English Text Book- Hornbill, Class 11

Ch-2- A PHOTOGRAPH,
by Shirley Toulson

A Photograph by Shirley Toulson

Title:The poem, “A Photograph” is composed in blank verse. Its title is very

much appropriate as it reminds the poet of her mother. A photograph is something
that captures a certain moment of someone’s life. The person might change in
course of time but the memories attached with the photograph are eternal. In this
poem, the poet’s mother is no more but the photograph makes her memories come
alive. The mother’s sweet face or her cousins heavily dressed up for the beach have
all changed with time but the moment captured in the photograph still gives
happiness to the poet’s mother when she views it thirty to forty years later. The poet
reminisces that the sea holiday was the past of her mother and for her the laughter
of her mother is past now. Both the moments of life have been permanently etched
in the poet’s mind with a feeling of eternal loss.
Death now has overpowered the innocence of these moments and the
pleasure they treasured. The poet concludes the poem on a melancholy note with
the comment that there is nothing to say or comment upon this sad event. The
silences seems to silence all the other thoughts.

dfork dk “kh’kZd] ^, QksVksxzkQ* ,d vrqdkaUr dkO; gSA bldk 'kh"kZd cgqr mi;qä gS D;ksafd ;g ds
dfo dks mldh eka dh ;kn fnykrk gSA ,d rLohj dqN ,slk gS tks fdlh ds thou dk ,d fuf'pr {k.k dSIpj
djrk gSA le; ds lkFk&2 O;fä cny ldrk gS ysfdu rLohj ls tqM+h ;knsa vuUr gSaA bl dfork esa] dfo dh eka
ej xbZ gS] ysfdu rLohj mldh ;knksa dks thfor djrh gSA ek¡ dk I;kjk psgjk ;k mlds ppsjh cfguksa dh lkxj rV
ds fy, rS;kjh ];s lHkh ckrsa le; ds lkFk cny xbZ gSa] ysfdu rLohj esa dSIpj gq;s iy vHkh Hkh dfo dh eka dks
[kq'kh nsrs gS tc og rhl&pkyhl lky ckn mls ns[krh gSAa dfo;=h ;kn djrh gS fd leqæ dh Nqêh mldh eka dk
vrhr Fkh vkSj mlds fy, mldh eka dh galh vc vrhr gks pqdh gSA thou ds nksuksa {k.k vuar uqdlku dh Hkkouk
ds lkFk LFkk;h :i ls dfo ds fnekx esa vafdr gS A

ekSr us vc ml vkuUn o {k.kksa dh csxqukgrk dks etcwr dj fy;k gS] tks mUgksus lafpr dh gSaA dfo
,d mnklhu Hkko lfgr bl dfork dks bl fVIi.kh ds lkFk lekIr djrk gS fd bl nq[kn ?kVuk ij dgus ;k
fVIi.kh djus ds fy, dqN Hkh ugha gSA pqIih lHkh vU; fopkjksa dh pqIih yxrh gSA
UNDERSTANDING THE LESSON THROUGH KEY SENTENCES:

1. The poet looks at the cardboard on which there is a childhood

photograph of her mother.
2. She had gone for a sea holiday with two her cousins Betty and Dolly
3. While they were paddling, their uncle took a photograph of them.
4. Both the cousins were holding the hands of her mother who was the
eldest among the girls.
5. This was before the poet was born
6. Time fled past since and all those who are in the photograph under went
changes while the sea remained the same.
7. Her mother would look at the photograph after about twenty to thirty
years and laugh nostalgically.

