The Echoing Green Summary and Explanation
PSEB Class 12 English Poem 3- The Echoing Green Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from A Rainbow of English Book
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PSEB Class 12 English Poem 3 – The Echoing Green
William Blake
The poem “The Echoing Green” by William Blake from his book the Songs of Innocence, is a poem about the joy of life and cycle of human life. The green field in the village comes alive with the cheerful and joyful voices of the children and the songs of birds, creating a musical and lively atmosphere. Old people sit under an oak tree and reminisce about their own youth and the joys of their childhood. However, there is no sadness here, just a sense of peace, happiness and nostalgia. Through this poem, Blake highlights the simple beauty and joy of life and nature, and the natural cycle of life from youth to old age, ending in peace and contentment.
- The Echoing Green Summary
- The Echoing Green Summary in Hindi
- The Echoing Green Theme
- The Echoing Green Explanation
- The Echoing Green Poetic Devices
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The Echoing Green Summary
The poem “The Echoing Green” by William Blake talks about the happiness of childhood and the natural and continuous cycle of life. The poem begins with the bright and cheerful morning of spring, where the sun rises, the sky is clear, birds sing, and church bells ring. This joyful atmosphere is symbolic of nature celebrating life. Blake goes on to highlight how the children fill the village green with laughter and games, enjoying the carefree days of their youth. Under an old oak tree, elderly people watch them and reminisce of their own childhood, feeling both joy and nostalgia. As the day comes to an end, the sun sets, and the green becomes quiet and dark, symbolising the end of life. The children grow tired and rest in their mothers’ laps, just as life eventually leads to complete peace and rest in old age. Through this scene, Blake shows that life moves in a circle, from birth and joy to maturity and finally to rest, while nature still remains a constant companion throughout it all.
Summary of the Poem The Echoing Green in Hindi
विलियम ब्लेक की कविता “द इकोइंग ग्रीन” बचपन की खुशियों और जीवन के स्वाभाविक एवं निरंतर चक्र की बात करती है। कविता बसंत की उज्ज्वल और हर्षित सुबह से शुरू होती है, जहाँ सूरज उगता है, आसमान साफ़ होता है, पक्षी गाते हैं और चर्च की घंटियाँ बजती हैं। यह आनंदमय वातावरण प्रकृति द्वारा जीवन का उत्सव मनाने का प्रतीक है। ब्लेक आगे बताते हैं कि कैसे बच्चे गाँव के हरे-भरे वातावरण को हँसी और खेल से भर देते हैं, अपनी जवानी के बेफिक्र दिनों का आनंद लेते हैं। एक पुराने ओक के पेड़ के नीचे, बुजुर्ग लोग उन्हें देखते हैं और अपने बचपन की यादें ताज़ा करते हैं, खुशी और पुरानी यादों का अनुभव करते हैं। जैसे-जैसे दिन ढलता है, सूरज ढलता है, और हरियाली शांत और अँधेरी हो जाती है, जो जीवन के अंत का प्रतीक है। बच्चे थक जाते हैं और अपनी माताओं की गोद में आराम करते हैं, ठीक वैसे ही जैसे जीवन अंततः बुढ़ापे में पूर्ण शांति और विश्राम की ओर ले जाता है। इस दृश्य के माध्यम से, ब्लेक दर्शाते हैं कि जीवन एक चक्र में चलता है, जन्म और आनंद से लेकर परिपक्वता और अंततः विश्राम तक, जबकि प्रकृति अभी भी इस सब के दौरान एक निरंतर साथी बनी रहती है।
Theme of the Poem The Echoing Green
The poem “The Echoing Green” by William Blake revolves around the following themes:-
Joy of Childhood
The poem beautifully emphasizes the innocence and happiness of children, as their laughter fills the green with life and cheer. The children’s playful activities are full of energy and freedom, showing childhood as a time of carefree delight.
Cycle of Life
The poem highlights life as a natural progression from youth to old age. The children’s play in the bright and lively morning symbolizes the beginning of life, while the setting sun and darkening green symbolizes the ending of the day and old age. Through this, the poet highlights the inevitable passage of time.
Nostalgia and Continuity
The poem throughout emphasizes nostalgia and continuity, such as the depiction of old people sitting under the oak tree, recalling their own childhood and smiling at the children’s play. Their memories bridge the gap between past and present, showing that life’s joys are repeated across different generations. The poet suggests that while time moves forward, the pleasures of life continue in different forms.
