Short Summary of all 12 Poems || Grade 12 || Optional English

 

1.      King Leir and his Three Daughters by George Wharton Edward

“King Leir and His Three Daughters” is a ballad written by an American poet GW Edward. It tells the tragic story of an old sonless king of Britain, King Leir. It is poem is based on the famous tragedy “King Lear” written by William Shakespeare. King Leir had three daughters named Regan, Goneril and Cordelia.  As he was growing old day by day, he wanted to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. So, he took a love test of his daughters. Lear became the victim of the flattery of his two wicked daughters, Goneril and Regan. They expressed big words of fake love but Cordelia did not do so. He punished the innocent daughter, Cordelia. He was unable to understand her true love initially. He was mistreated by Regan and Goneril. Later, Cordelia came to regain his kingdom from the wicked sisters.  She died while fighting for her father’s kingdom. King Leir died of grief after Cordelia’s death. Similarly, Regan and Goneril committed suicide. In this way, King Leir and his daughters died. The poem deals with the themes of flattery, madness, loyalty, betrayal, filial duty, family love and fate.

 

2.      The Three Knights by Davies Gilbert

“The Three Knights” is a ballad written by an English poet Davies Gilbert. It is about a marriage proposal in which three knights are proposing the same lady for marriage. The three knights come from the West. The first, second and third knights are wearing white, green and red dress respectively. They inform her that her parents and sister are ready to give her hand but have not asked her brother John yet. While all of them are riding along the road, they meet lady’s brother John on the way. The lady bends down to give her brother a sweet kiss. At the same time, a sharp knife of her brother pierces her heart/chest. Then, her chest bleeds. She wants to gift her personal belongings to her parents and sister but she wants to give death penalty to her brother and quiet (widow’s) life to John’s wife. This poem deals with the themes of love, marriage proposal and family rejection for marriage.

3.      Mending Wall by Robert Frost

“Mending Wall” is a dramatic monologue written by an American poet Robert Frost. Dramatic monologue is a poem in which an imagined person gives speech or narrates/tells the events. This poem is about two neighbouring farmers who repair the stone wall that separates their farms. The narrator and his neighbour mend the broken wall every year in spring season. In fact, the narrator doesn’t like the act of mending wall but he participates in it every year which is quite ironical. He tries to convince his neighbour that the wall is unnecessary but his neighbour repeatedly says “Good fences make good neighbours.” ‘Wall’ is the symbol of man-made barrier that disturbs human communication/contact. The poem deals with various themes such as border, recurring cycle of life, change and modernity, self-imposed barriers that prevent human communication, complexity of human relationship. This poem explores the fact that respectful distance between neighbours is the recipe for harmonious relationship.

 

4.      No Second Troy by William Butler Yeats

“No Second Troy” is a lyric poem composed by an Irish poet WB Yeats. This poem is the combination of personal and political concerns. It is one of the great love stories of the 20^th century. The speaker of this poem is poet himself and the addressee(listener) is Maud Gonne. Maud Gonne was a beautiful Irish revolutionary leader. Yeats had proposed her (Maud Gonne) for marriage several times but she married another man rejecting his proposal. Yeats wrote this poem after her final rejection. The speaker blames her for filling his life with misery and teaching innocent Irish people the violent ways of revolution. He says that Maud Gonne’s beauty has destructive quality. Title of this poem is symbolic. ‘Troy’ was the ancient city(now in Turkey) which was destroyed due to 10 year-long war for the sake of a beautiful woman named Helen. Troy is the symbol of destruction. He says there is no another Troy to burn. This poem is a call for peace. It deals with the themes of love, peace, violence and revolution.

 

5.      She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways  by William Wordsworth

“She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways” is an elegy written by an English romantic poet William Wordsworth. The setting of this poem is a rural place in England. The speaker is a lover (poet himself) who is in grief due to the death of his beloved named Lucy. According to him, Lucy lived among the untrodden ways (rural place) on the lap of nature. She lived beside the Dove River in central England. She was a very beautiful and virtuous lady but she was known to a very few people. There was nobody to love her and praise her beauty. Unfortunately, she died at young age. She is in her grave but her absence has created a huge loss in the life of the speaker. The speaker is lonely and sad without her. This poem deals with the birth, growth and death of a lady in a rural countryside, and its impact in the speaker’s life.

 

6.      If I Should Die by Emily Dickinson

“If I Should Die” is a free verse poem written by an American poet Emily Dickinson. This poem shows how the natural and human worlds will continue even after one’s death. Those left behind will keep experiencing life. The speaker is not afraid of death. Her tone is calm and confident. According to the speaker, the world does not stop even after someone’s death. The sun will rise, bees will buzz, birds will make nests and people will continue their business. If the survivors continue their trades/works, the departed/dead ones will be happy. Time keeps on moving. It is not affected by anyone’s death. According to the poet, death is not the end of the world. It is the beginning of a new journey. Death should no longer be something one fears.  