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 8. Now for the poet her mother’s laughter and her sea holiday is a thing of
the past.
9. Her mother died about 12 years ago.
10. The silence of the photograph silences the poet.
11. She experiences great loss.

eq [ ; okD;ks a ds ek/;e ls i<+u k le>uk

1- dfo ml dkMZ c ks M Z dks ns [ krh ga S ftl ij mldh eka dh cpiu dh rLohj yxh gS A
2- og viuhs nks pps j h cfguks a cs V ~ V h vkS j M‚yh ds lkFk lkxjrV ij Nq ê h eukus ds fy, xbZ FkhA
3- tc os iS M fya x dj jgs Fks ] rc muds pkpk us mudh rLohj [kha p h FkhA
4- nks u ks a pps j h cfgus a dfo dh eka ds gkFk dks idMs + Fkha tks yM+ f d;ks a es a lcls cM+ h Fkha A
5- ;g dfo ds tUe ls igys gq v k Fkk A
6- le; O;rhr gks x;k vkS j lHkh yks x tks rLohj es a Fks ] muds thou es a ifjorZ u gq , tcfd leq æ
;Fkkor cuk jgkA
7- mldh eka yxHkx 20 ls rhl lky ckn rLohj ns [ krh gS vkS j mnklhu Hkko ls g¡ l rh gS A
8- vc dfo ds fy, mudh eka dh ga l h vkS j muds leq æ dh Nq ê h vrhr dh ckr cu pq d h gS A
9- mudh eka dh e` R ;q 12 lky igys gq b Z FkhA
10- rLohj dh pq I ih us dfo dks pq i dj fn;kA
11-mUgs a egku uq d lku dh vuq H kw f r gks r h gS A

EXPLAINATION
Lines 1 – 4:
The cardboard shows me how it was
When the two girl cousins went paddling
Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,
And she the big girl – some twelve years or so.

In these lines, the poet describes looking through a photo album, the
pages of which seem to be made of cardboard. She is looking at one picture in
particular. It is a picture of three girls, the tallest and oldest one in the middle and two
younger and shorter ones at each side of her. The girl in the middle is the poet’s
mother, and the poet speculates that her mother must have been around twelve
years old when the picture was taken. The other two girls are two of her mother’s
cousins. Each of the cousins is holding on to one of the older girl’s hands for support.
The picture has been taken on a day that the three girls had gone paddling at the
beach.
bu iafä;ksa esa] dfo;=h ,d QksVks ,yce dh vksj ns[krh gSA og QksVks ,Yce dkMZcksMZ dk cuk
gqvk gSA og ml QksVks ,Yce esa ,d QksVks dh rjQ ns[krh gSA bl QksVks esa rhu yM+fd;k¡ gSaA lcls yEch ,oa cM+h
yM+dh chp esa [kM+h gqbZ gS vkSj vxy cxy NksVh yM+fd;kW gSaA dfo;=h ds vuqlkj chp okyh yM+dh mldh ek¡ dh
QksVks gS vkSj dfo;=h vuqeku yxkrh gS fd tc ;g QksVks fy;k x;k Fkk ml oä mudh ek¡ dh mez 12 lky ds
yxHkx gksxhA vU; nks NksVh yM+fd;k ekW dh ppsjh cgusa gSa] tks mlds vxy cxy lgkjs ds fy;s mldk gkFk idM+
ds [kM+h gqbZ gSaA vkSj ;g QksVks ml fnu fy;k x;k Fkk tc os rhuksa yM+fd;kW leqæ rV ij ?kweus xbZ FkhA
Lines 5 – 9:
All three stood still to smile through their hair
At the uncle with the camera, A sweet face
My mother’s, that was before I was born
And the sea, which appears to have changed less
Washed their terribly transient feet.

In these lines, the poet further describes the conditions in which the photograph of
her mother and her mother’s cousins was taken. The poet says that her mother’s

