OFT, IN THE STILLY NIGHT
Thomas Moore
Oft, in the stilly night |
Introducing the Poet
Thomas Moore
(1779 - 1852) is an Irish poet, satirist, composer, and political propagandist.
Warm up
Memories, sweet
or sad, always live with us. We cherish fond memories. Elderly people who have
very little to look forward to often recall friendships and past incidents.
Nostalgia haunts them. Thomas Moore canvasses the memories of past and present
in this poem. It is one of the finest songs of Moore with complete adaptation
of words to music and music to words along with a high quality of poetical
merit in the verse. Read this poem and note how the poet longs for the days
gone by, and the dear ones who have passed away.
The Text
Oft, in the
stilly night,
Ere slumber's
chain has bound me,
Fond memory
brings the light
Of other days
around me; 4
The smiles, the
tears,
Of boyhood's
years,
The words of
love then spoken;
The eyes that
shone, 8
Now dimm'd and
gone,
The cheerful
hearts now broken!
Thus, in the
stilly night,
Ere slumber's
chain hath bound me, 12
Sad memory
brings the light
Of other days
around me.
When I remember
all
The friends, so
link'd together, 16
I've seen around
me fall,
Like leaves in
wintry weather;
I feel like one
Who treads alone
20
Some
banquet-hall deserted,
Whose lights are
fled,
Whose garlands
dead,
And all but he
departed! 24
Thus, in the
stilly night,
Ere slumber's
chain has bound me,
Sad memory
brings the light
Of other days
around me. 28
Summary
Often in the calm and quiet night. When sleep is delayed, fond memories of past days appear in the mind. The poet remembers the smiles and tears of boyhood days; he remembers the love-making days of the youth. He remembers his sweet youth when he looked elegant, eyes were lustrous. Those happy days have gone now. The shining eyes have become dimmed. The tender heart has broken into pieces. Thus the still night brings unhappy memories of the pre-shave of my past.
The poet, in the stilly nights, recalls his past friends. Once he had plenty of friends. His days were joyous among them. But they disappeared like leaves fall in winter. Now the poet is alone, friendless. He is treading lonely in a deserted banquet hall whose garlands are dead, whose lights are fled, all have departed except the old poet, Thomas Moore.
The poet
repeatedly says that often in the stilly night sad memories come to his mind
and makes his whole entity sad. Such feelings always come in old days when you
feel isolated, forlorn.
Oft in The Stilly Night Question Answer
1. When
do the past memories occur to the poet ?
Ans: Often in the still night, when a slumber's chain fails to bind the poet, past
memories occur to him.
2. What
does 'other days' mean?
Ans: 'Other days' means the past memories.
3. Are
the memories of boyhood sweet or sad ? Quote the line in support of your
answer. How does the poet grieve for his dear ones who have passed away ?
Ans: The memories of boyhood are both sweet and sad. The line which says it is - "The smiles, the tears of boyhood years." The poet grieves for his dear ones saying - "The shone now dimmed and gone."
4. How
does he recall his friends?
Ans: He
recalls his friends saying-I remember all the friends, so linked together - The
have fallen now. They have passed away.
5. Does
the poet feel lonely in the absence of his near and dear ones ? Quote the line
in support of your answer.
Ans: Yes,
the poet feels lonely in the absence of his near and dear ones, He says- All
the friends so linked together, I have seen around me fall like leaves in
wintry weather.
6. Simile
is a figure of speech used to make comparison between two unlike things using
'as', 'like'. What figure of speech does the poet use to express his loneliness
?
Ans: To
express his loneliness, the poet uses a figure of speech. It is - The friends
fall like leaves in wintry weather.
7. The
figure of speech used to express inanimate beings as animate is called
personification. Give the example of personification used in the poem.
Ans: The
example of personification is - I feel like one who treads alone at some
banquet - hall deserted, whose lights are fled, whose garlands are dead.
Thanks very much
ReplyDeletethanks bro
ReplyDeleteThank u very much
ReplyDelete