“The Brook” Summary Class 8(podar)

The speaker of the poem, the brook itself, explains that it started out in a body of
water where birds called coot and heron often gather. Suddenly, the brook rushes
forward. The sunlight glitters on the water as the brook weaves through greenery that
grows beside the stream bank. The brook then flows gently into a valley.
Gaining momentum, the brook tumbles down many hills and seeps through narrow
crevices on some of the hillsides. Along the way, the brook passes several villages and
a small town, and flows underneath lots of bridges.
Finally, the brook glides past a farm that belongs to a man named Philip. The brook is
on its way to be absorbed by the river, which is already huge and overflowing. The
brook claims that while humans live short, impermanent lives, the brook itself will
always endure.
Picking its journey back up, the brook rushes over stone paths and streets, sounding
like music as it flows over the rocks. The brook pools into bays filled with churning
water and then tumbles over small stones that line the shore or are at the bottom of
the bay.
The brook curves around the stream bank and passes many meadows and plots of
farmland, both in use and left to rest, as it travels through the countryside. It also
flows alongside land that seems to belong to fairies, its landscape dotted with green
leafy plants and delicate blossoms.
Rushing along, the brook makes little trickling noises as it travels to the almost
overflowing river. The brook reminds the listener that human life is fleeting, but the
brook itself is eternal.
The brook meanders through the countryside, zig zagging across the landscape. It
points out a flower drifting along with its waters, a few particularly hearty trout, and
some freshwater fish called graylings.
Occasionally, the brook's water bubbles up and foams as it journeys toward the
river. The surface of the brook sometimes forms little waves that crash melodically on
top of the pebbles and sand down below in the stream bed.
The vigorous brook pulls the pebbles, flower petals, and fish along with it as it rushes
to join up with the large river. While humankind's time on earth is short and
temporary, the brook will continue to live on with no end in sight.
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The brook quietly creeps past meadows and fields carpeted with grass and slips
through densely planted hazel trees that shade the landscape. The rippling water
nudges wildflowers called forget-me-nots that grow along the stream bank; the brook
says these particular wildflowers are meant for people who are blissfully in love.
The brook describes how it moves along quietly, sometimes looking dark and murky.
Other times, the light playfully bounces off of the stream (or perhaps the stream
bounces off of the riverbank). All the while, birds called swallows barely brush the
water's surface as they search for food. The sunlight shines through the foliage that
surrounds the stream, casting a woven pattern on the surface of the water; reflecting
on a moving surface, the sunlight looks like it is dancing playfully upon the brook's
sandy, shallow water.
The water makes low, quiet sounds as it travels during nighttime, flowing past a forest
filled with prickly shrubs. The stream slows its pace when it comes to a sandbank
heaped with little pebbles and spends another unhurried moment swirling around the
leafy greens (such as watercress) that grow in the shallow waters of the stream.
Once again, the brook continues its winding journey to merge with the big river. The
brook reminds listeners that although individual humans are born and die, the brook is
eternal.