The Echoing Green Explanation
Poem:
The Sun does arise
And make happy the skies,
The merry bells ring
To welcome the Spring,
The skylark and thrush,
The birds of the bush,
Sing louder around
To the bells’ cheerful sound,
While our sports shall be seen
On the Echoing Green.
Word Meanings:
skies (phrase): the sky in a particular state or place
merry bells (n): small bells producing a cheerful sound
skylark (n): a small, brown bird that is known for its beautiful singing
thrush (n): a brown bird with a pale breast with spots on it that is known for its singing
the echoing green (n): an open green space or a playground in the village, reverberating with the noise made by the children and the birds
Explanation of the stanza: The poet begins the poem by describing a bright spring morning filled with joy and life. The sun rises, making the sky look cheerful and happy, while bells ring to announce the arrival of spring. Birds like the skylark and thrush sing beautifully from the bushes, adding to the happiness of the scene. Their songs blend with the sound of the bells, creating a joyful atmosphere. Meanwhile, children can be seen playing on the village green with their laughter and games filling the village with joy. This shows a perfect harmony between nature and human happiness.
Poem:
Old John with white hair
Does laugh away care,
Sitting under the oak
Among the old folk.
They laugh at our play,
Word Meanings:
care (n): the feeling of worry or anxiety
oak (n): a large tree that is common in northern parts of the world, or the hard wood of this tree
old-folk (n): aged people
Explanation of the stanza: In the village, Old John, an elderly man with white hair, sits happily under a big oak tree with other old people. The old people watch and observe the children playing on the village grounds and laugh, forgetting their own worries. Their happiness highlights that the children’s play and games bring them joy and happiness and in turn remind them of their own youth. This scene highlights and bridges the gap between two different generations, showcasing that the joy of youth brings comfort to the old.
Poem:
And soon they all say:
“Such, such were the joys
When we all, girls and boys,
In our youth-time were seen
On the Echoing Green.”
Word Meanings:
youth-time (n): the period of your life when you are young
Explanation of the stanza: The poet continues to emphasize how the old people remember about their own youth and childhood. Watching the children play in the village green, they say that these joys were the same that they themselves experienced when they were young boys and girls who played on the same village green years ago. This showcases the nostalgia experienced by the elders and the passage of time, reflecting how the cycle of life continues, but youthful joy still remains even as the generations continue to change, thus connecting the past with the present.
Poem:
Till the little ones, weary,
No more can be merry;
The sun does descend,
And our sports have an end.
Round the laps of their mothers
Many sisters and brothers,
Like birds in their nest,
Are ready for rest,
And sport no more seen
On the darkening Green.
Word Meanings:
weary (adj.): tired
descend (v): come down
nest (n): a structure built by birds or insects to leave their eggs in to develop
Explanation of the stanza: The poet, now ending the poem, describes the peaceful ending of the day. The children, tired from playing, are now less cheerful. The sun sets, bringing an end to their fun and games. They gather around their mothers and rest in their mothers’ laps, similar to how birds return to their nests at night. The lively green of the morning, now is quiet and dark as the day ends and the evening falls. This showcases how joy and happiness slowly give way to rest and calm, symbolising the cycle of life, with the lively and bright youth to the calmness and stillness of old age.
The Echoing Green Poetic Devices
The poem “The Echoing Green ” by William Blake consists of the following poetic devices:-
Imagery
Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses.
- “The Sun does arise / And make happy the skies”
The poet uses vivid imagery to create a cheerful picture of spring, children, and nature.
Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick successions, such as the sound of /s/ in “years slide soft away.”
- “birds of the bush.”
Repetition of consonant sounds gives rhythm and musicality.
Simile
It is a figure of speech that compares two unlike or different things.
- “Like birds in their nest”
The poet compares resting children to safe, peaceful birds.
Symbolism
It is the use of an object, person, situation or word to represent something else, like an idea, in literature.
- Spring – Childhood
- Oak tree – Old age
- Darkening Green – Life’s end
The poet uses symbolism to present the cycle of human life from birth to death.
Conclusion
This post provides the students with a comprehensive understanding of the Poem 3 – The Echoing Green By William Blake from the PSEB Class 12 English A Rainbow of English Book. It provides the students with the introduction, theme, summary, poem explanation with word meanings, ensuring that the students comprehend the chapter effectively.