 

7.      Five Modern Haikus

A haiku is a three-lined unrhymed poem with seventeen syllables. The first, second and third lines have 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively. Haikus originated in Japan. So, they are also called Japanese poems. Matsuo Basho from Japan is considered the greatest traditional haiku poet. A haiku often portrays an image or images. It tends to focus on nature, seasons, colours, animals, and contrasts. It uses imagistic language. It tends to capture “aha” moment. It is the moment that matters most rather than syllables. For example:

A Haiku in English:

An apple blossom

Trembling on a sunlit branch

From the weight of bees.  [Haiku by Richard Wright]

A Haiku In Nepali:

r''gfa cfof]

uwfsf] kl5 xfdL

e]8f hgtf !

 

Differences between traditional and modern haikus:

The traditional haiku poets follow 5-7-5 syllable structure strictly but the modern poets do not follow it compulsorily.

8.      Sonnet 8 by John Milton

“Sonnet 8” is a sonnet written by an English poet John Milton. This poem is a request for protection during the time of civil-war in Britain. The setting of this poem is Britain. The speaker is the poet (John Milton) himself. He requests the king’s army to protect him and his property from harm during the war. He gives various examples where the poets were protected by the warriors during the war. He says that he can give name and fame to the army through his poetry if they do not harm him. He says he has a magic that can make the army famous all over the world. According to him, Muses (Goddess of poetry) lives with the poets. So, they have to be protected. This poem deals with the themes of power of poetry, art, war, and plea for protection. It shows the power of a pen over the sword.

 

9.      Kidnapped by Ruperake Petaia

“Kidnapped” is a satirical free verse poem written by a Samoan poet Ruperake Petaia. It is about cultural imperialism, loss of cultural identity and loss of native education system in Samoa. It presents the educational experience of a Samoan student. The speaker of this poem is the boy who has recently completed school education from the school run by the Western educators. He studied for 15 years at the school run by the foreigners in his country. He learnt Western/ European culture at the cost of his own culture. He forgot his own culture. He was deprived of getting his native education. His native culture and education system was kidnapped by the colonizers. His parents spent a lot of money for his education which has no value for him. He can do nothing with the certificate he got except decorating the wall. The title of this poem is metaphorical or symbolic.

 

10.  Lord! Make Me a Sheep by Laxmi Prasad Devkota

“Lord! Make Me a Sheep” is a satirical free verse poem composed by a famous Nepali poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota. This poem is an appeal to God. The poem deals with the pain, responsibility, burden, and struggle of human life. The speaker of the poem requests God to make him a sheep due to the tiredness of being a human. He wants to get rid of all kinds of burdens and responsibilities. According to the speaker, the sheep is a better creature than human beings. It lives a natural and carefree life without committing sins. The sheep is the symbol of innocence. For him, the sheep is a true hermit. It gets higher position than holy-men and Brahmins in heaven. This poem attacks at the follies of the human society such as pomposity, religious hypocrisy, corruptness, immoralities, unhealthy competition for material prosperity, artificiality, betrayal, division in the name of religion, and sinful activities committed by men.

 

11.  Abiku by Wole Soyinka

“Abiku” is a poem written by a Nigerian poet Wole Soyinka. This poem is about a cultural belief prevalent in Yoruba tribe of Nigeria (a country in Africa). It is about Abiku, a child which is born repeatedly to die again and again. This poem is about supremacy of Abiku and inevitability of death. It shows that man’s effort to avoid/stop death is useless. According to Yoruba mythology, Abiku is a spirit child who dies before the age of 12 or puberty. It is the same child who dies and returns again and again to plague/trouble the mother. Hence, various kinds of spiritual activities are performed by the human parents and family of Abiku to stop him from dying and getting rebirth.  Abiku is the speaker of this poem. Abiku is speaking to his human parents boastfully. After recognizing him as Abiku, his parents are performing various rituals to stop him from dying with the help of the oracle. Abiku makes fun of the objects used stop him from dying.

12.  A Woman by Gabriela Mistral

The poem “A Woman” written by Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral is about a single mother who struggles to raise her child in the absence of her husband. She grows up the child with care and love tolerating the hardship and difficulty of single life seeing the bright future of the child. She raises her child with immense/much love and care. The child is the ray of hope for her. She feels happy when she sees the child growing and standing on his own. She cherishes beautiful dreams about the miraculous/bright future of her child.  She keeps her child warm in the warmth of her breast/chest to protect him from cold. This poem deals with the themes of motherhood, mother’s struggle, love and care towards her child.