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uncle had been the one to take the photograph. He had asked the three girls to pose
for him, and so they had. They had left their wet hair open, and their hair was
obscuring part of their faces. Through the film of hair covering their mouths, one
could see that they were smiling into the camera. However, one face in the picture
draws the poet’s attention to a greater degree than the other two faces. It is her
mother’s face that she is concentrating on, and she comments that the face was a
sweet one. The poet also says that the photograph was taken long before her own
birth. Since then, her mother’s face had of course changed since the time the
photograph had been taken. In contrast to this, the sea which lay along the beach
where the photograph was taken had changed to a lesser degree. That very sea had
been washing the feet of the poet’s mother and her two younger cousins the day the
photograph had been taken. The poet calls those feet “terribly transient” since all the
girls in that photograph had stopped being so young and had grown up since then.
Their childhood hasn’t lasted very long.
bu iafä;ksa esa dfo;=h ml le; ds ckjs esa vkSj Hkh foLrkj ls crkrh gS tc mudh ek¡ vkSj mldh cguks
dk QksVks fy;k x;k FkkA dfo;=h ds vuqlkj ;s QksVks mudh ek¡ ds pkpk us fy;k FkkA mUgksaus rhuks yM+fd;ksa dks
ikst nsus dgk gksxk vkSj yM+fd;ksa us oSlk gh fd;k gksxkA rhuks yM+fd;ksa us vius Hkhxs tqYQks dks [kqyk j[kk Fkk
ftlls muds psgjs ds dqN Hkkx <d tk jgs FksA ;/kfi ckyks ls mudk pgsjk <d tk jgk Fkk ysfdu blds ckn esa
mudk eqLdqjkuk lkQ utj vk jgk FkkA muds gWLkrs gq, psgjksa esa ls ,d pgsjs us dfo;=h ds /;ku dks [khapk FkkA
oks mudh ek¡ dk pgsjk Fkk tks dfo;=h ds fglkc ls cgqr I;kjh FkhA muds fglkc ls ;s QksVks muds tUe ds cgqr
igys yh xbZ Fkh vkSj blh dkj.ko'k vc mudh ek¡ cgqr ifjofrZr gks pqdh gS ftldh Nfo bl QksVks ls ugha feyrh
gSA ysfdu blds foijhr leqæ tgka ;s QksVks fy;k x;k Fkk oks vkt Hkh oSlk gh gS mles vis{kk—r de cnyko vk;k
gSA ftl le; ;g QksVks fy;k x;k Fkk ml le; leqæ dh ygjs ckj&ckj dfo;=h dh ek¡ vkSj mudh cguks ds iSjks
dks /kks jgh FkhA dfo us mu iSjks dks vLFkkbZ crk;k gS D;ksafd oks T;knk fnu rd oSls ugha jgs vkSj lHkh yM+fd;k
cM+h gksxhA vkSj bl rjg mudk cpiu T;knk fnu rd ugha py ik;kA
Lines 10 – 13:
Some twenty- thirty- years later
She’d laugh at the snapshot. “See Betty
And Dolly,” she’d say, “and look how they
Dressed us for the beach.” The sea holiday

In these lines, the poet stops looking at the photograph and recalls what her mother
used to say about the photograph. The poet isn’t sure whether it was twenty years
after the photograph was taken, or thirty years after it, but she remembers her
mother telling her to look at how the cousins, called Betty and Dolly, looked at that
young age. The poet’s mother also asked her to look at how their parents had
dressed them up for a visit to the beach. Perhaps the plan to take the photograph
had been there all along.
bu iafä;ksa esa] dfo;=h QksVksxzkQ dks ns[kuk can dj nsrh gS vkSj ;g ;kn djrh gS fd mldh eka us rLohj ds
ckjs esa D;k dgk FkkA dfo;=h ;g lqfuf'pr ugha dj ik jgh gS dh ;g rLohj fdruh iqjkuh gS] 20 lky ;k fQj
30 lkyA ysfdu mUgsa viuh ek¡ dh dgh gqbZ ckr fd mudh cgus csV~Vh vkSj MkWyh cpiu esa dSls fn[krh Fkh];g
;kn gSA dfo=h dh ek¡ us mUgsa ;s Hkh crk;k Fkk dh dSls muds ekrk firk us mUgsa ml fnu lkxj rV ?kqekus ds fy,
rS;kj fd;k Fkk A mUgsa yxrk gS dh muds ekrk firk us igys gh muds QksVks ysus dk fu.kZ; dj fy;k gksxkA
blfy, mUgsa bl rjg rS;kj djk;k x;k FkkA
Lines 14 – 15:
was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.

