Question

I went out to the hazelwood,

Because a fire was in my head,
And cut and peeled a hazel wand,
And hooked a berry to a thread;
5 And when white moths were on the wing,
And moth-like stars were flickering out,
I dropped the berry in a stream
And caught a little silver trout.
When I had laid it on the floor
10 I went to blow the fire aflame,
But something rustled on the floor,
And someone called me by my name:
It had become a glimmering girl
With apple blossom in her hair
15 Who called me by my name and ran
And faded through the brightening air.
Though I am old with wandering
Through hollow lands and hilly lands,
I will find out where she has gone,
20 And kiss her lips and take her hands;
And walk among long dappled grass,
And pluck till time and times are done,
The silver apples of the moon,
The golden apples of the sun.

1. Reread lines 1-16. What effect does the rhyming of the lines have on the poem’s tone?





2. Reread lines 17-24. What do these lines mean in the story of the poem?

Answer 1

(1.) From lines 1-16, we can see that the poem rhymes at the last words of each line to the last word of the third line. This rhyming causes the poem to be musical and recital in nature especially for children. It renders a pleasing effect on the poem making its recital an enjoyable experience. Moreover, it offers itself as a mnemonic device, smoothing the progress of memorization of the poem.

(2.) In lines 17-24, the write was talking about the girl that touched him and disappeared into thin air.He thus vowed to find the girl even if he gets old with wandering through hollow lands and hilly lands. He vowed to look for her where she had gone and then kiss her, and hold her hands after finding her while walking through the gardens and playing with flowers.