Stanza-by-stanza explanation of "The Brook" by Alfred Lord

Stanza 1
"I come from haunts of coot and Hern,
I make a sudden sally,
And sparkle out among the fern,
To bicker down a valley."
 Explanation:
The brook begins its journey from quiet places where birds like coots and herons
live. It rushes out suddenly, shining brightly as it flows through the ferns and
noisily ("bicker") moves down a valley. This stanza shows the brook’s lively start.
Stanza 2
"By thirty hills I hurry down,
Or slip between the ridges,
By twenty thorps, a little town,
And half a hundred bridges."
 Explanation:
The brook flows quickly past many hills and between small mountain ridges. It
passes through villages ("thorps"), a small town, and crosses under numerous
bridges. This stanza highlights the brook’s journey through different landscapes.
Stanza 3
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"Till last by Philip's farm I flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever."
 Explanation:
The brook finally flows past Philip’s farm and merges with a large river. The lines
"men may come and men may go, but I go on forever" mean that while human
lives are temporary, the brook (nature) is eternal and continues flowing
endlessly.
Stanza 4
"I chatter over stony ways,
In little sharps and trebles,
I bubble into eddying bays,
I babble on the pebbles."
 Explanation:
The brook makes cheerful, chattering sounds as it flows over stones. It creates
swirling movements in the water (eddy) and babbles noisily when it moves over
pebbles. This stanza emphasizes the brook’s lively and playful nature.
Stanza 5
"With many a curve my banks I fret
By many a field and fallow,
And many a fairy foreland set
With willow-weed and mallow."
 Explanation:
The brook erodes ("frets") its banks as it winds and curves through fields and
uncultivated lands. It passes small patches of land filled with plants like willow-
weed and mallow, creating a beautiful, magical scene.
Stanza 6
"I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,
Among my skimming swallows;
I make the netted sunbeam dance
Against my sandy shallows."
 Explanation:
The brook moves in various ways—it slips, slides, and glides. Swallows skim over
its surface, and sunlight dances on its shallow sandy bed, creating a dazzling and
lively visual.

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Stanza 7
"I murmur under moon and stars
In brambly wildernesses;
I linger by my shingly bars,
I loiter round my cresses."
 Explanation:
The brook flows softly at night under the moon and stars through wild,
overgrown areas ("brambly wildernesses"). It slows down near small pebbly
areas ("shingly bars") and plants like watercress, showing its calm and peaceful
moments.
Stanza 8
"And out again I curve and flow
To join the brimming river,
For men may come and men may go,
But I go on forever."
 Explanation:
As the brook reaches the end of its journey, it curves and flows into the larger
river. The repeated lines "men may come and men may go, but I go on forever"
emphasize the eternal and unchanging nature of the brook compared to the
transient lives of humans.

Summary
The Brook is a poem about a stream’s journey from its source in the hills to its union
with a river. Through personification, the brook describes itself as lively and playful,
chattering over stones, bubbling in bays, and gliding through meadows and wilderness.
It highlights nature's eternal flow, contrasting it with the temporary nature of human
life. The repeated lines "men may come and men may go, but I go on forever" convey
the theme of continuity and the enduring beauty of nature.

Word Meanings
1. Coot and hern: Waterbirds; "coot" refers to a duck-like bird, and "hern" means
heron.
2. Sally: A sudden movement or rush forward.
3. Bicker: A sound of rapid, noisy flow.
4. Thorps: Small villages.
5. Brimming: Full to the edge, overflowing.
6. Chatter: Rapid, high-pitched, cheerful sound (here, describing the brook’s
sound).
7. Eddying: Moving in a circular motion (used for water currents).
8. Fallow: Unused or uncultivated land.

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 9. Foreland: A projecting piece of land.
10.Willow-weed and mallow: Types of plants commonly found near water bodies.
11.Shingly bars: Pebbly or gravelly areas in a stream.
12.Cresses: Aquatic plants that grow in or near water.

Rhyme Scheme
The poem follows a consistent ABAB rhyme scheme throughout.

Poetic Devices
1. Personification
The brook is personified throughout the poem, speaking in the first person as if it were
alive. Examples:
 "I chatter over stony ways."
 "I make the netted sunbeam dance."
2. Imagery
Tennyson creates vivid images of the brook’s journey:
 Visual imagery: "Sparkle out among the fern," "I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance."
 Auditory imagery: "I chatter over stony ways," "I bicker down a valley."
3. Repetition
The line "For men may come and men may go, but I go on forever" is repeated
multiple times to emphasize the eternal nature of the brook.
4. Alliteration
The repetition of consonant sounds adds rhythm:
 "By thirty hills I hurry down" (repetition of 'h').
 "I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance" (repetition of 's' and 'g').
5. Metaphor
The brook is a metaphor for life, symbolizing its journey, challenges, and continuity.
6. Contrast
The poem contrasts the temporary nature of human life with the eternal flow of the
brook:
 "For men may come and men may go, but I go on forever."

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