In these lines, the poet says that her mother used to consider the photograph as an
inroad to the past that she had left behind. On the other hand, the poet herself
considered the memory of her mother laughing as a relic of the past that she missed
every day. In both cases, the memories of the past made the two women
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contemplating them feel disappointed as they tried hard to come to terms with what
they had lost.
dfo;=h crkrh gSa dh muds ek¡ bu rLohjksa dks vrhr dh ;knks dks fQj ls thus dk ,d tfj;k le>rh Fkh
tks dh ihNs NwV pwdk FkkA nwljh vksj dfo;=h vius ek¡ ds ckjs esa lksprh gSa fd dSls oks gWLkrh Fkh vkSj gj ,d
le; oks mudks ;kn djrh gSaA nksuksa ekeyksa esa nksuksa efgyk,a ,d rLohj dks ns[k dj fujk”kk esa vius chrsa gq;s dy
dks ;kn djrh gSa tks mudks vkSj okil ugha fey ldrkA
Lines 16 – 19:
Now she has been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all,
Its silence silences.
In these lines, the poet says that her mother has been dead for the past twelve
years, that is, the same number of years that was the age of her mother in the
photograph she had been looking at. The poet is able to think of her mother’s death,
but she has no words with which to explain how that death has affected her. The fact
that the death has silenced her mother has also left her speechless.
bu iafdr;ksa esa dfo;=h dgrh gSa fd mudh ek¡ dks ejs gq;s 12 lky gks x, gSa vkSj oks ,dne ogh mez
gSa tks ml QksVks esa mudh ek¡ dh FkhA og vius ek¡ dh e`R;q ds ckjs esa lksp rks ik jgh gS ysfdu oks ;s ugha crk
ldrh fd dSls mldhs ek¡ dh e`R;q us muds thou dks çHkkfor fd;kA lp rks ;g gS dh ftl e`R;q ds dkj.k ges'kk
ds fy, mldh ek¡ pqi gks xbZ Fkh mlh dkj.k o'k dfo;=h ds ikl Hkh cksyus ds fy, dksbZ 'kCn ugha jgs A

QUESTION AND ANSWER

1. Comment on the tone of the poem.

The tone of the poem is that of sadness. Shirley Toulson looks at an old
photograph of her mother and is reminded of her mother who is no more. She recalls
the moment when her mother was twelve years old and looked sweet and happy.

1- dfork ds Hkko@Loj ij fVIi.kh djsaA

dfork esa nq[k dk Hkko@Loj gS A'kyhZ V‚Ylu viuh eka dh ,d iqjkuh rLohj ns[krh gSa vkSj viuh eka dks
;kn djrh gS tks vc thfor ugha gSA og mu {k.kksa dks ;kn djrh gSa tc mldh eka ckjg lky dh Fkh vkSj e/kqj
vkSj [kq'k fn[krh FkhA

2. What is the significance of the ‘cardboard frame?’

The cardboard frame or the photograph shows the lack of permanence of human life.

2- dkMZcksMZ Ýse dk D;k egRo gS\

dkMZcksMZ Qzse ;k rLohj esa ekuo thou dh LFkkf;Ro dh deh dk irk pyrk gSA

3. What emotions does the poet’s mother have when she looks at the photograph?
The mother feels nostalgic looking at her bygone years. She laughs out loud and tells her
daughter how her cousins had dressed up for the beach. She recalls those days when she was
innocent and playful.
3- tc dfo;=h dh ekW QksVksxzkQ ns[krh gS rks mudh D;k Hkkouk,a D;k gksrh gS\a
eka vius chrs o"kksaZ ij mnklhu fn[k jgh gSA og tksj ls galrs gq, viuh csVh ls dgrh gSa fd dSls mldh
ppsjh cgusa rSjkdh dh iks”kkd eas leqæ rV ds fy, rS;kj gks xbZ FkhA og mu fnuksa ;kn djrh gSa tc og
funksZ"k@vcks/k vkSj papy FkhaA

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4. What is silence and how has it silenced the poet?
The death of the poet’s mother has silenced the poet. The poet is left without words,
she has nothing to say.
4- pqIih D;k gS vkSj mlus dfo dks dSls pqi fd;k gS\
dfo dh eka dh e`R;q us dfo;=h dks pqi dj fn;k gSA dfo;=h “kCn foghu gS] mlds ikl dgus ds fy, dqN
ugha gSA

