We in this article have provided the summary of class 9th poem A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal by William Wordsworth. We have penned down the stanza-wise explanation along with the poetic devices used in the poem.
We have also provided the Ncert solutions for the students to get references before their examinations.
About The Poet: A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
The poem has been written by William Wordsworth. He was born on 7 April and was an English romantic poet. In 1793 he published his first literary piece An Evening Walk and Descriptive Sketches.
Through this poem, he refers to death which is a permanent sleep for everyone. The poet did not realize when his beloved Lucy died. She had taken life for granted and realized the truth after her death.
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal Central Theme
The poet admits that he was in deep sleep because he did not want to accept the harsh reality of life; death. He had taken life for granted and now he is not able to accept separation.
He is not able to accept that his beloved had died. For him, she was like an immortal person or goddess but he forgets that she would also be affected by age and mortality.
She is dead and still now and cannot hear or see him. She has been buried deep under the earth and has now fallen asleep forever.
The poet feels that she will now rotate with the earth and one day she will be mixed with the ricks stones and rocks that are a part of the earth.
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal: Poem’s Analysis
Stanza 1.
A slumber did my spirit seal— I had no human fears. She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years.
Meanings
- Slumber: sleep
- Spirit: soul
The poet’s soul has slept as he did not accept the harsh reality. He had taken life for granted and never thought that one day death would take away his beloved Lucy. he was not able to bear this separation.
Stanza 2.
No motion has she now, no force— She neither hears nor sees, Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees.
Meanings
- diurnal: daily
(Earth’s diurnal course” is earth’s daily rotation on its axis)
The poet accepts the truth that Lucy is now no more and he accepts that she is still and cannot come back to him. She has been buried and soon rotates with the earth and gets mixed with rocks and stones.
Poetic devices: A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
1. Rhyme scheme – abab cdcd
2. Alliteration – The repetition of a consonant sound at the start of two or more consecutive words is called alliteration. The instances of alliteration are as follows – ‘Spirit sealed’, ‘rolled round’
3.Enjambment – when a sentence continues into two or more lines ending without any punctuation marks, it is called Enjambment. The instances of enjambment are as follows –
“She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthly years.” “Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees.”
NCERT Solutions For Class 9th English A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal
Q1. “A slumber did my spirit seal,” says the poet. That is, a deep sleep ‘closed off ’ his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief? Or does he feel great peace?
The poet is sad and full of grief and sorrow that he had taken life for granted and never thought about death. He was not able to accept separation.
2. The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this?
She seemed that a thing could not allow her to touch the earthly years.
3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a ‘heaven’)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?
The poet feels that she is also a part of the earthly years. After her death, she has been buried deep under the earth and the poet feels that she will get mixed with earthly things like stones, rocks, and leaves. The lines which indicate this is as follows:
“Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees.”
Conclusion
We in this article have penned down the class 9 English poem A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal along with the Ncert solutions. Students would be able to get the gist of the poem and can go through the answers.
Related Articles
- A Letter to God NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English [First Flight Chapter 1]
- Silk Road Summary Class 11th
- The Snake Trying Class 9 English Poem
- The Last Leaf Summary Class 9 English
