Get summary, workbook solutions, questions, answers, notes, pdf, and extras to the poem “A Dawn Song” by Ezra Pound, which is a part of Class 9 English syllabus for students studying under the Manipur Board (BSEM).
Summary
The poem begins by stating that God has placed the poet on Earth in order to sing joyfully. The poet believes that God has given him the important task of spreading happiness through his songs.
The poem then describes the scene of dawn that the poet is observing. He sees the sun rising and opening its “gate”, shedding delightful light on the earth. The morning breeze is fresh, cool, and pleasant.
The poet is inspired by this beautiful dawn scene. He decides to compose a happy, strong song to share with all people, his “brothers”, as they journey through life. His aim is to spread the optimism and cheer of this new day to everyone through his uplifting music.
The poem conveys the poet’s sense of wonder at God’s creation – the Earth and the glories of each new dawn. He feels grateful to have been placed on this earth. He is conscious of his duty to spread joy to others through his songs and poetry. The poem has an upbeat, positive tone as it celebrates the simple gifts of nature, light, and music.
The poet is praising God’s creation and the arrival of a new day. He aims to spread the cheer and energy of the dawn to his fellow humans through an uplifting song. The poem expresses themes of beauty, gratitude, duty, optimism, and the power of music. Its tone is spiritual, idealistic, and celebratory.
Line-by-line explanation
God hath put me here
God has placed me here on Earth.
In earth’s goodly sphere
On Earth, which is a good and pleasant place.
To sing the joy of the day,
In order to sing joyfully about each new day.
A strong glad song,
An energetic, happy song.
If the road be long,
Even if life’s journey is long.
To my fellows in the way.
To other people on life’s path.
So I make my song of the good glad light
Therefore, I will make a song celebrating the delightful morning light.
That falls from the gate of the sun,
Which shines down from the gates of heaven where the sun rises.
And the clear cool wind that bloweth good
And the fresh, pleasant morning breeze that blows.
To my brother Everyone.
To spread goodness to all my fellow human beings.
Textual notes
Comprehension
(A) Answer the following questions in a sentence each
I. Where has God put the poet?
Answer: God has put the poet on Earth.
II. What opinion does the poet have about the earth?
Answer: The poet has a positive opinion about the earth, calling it “earth’s goodly sphere”. He sees it as a pleasant, good place.
III. ‘If the road be long’ What does ‘road’ signify here?
Answer: Here, ‘road’ signifies the journey of life.
IV. What is the ‘source’ of the poet’s song?
Answer: The source of the poet’s song is the beautiful scene of dawn that he describes – the morning light and breeze.
V. Identify ‘brother’ in the last line.
Answer: ‘Brother’ in the last line refers to all human beings. The poet sees all people as his brothers.
(B) Answer the following questions briefly
I. What is the purpose of the poet’s life, according to him?
Answer: According to the poet, his purpose in life is to sing joyful songs to spread happiness and cheer.
II. What is the poet’s attitude to life?
Answer: The poet has a positive, optimistic attitude towards life. He aims to encourage others through cheerful songs.
III. What kind of song is the poet going to sing?
Answer: The poet is going to sing a glad, strong, upbeat song celebrating the beauty of dawn.
IV. ‘………… the clean cool wind that bloweth good’ Explain.
Answer: This line describes the pleasant, unpolluted morning breeze. The poet says it “bloweth good”, meaning it spreads goodness and positivity.
(C) Which part of the day do you think can best represent the entirety of the poem?
I. Morning II. Noon III. Evening IV. Night
Explain why you think so.
Answer: I think the part of the day that can best represent the entirety of the poem is the morning.
The poem focuses on describing a dawn scene – the rising sun, the fresh morning light and breeze. The poet is inspired by the optimism and cheer of this new day beginning. He decides to spread this upbeat feeling through his song. The spirit of the poem matches the energy and promise of the morning. Further, the poem’s themes of gratitude, duty and spreading joy are well captured by the image of a new day starting. Just as the dawn brings new possibilities, the poet aims to inspire others positively through his song hailing this dawn. Therefore, the morning, specifically dawn, aptly represents the poem’s ideas and tone.
Think and Answer
a) In the poem the poet has described some pleasant aspects of nature. One such description is ‘earth’s goodly sphere’. Attempt to write a few more pleasant aspects of nature that occur in the poem.
Answer: Some other pleasant aspects of nature described in the poem are:
- The sun rising and shedding its light (“the good glad light that falls from the gate of the sun”)
- The fresh, cool morning breeze (“the clear cool wind”)
- The dawn scene in general, which inspires the poet’s song
Discuss
(a) The poem shows that even at the earthly stage of the poet’s life, he realised what his duty in this earth ought to be and he pursued it. This is a kind of positive outlook towards life.
In the light of this statement given above, discuss it in your group and make a short note on the poet’s positive outlook elaborating (i) what it was (ii) how it has been fulfilled.
Answer: (i) The poet’s positive outlook was that his purpose in life was to spread joy and positivity through his songs.
(ii) He fulfilled this by composing a cheerful and optimistic song praising God’s creation and promising to sing glad songs to encourage his fellow humans on life’s journey.
(b) There is a saying in English “Morning shows the day”. Do you think the poet’s ‘morning’ showed his day? Discuss it in your group for presentation to the class.
Answer: Yes, the poet’s description of the pleasant morning in the poem reflects his positive and cheerful outlook on life. The imagery of the morning sun, cool breeze, etc. symbolises the brightness and freshness he wants to bring to people’s lives through his singing. So the beautiful morning he describes represents how he wants to make each day optimistic and fulfilling for others. His positive ‘morning’ sets the tone for how he wants his entire ‘day’ or life to be.
Extra MCQs
1. What does the poet say about life?
A. It is short B. It is precious C. It is boring D. It is miserable
Answer: B. It is precious
7. What is the poet’s outlook on life?
A. Negative B. Hopeful C. Gloomy D. Positive
Answer: D. Positive
Extra Questions and Answers
1. What is the poem about?
Answer: The poem is about the poet praising God’s creation and singing about the joy of the day to guide his fellow beings.
8. What is the significance of the dawn setting in the poem?
Answer: The dawn signifies new beginnings, hope and cheer. By singing about the dawn, the poet spreads this optimism about life being renewed everyday. It sets the tone for the rest of the day.
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