Back to: Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 9th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
The poet seems to be enthralled by the beauty of his beloved. He compares her to all the bounties of nature but finds her the most beautiful.
About the Poet
John Edward Masefield, (1878 –1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureat from 1930 until his death in 1967. He is remembered as the author of the classic children’s novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, 19 other novels (including Captain Margaret, Multitude and Solitude and Sad Harker), and many memorable poems, including “The Everlasting Mercy” and “Sea-Fever”, from his anthology Saltwater Ballads.
Theme
The poet appears enamoured with his beloved’s beauty. He compares her to all of nature’s wonders, yet she is his favourite.
Lines I- IV
I have seen dawn and sunset on moors and windy hills; Coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of Spain. I have seen the lady April bringing the daffodils; Bringing the springing grass and the soft warm April rain.
The poet begins by describing some beautiful events in nature like the sun when it rises or when it sets. Watching the sun from a height, especially from hills and moors is enchanting. He compares this sublimity of the sun to the old Spanish songs that give him a sense of peace. He has witnessed the beauty that spring in April brings forth, the blooming of the daffodils and the sweet showers that sprout the green grass.
Lines V- VII
I have heard the song of the blossoms and chant of the sea; And seen strange lands from under arched white sails of ships. But the loveliest things of beauty God ever has showed to me. Are her voice, and her hair, and eyes, and the dear red curve of her lips.
The poet recalls watching the blossoming of flowers and the sea splashing in waves as he travelled on his ship to explore foreign lands. All of these were thrilling experiences and beautiful too but the one he finds the loveliest, the one he is eternally grateful to have ever witnessed, is his love’s ethereal beauty. Her, voice, her eyes and her features, everything about her mesmerizes the poet.
