Question

‘Who hath not seen thee oft amid they store’? The person who seeks autumn can find her in a number of places. Autumn is no longer as full as described in Stanza 1. Autumn has been personified here.

a) What are the various places that autumn can be found in? Read lines 12-22 carefully and complete the table:

Autumn’s apperances	Location
______ ______ ______ ______	granary floor ______ ______ ______	What effect do these pictures have on the reader? How is this stanza different from stanza 1?

b) What are the various activities which autumn is doing or has paused in doing?

Lines 14-15 ______

Lines 16-17 ______

Lines 17-18 ______

Lines 18-19 ______

Lines 21-22 ______

c) ‘Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,’

1. What question does the poet ask here? Why?
2. What answer does the poet give?
3. What does the poet suggest by the phrase ‘songs of spring’?

d) ‘While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue’

1. Pick out the words which describe the following:
   • clouds
   • day
   • plains
2. Why does the poet use these words?

Answer 1

a) 

Autumn’s apperances	Location
Sitting careless on a granary floor Her hair softly lifted by the winnowing wind Sound asleep on a half-reaped furrow Drowsed with the fume of poppies	granary floor Granary floor Half-reaped furrow Poppy field	These pictures create vivid images of peace, stillness and abundance. They make autumn appear as a living woman who is relaxed and enjoying the fruits of the harvest. In Stanza 1, autumn is shown as a season of activity, ripeness and abundance. In Stanza 2, autumn is shown as calm, relaxed and almost inactive, resting after the busy harvest.

b) 

Lines 14-15: Sitting carelessly on the granary floor.

Lines 16-17: Her hair is softly lifted by the winnowing wind.

Lines 17-18: She is sound asleep on a half-reaped furrow.

Lines 18-19: She is drowsed by the fumes of poppies while the reaper's hook spares the next swath.

Lines 21-22: Watching patiently the last oozings from the cyder-press, hour after hour.

c) 

1. The poet asks where the songs of spring have gone. He asks this because spring is associated with freshness, growth and lively sounds, while autumn has its own quieter beauty and music.
2. He answers that autumn has its own music and there is no need to think about the songs of spring.
3. It suggests the joyful sounds of spring, especially the songs of birds and the lively sounds of nature.

d)

1. Words describing the following:
   • Clouds: barred
   • Day: soft-dying
   • Plains: stubble-plains
2. These words create vivid visual images of the evening sky and harvested fields. They show the beauty and gentle colours of the autumn evening as the day comes to an end.