Sonnet

Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Sonnet from Class 7 English_FL.

Before we begin our lesson, let us think about a few questions to prepare our minds. Do you have a park in your town? Does it have trees, plants, and bushes, or is more space given to lawns? What do you think a park must have, trees or lawns? Which looks more beautiful and why? Take a moment to reflect on these questions. A park filled with different kinds of trees and plants usually offers more shade, colour, and natural beauty compared to a plain grassy lawn.

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Now, let us move on to our main text. The poem is titled Sonnet and it is written by Toru Dutt. In this poem, Toru Dutt describes the beauty of the garden around her bungalow. Let us read the complete poem together. I will read it slowly so you can hear every word and feel the rhythm.

A sea of foliage girds our garden round, But not a sea of dull unvaried green. Sharp contrasts of all colours here are seen: The light-green graceful tamarinds abound, Amid the mango clumps of green profound, And palms arise, like pillars gray, between, And o'er the quiet pools the seemuls lean, Red-red, and startling like a trumpet's sound. But nothing can be lovelier than the ranges, Of bamboos to the eastward, when the moon, Looks through their gaps, and the white lotus changes, Into a cup of silver. One might swoon, Drunken with beauty then, or gaze and gaze, On a primeval Eden, in amaze.

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That was the complete poem. Now let us understand it line by line. The poet begins by saying a vast stretch of leaves surrounds her garden. She immediately clarifies that it is not a boring, single shade of green. Instead, sharp contrasts of many different colours are visible everywhere. She points out the light green, graceful tamarind trees that grow in plenty. They stand among groups of mango trees that have a deep, profound green colour. Between these trees, palm trees rise up like tall gray pillars. Over the quiet water pools, the seemul trees lean forward. Their flowers are a bright, startling red, and this red colour is as sudden and loud as the sound of a trumpet.

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The poet then tells us that nothing can be more beautiful than the rows of bamboo trees to the east. This happens when the moon shines through the gaps in the bamboo stalks. At that moment, the white lotus flowers change into glowing cups of silver. The beauty is so intense that a person might faint, or feel drunk with beauty, and simply stare and stare at this ancient, untouched paradise, filled with great wonder.

Let us now learn the important vocabulary words from the glossary. Foliage means leaves, especially growing leaves, or all the leaves on a particular plant or tree. The phrase sea of foliage means a stretch of foliage as vast as the sea. Profound means deep. Clump means a group of trees, plants, bushes, and so on, growing together. Amaze means great wonder.

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Now, let us practice our speaking and writing skills by answering the questions from your textbook. I will read each question and then give you a complete answer.

Question one. Toru Dutt is taking a stroll amid the trees in her garden. She sees a sea of foliage. What does she mean by sea of foliage? Explain in your own words. Answer: By a sea of foliage, the poet means a vast, endless stretch of leaves and greenery that surrounds her garden, just like water stretches across a sea. It shows how thick and widespread the trees and plants are.

Question two. The greenery you are watching seems dull if it is un _ _ _ _ _ _ . Answer: The greenery you are watching seems dull if it is unvaried.

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Question three. What does the phrase not a sea of dull unvaried green mean? Explain. Answer: This phrase means that the garden is not just one flat, boring shade of green. Instead, it has many different shades and colours of plants, making it vibrant and full of life.

Question four. The poet gives one example of colour contrast. What is the example? Answer: The poet gives the example of the light green tamarind trees standing against the deep, profound green of the mango tree clumps. This shows a clear contrast between two different shades of green.

Question five. Have you seen the bunches of leaves on a mango tree? Are they all green? What about fresh bunches? Answer: Yes, we have seen bunches of leaves on a mango tree. They are not all the same green. The older leaves are a deep, dark green, while the fresh, new bunches of leaves are a lighter, brighter green.

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Question six. Can you draw pictures of a bunch of mango leaves and a picture of a tamarind leaf? Try. Answer: Since we are listening to this lesson, let me describe what you should draw. For the mango leaves, draw long, narrow, and slightly curved leaves growing in a bunch from a single stem. Shade them in a deep green. For the tamarind leaf, draw a compound leaf with many small, oval-shaped leaflets arranged in pairs along a central stem. Colour them a light, bright green.

Question seven. What grey pillars arise between the mango and the tamarind trees? Can you draw a picture of this tree? Try. Answer: The grey pillars are the tall, straight trunks of the palm trees. To draw them, sketch tall, slender tree trunks with a rough, greyish texture, and add a crown of large, fan-shaped or feather-like leaves at the very top.

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Question eight. The poet says seemuls are startlingly red. How does she explain their lurid brightness? What does she compare them with? Answer: She explains their bright red colour by comparing it to the sudden, loud sound of a trumpet. Just as a trumpet blast startles you in a quiet place, the bright red seemul flowers startle the eyes against the quiet green background.

Question nine. A sudden blare of a trumpet outside your quiet room would startle you. The glaring red - _ _ _ of the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ startled the poet. Answer: The glaring red hue of the seemuls startled the poet.

Question ten. After describing some lovely scenes the poet talks about the loveliest scene of all. What is it? Describe it in your own words. Answer: The loveliest scene is the view of the bamboo groves to the east under moonlight. When the moon shines through the gaps in the bamboo stalks, its light falls on the white lotus flowers in the pool, turning them into glowing cups of silver.

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Question eleven. Enjoying the beauty of Nature, the poet says even enjoyment can become unbearable. What words express this idea? Explain what she says, in your own words. Answer: The words that express this idea are One might swoon, Drunken with beauty then. She means that the natural beauty is so intense and overwhelming that it feels almost too much to bear, making a person feel dizzy or faint, as if intoxicated by the sheer loveliness.

Question twelve. There are three Metaphors and three Similes in this poem. Find them. Talk to your partner about them. Remember, a metaphor is the use of words to indicate something different from the literal meaning, while a simile is the comparison of one thing to another. Answer: Let us find them directly from the text. The three metaphors are: first, sea of foliage, which uses the word sea to show the vast spread of leaves. Second, cup of silver, which describes the moonlit lotus as a silver cup. Third, primeval Eden, which compares the ancient garden to the original Garden of Eden. The three similes are: first, like pillars gray, comparing the tall palm trunks to gray stone pillars. Second, like a trumpet's sound, comparing the sudden bright red of the flowers to a loud trumpet blast. Third, the phrase changes into a cup of silver acts as a direct visual comparison, showing the lotus transforming under the moonlight. Take a moment to discuss these with your partner and notice how they make the garden feel alive and magical.

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That covers all the exercises from your textbook. You have now explored the complete poem, understood its vocabulary, and practiced answering all the comprehension and language questions. Remember to read the poem aloud yourself to feel its rhythm and beauty. Notice how Toru Dutt paints a vivid picture with words, using colours, sounds, and comparisons to make the garden come alive in your imagination.

Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]