages (Thorp-Old word for village) -again the poet tries to make the line creative by using 'Twenty'-not literally 'Twenty villages' and a little town as well.

And half a hundred bridges.-The brook flows and passes by/through many bridges-not literally 'Half a hundred' bridges.

Till last by Philip's farm I flow-The brook flows by a farm probably owned by a man named Philip.

To join the brimming river,-After the farm he flows to join a overflowing river.

For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. Men/people have a short life spam but the brook is immortal so it has a longer life spam and hence goes on 'forever'.

I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles, -As the brook flows it chatters (makes a interesting and musical sound) over a stony creek bed.

I bubble into eddying bays, -When the brook flows backward it 'pushes' the air and makes bubbles.

I babble on the pebbles, -As the brook moves it makes sound because of the pebbles.

With many a curve my banks I fret-The brook flows curvily because at one point the path curves and it wears away.

By many a field and fallow,-The brook flows by many fields and bare places (fallows), probably the soil is infertile which is why the land is bare and no plants grow.

And many a fairy foreland set, With willow-weed & mallow. -There are many pieces of land sticking out in the brook (called foreland) which have some plants such as 'Willow-weed & mallow'. Where colorful & bright birds, insects & butterflies come which look like fairies from far away.

I chatter, chatter as I flow-The brook makes sound as it flows.

Answer 3

the simple meaning is that just like our lives even the brook has ups and downs but the brook doesn't looses its hope like us humans.It appreciates the life it has and experiences each feeling for example as it goes through rocks it says the sound is a very special sound and even the way the sun shines on the brook.Mainly its that the ups and downs that we experience in our lives are the stones/rocks the brook has to go through but still the brook never stops halfway so, by this the poem means that we should also be like the brook never stop when hard times appear.

Answer 4

1. "I come from haunts of coot and hern" - The brook originates from places where water birds like coots and herons reside.
2. "I make a sudden sally" - The brook flows swiftly in a sudden and energetic manner.
3. "I chatter, chatter, as I flow" - The brook produces a continuous babbling sound as it moves along its course.
4. "I wind about, and in and out" - The brook meanders and curves through its surroundings.

Answer 5

It means you need to get a dictionary

Answer 6

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