5. ‘Each photograph is a memory.’ Justify the statement in the light of the poem.
Photographs are memories that are captured and kept for lifetime purposes. Shirley Toulson’s
“A Photograph” captures one such moment when her mother was young and she went on a
beach holiday with her cousins. Gone are these days of the mother and her cousins but the
photograph manages to bring back those memories even after thirty years later. The laughter
of the mother while seeing the photograph has become a past incident. But the photograph
allows the poet to recall and revive the laughter through the image captured thirty years back.
Therefore, photographs are indeed memories.
5- ^çR;sd rLohj ,d Le`fr *gSA dfork ds vkyksd esa Li’V djsa\
rLohjsa ;knsa gSa ftUgsa [khapdj vkSj thoudky ds ç;kstuksa ds fy, j[kk x;k gSA 'kyhZ V‚Ylu dk *, QksVksxzkQ^
,sls {k.k dks dSIpj djrk gS tc mldh eka toku Fkha vkSj og vius ppsjh cfguksa ds lkFk leqæ rV ij Nqêh eukus
xbZ FkhA eka vkSj mldh ppsjh cfguksa ds fnuksa vrhr gks x, gSa] ysfdu rLohj rhl lky ckn Hkh mu ;knksa dks okil
ykus esa lQy jgh gSA tc dfo;=h rLohj ns[krh gS rks mUgsa yxrk gS fd eka dh galh fiNyh ?kVuk cu xbZ gSA
ysfdu rLohj rhl lky igys dh Nfo ds ek/;e ls dfo;=h dks ;kn djus vkSj galh dks iquthZfor djus ds fy,
vuqefr nsrh gSA blfy,] rLohjsa okLro esa ;knsa gSAa

6. What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?
The cardboard is a part of a photo frame that keeps the photograph intact. It is made of very
stiff and hard paper. The poet has ironically used it in her poem, ‘The Photograph.’ This
cardboard helps in keeping the photograph of the 12 year old girl safely intact who herself
was of transient nature.

6- dfork esa *dkMZcksMZ^ 'kCn dk D;k vFkZ gS\ bl 'kCn dk mi;ksx D;ksa fd;k x;k gS\

dkMZcksMZ ,d QksVks Ýse dk ,d fgLlk gS tks rLohj dks cjdjkj j[krk gSA ;g cgqr dBksj vkSj dfBu dkxt
ls cuk gS dfo us fofp= :i ls bls viuh dfork *, QksVksxzkQ^ esa ç;ksx fd;k gSA ;g dkMZcksMZ 12 o"kZ dh yM+dh
dh rLohj dks lqjf{kr :i ls cjdjkj j[kus esa enn djrk gS] tks [kqn gh {k.kHkaxqj ç—fr dh FkhA
7. What has the camera captured?
The camera had captured the three girls, the pretty face of the poet’s mother who
was a girl of twelve at that time. It has also captured the smiling faces of the two girl
cousins Betty and Dolly. They are holding the hands of the poet’s mother.
7- dSejs us D;k dSIpj fd;k gS\
dSejs us rhu yM+fd;ksa dh QksVks dSIpj dh Fkh] dfo dh eka dk lqanj psgjk tks ml le; ckjg dh yM+dh FkhA
blus nks ppsjh cguksa csêh vkSj M‚yh ds eqLdqjkrs psgjksa dks dSIpj fd;k gSA os dfo;=h dh eka ds gkFkksa dks idM+s gqbZ
gSaSA

8. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you?
Only the sea has not changed over the years. The pretty faces and the feet of the
three girls have changed over time. They are transient because time spares none.
8- o"kksaZ esa D;k ugha cnyk gS\ D;k ;g vkidks dqN lq>ko nsrk gS\
dsoy o"kksaZ esa leqæ esa cnyko ugha gqvk gSA le; ds lkFk lqanj psgjs vkSj rhu yM+fd;ksa ds iSj cny x, gSaA os
{kf.kd gSa D;ksafd le; fdlh dks Hkh {kek ugha djrk gSA

