Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Spring from Class 6 English_FL. Before we begin our poem, let us do a quick pre reading task together. Spring comes right after winter. You must have noticed how nature changes completely during this time. The cold goes away, flowers bloom, and animals become active. Think about what you already know about the spring season and share it with your partner. Now, let us read the beautiful poem titled Spring by the poet Thomas Nashe. I will read the exact text of the poem first. [CHECKPOINT]
Spring, the sweet spring, is the year’s pleasant king, Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring, Cold doth not sting, the pretty birds do sing: Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! The palm and may make country houses gay, Lambs frisk and play, the shepherds pipe all day, And we hear aye birds tune this merry lay: Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet, Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit, In every street these tunes our ears do greet: Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to witta-woo! Spring, the sweet spring! [CHECKPOINT]
Now let us understand this poem stanza by stanza. In the first stanza, the poet calls spring the sweet spring and the pleasant king of the year. He says that during spring, every living thing blooms. Young women, or maids, dance happily in circles. The cold weather no longer bites or stings us. Instead, beautiful birds start singing. Listen to their sounds: Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! The poet uses these specific sounds to make the season feel alive and musical. Moving to the second stanza, the poet describes the countryside. The palm trees and the may flowers, which are also known as hawthorn flowers, decorate the country houses and make them look cheerful. Young lambs jump and run about playfully. [CHECKPOINT]
The shepherds play their pipes all day long. We constantly hear the birds beginning to sing this happy short song. The refrain repeats the bird sounds: Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo! This repetition creates a joyful, rhythmic feeling that matches the lively season. In the third stanza, the poet focuses on the fields and the people. The fields give out a sweet fragrance. The daisies seem to gently touch our feet like a kiss. Young couples come together to enjoy the weather. Elderly women sit outside to soak in the warm sunshine. Everywhere in the streets, these happy bird songs welcome our ears. The poem ends by repeating the joyful line: Spring, the sweet spring! [CHECKPOINT]
Let us look at some important words from the glossary. The word doth means does. The word ay or aye is an old or poetical word meaning always or continually. The word may in the poem refers to the hawthorn flower, which is a type of tree with red or white flowers that often grows beside country roads. Continuing with our vocabulary, the word tune as a verb means to begin to sing, while tunes as a noun means a series of musical notes that produce a pleasing pattern of sound. The word gay means cheerful. The word lay means a short narrative poem, or in this context, a short song. Finally, the word frisk means to jump and run about playfully. [CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us practice our understanding with the exercises. Exercise one asks you to talk to your partner about the description of spring in the poem and write down what you say. Part a asks why the poet considers spring as the year’s most pleasant season. The poet calls spring the pleasant king because the harsh winter cold disappears, flowers bloom everywhere, birds sing sweetly, animals play joyfully, and people of all ages enjoy the warm, cheerful weather outdoors. Part b asks you to describe the streets of the town in spring. According to the poem, the streets are filled with life and music. Young lovers meet and walk together. Elderly women sit outside enjoying the sun. Most importantly, the sweet melodies of singing birds greet everyone who walks in the streets, making the atmosphere lively and happy. [CHECKPOINT]
Part c asks if we can think of a plant or a tree that breathes sweet in spring, similar to how ripe paddy fields smell in autumn. The poem itself tells us that the fields breathe sweet and daisies are present. You can think of any flowering plant or tree you observe in your surroundings that releases a pleasant fragrance during spring, and write a simple sentence about it. Now for Exercise two. The poet tells us about the pleasant experiences of the senses in spring. We need to find examples of sight, smell, touch, and sound, and then write six to eight sentences about what we can see, hear, smell, and feel in spring. Let us solve this step by step. For sight, we see blooming flowers, dancing maids, playful lambs, and country houses decorated with hawthorn. For smell, we experience the sweet fragrance of the fields. [CHECKPOINT]
For touch, we feel the gentle weather that no longer stings, and the daisies kissing our feet. For sound, we hear birds singing cuckoo and jug-jug, and shepherds playing their pipes. Here is a complete six to eight sentence paragraph you can write for your notebook, based strictly on the poem. Spring is a wonderful season that delights all our senses. We can see colorful flowers blooming and green lambs jumping playfully in the meadows. We hear the sweet songs of birds echoing through the trees and shepherds playing their pipes. We smell the fresh, sweet fragrance of the open fields. We feel the gentle, warm sunshine on our skin instead of the biting winter cold. The soft petals of daisies brush against our feet as we walk. Every corner of nature feels alive and cheerful during spring. [CHECKPOINT]
Exercise three is a writing activity. You need to fill in the blanks for this English proverb and paragraph. The completed text is: If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? This is an English proverb. It says, Do not worry that difficult times have come. Pleasant days will follow. In this poem, winter is over. Spring has come. The poet is excited about the changes it has brought with it. He brings out the pleasant experiences of the senses in the spring. Finally, Exercise four asks you to read the Kannada poem by the poet referred to in your textbook with the initials C. J. A. R. The title translates to From the hills, the breeze of the valleys. While we will not read the full Kannada text here, I encourage you to read it in your textbook and compare how both poets celebrate the beauty of nature and the arrival of spring. That brings us to the end of our lesson. Remember to practice reading the poem aloud with proper rhythm and expression. Review the glossary words and try to use them in your own sentences. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]