1. "Nor England! did I know till then What love I bore to thee." -Name the poem from which the above lines are quoted. Explain what is meant by 'till then'. When did the poet realise how deep his attachment was for his fatherland?
Ans. The lines are quoted from Wordsworth's poem 'I travell'd among unknown men'. The phrase 'till then' means until the poet had left England and gone abroad and stayed among unfamiliar people.
As long as the poet remained in England, he was unaware of his deep attachment for his fatherland. Only when he had gone abroad and lived away from his own people, he realised the depth of his love for England.
2. "Nor will I quit thy shore A second time." -Who says this? What is the meaning of the word 'quit'? What experience led the poet to take such a decision?
Ans. Wordsworth says this in his poem 'I travell'd among unknown men'. Quit' means 'to leave' or 'to go away from".
Once the poet had left England and gone abroad. He travelled in lands beyond the sea and lived among unknown and unfamiliar people. During this stay in foreign countries the poet constantly thought of England and her people. It was only then that he realised the depth of his attachment for England and her people. This experience led him to take the decision of never again leaving the shores of England.
3. Why is England so dear to Wordsworth?
Ans. Everyone loves his own country and his own people. Naturally, Wordsworth too is fond of England and the English people. But there is another special reason why he is so fond of the country. His beloved Lucy was an English girl. She lived and died in England. This adds a new and important dimension to the poet's attachment for his native land.
4. "Thy mornings show'd, thy nights conceal'd
The bowers where Lucy play'd;
And thine too is the last green field
That Lucy's eyes survey'd." --Whom does the poet address in this manner? Who is Lucy? The verbs 'show'd' and 'conceal'd' have the same object-what is it? Bring out the significance of the last two lines.
Ans. The poet Wordsworth thus addresses England which is his native country. Lucy is the poet's beloved.
The word 'bowers' serves as the object of both the verbs 'show'd' and 'conceal'd'.
The last two lines and, especially, the words 'the last green field' signify that Lucy has left this world for ever.
5. "Tis past, that melancholy dream!" -What is meant here by that melancholy dream'? How did it come to an end? What effect has it left on the poet?
Ans. The poet had once left England and stayed in foreign lands for sometime. During the period of his stay abroad, he pined for England and her people. He felt absolutely miserable, living in strange lands and among unknown people. It is this bitter experience that has been referred to here as 'that melancholy dream'.
This 'melancholy dream' came to an end when the poet returned to his native country.
This experience has made the poet firmly determined never again to leave the shores of England.
6. Something, which is stated explicitly in 'She dwelt among the untrodden ways', has been stated in an indirect manner in 'I travell'd among unknown men'. What is it?
Ans. In the concluding lines of 'She dwelt among the untrodden ways'. Wordsworth clearly tells us that Lucy is in her grave. But in the last two alue lines of 'I travell'd among unknown men', he says the same thing in an indirect manner. The phrase 'last green fields implies that Lucy is no more.
7. "I travell'd among unknown men"-Who is "I" and what did he not know till then?
Ans. The poet, Wordsworth driven perhaps by a unique wander-thirst travelled among unknown men in distant lands beyond the sea. At that Mange time he did not know what great love he bore towards England, his motherland.
8.T's past, that melancholy dream!"-What does the poet mean to say here?
Ans. The memory of having travelled among unknown men in lands beyond the sea is what the poet refers to as "that melancholy dream",
9. "Nor will I quit thy shore"-Who is the speaker here and why has the speaker taken such a decision?
Ans. The speaker is the poet William Wordsworth and the line occurs in the Lucy poem entitled "I travell'd among unknown men". The poet loves his motherland England from the core of his heart. Enthused by a deep patriotic fervour the poet resolves that he would never again leave the shores of England to explore lands beyond the sea.
10. "And she I cherish'd turn'd her wheel. Beside an English fire"-Who is 'she'? What does "English fire" symbolize here?
Ans. Lucy is referred to as "she". The expression English fire' which means an English dwelling has also an undercurrent of symbolical significance. It symbolizes an ordinary Englishman's pride in belonging to the English soil. The expression is a pointer to the poet's patriotic spirit.