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9. The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?
The poet’s mother laughed at the photograph which was taken years ago. In the
photograph, she as well as her two little cousins stood holding each other’s hand.
She laughed at all of them because they were heavily dressed up for the beach.
Perhaps they looked funny to her. Their laughter indicated the youthful spirit.
9- dfo dh eka LuSi'k‚V ij g¡lhsA bl g¡lus ls D;k ladsr feyrk gS\
dfo dh eka ml rLohj ij g¡lh tks lkyksa igys [khaph xbZ FkhA rLohj esa] og vkSj mldh nks NkVhs ppsjh
cfgusa ,d&nwljs ds gkFk idM+s gq, FkhA og mu lHkh ij g¡lh D;ksafd os cgqr leqæ rV ds fy, rS;kj FkhA 'kk;n os
mlds fy, vthc yx jgs FksA mudh galh esa ;qok vkRek dk izn”kZu FkkA

10. What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss”
Both the mother and the poet suffered a great sense of loss. The mother lost
her childhood innocence and youthful spirit that the photograph had captured some
years ago. On the other hand, the poet has lost the smile of her mother, which
has become a thing of the past. Later, she loses her mother too.
10- vLokHkkfod gkfu u gksuk bl O;aX;kRed euksjatd iafDr dk vFkZ D;k gS\
nksuksa ekrk vkSj dfo dks uqdlku ds Hkko dk ,glkl gSA ek¡ us viuh cpiu dh ljyrk vkSj ;qok Hkkouk [kks
nh tks rLohj esa dqN lky igys dSIpj gqbZ FkhA nwljh vksj] dfo dh viuh eka dh eqLdqjkgV [kks xbZ gS] tks vrhr
dh ckr cu xbZ gSA ckn esa] og viuh eka dks Hkh [kks nsrh gSA

11. What does “this circumstance” refer to?

The ‘circumstance’ here refers to the death of the poet’s mother. The photograph of
her dead mother makes the poet nostalgic and brings sad feelings from the past. But
the poet has nothing to say at all about the circumstance because death is
inevitable.
11- ^bl ifjfLFkfr* dk D;k vFkZ gS\
;gka ^ifjfLFkfr*”kCn dfo dh eka dh e`R;q ds fy;s mfYyf[kr gSA mldh e`r eka dh rLohj dfo dks mnklhu cuk
nsrh gS vkSj vrhr dh ;knksa ls nq[k dh Hkkouk,a iSnk gkstkrh gSA ysfdu dfo ds ikl dgus dks dqN Hkh ugha gS
D;ksafd e`R;q vo”;EHkkoh gSA

12. The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they?
The first stanza shows the poet’s mother as a twelve year old girl with a pretty
smiling face. Then she is paddling with her two girl cousins on a beach. They all
have a happy youthful laughter. This is before the poet was born. The second stage
describes the middle-aged mother laughing at her own snapshot that was taken a
long time back. The third stage describes the silence on the poet’s face at the death
of her mother.

12- rhu inksa esa rhu vyx&vyx pj.kksa dks n'kkZ;k x;k gSA os D;k gS\a

igys in esa dfo dh eka dks lqUnj eqLdqjkrs gq, psgjs ;qDr ,d ckjg lky dh yM+dh ds :i esa fn[kk;k x;k
gSA fQj og leqæ rV ij viuh nks ppsjh cfguksa ds lkFk iSMfyax dj jgh gSAos lc izlUufpRr ;qok g¡lh gWl jgh
gSA ;g dfo;=h ds iSnk gksus ls igys dk le; gSA nwljs pj.k esa e/;e vk;q okyh dfo dh ekrk dk vius LuSi'k‚V
dks ns[kdj g¡lus dk o.kZu fd;k x;k gS tks cgqr yacs le; igys fy;k x;k FkkA rhljk pj.k mldh eka dh e`R;q
ij dfo ds psgjs ij [kkeks”kh ds Hkko o.kZu djrk gSA

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