Page 1 : Song of India --Question 1. Identify the two speakers in the Poem, what does the speaker want to, sing about? Answer: The two speakers are the poet and his mother. The poet or offspring, wanted to sing about his country for his mother India., 2. What are the epics? Why does the poet call the temples as ‘epics in stone?’, Answer: Epics are long poems, typically the ones derived from ancient oral tradition,, narrating the deeds and adventures of heroic or legendary figures or the past history of a, nation. The poet calls temples ‘epics in stone’ because each temple has a story to unfold., Moreover, on the walls of each temple, there are numerous sculptures narrating many a, story., Question 3. Who does the poet mean by ‘of your children that died to call their, own’?, Answer: The Soldiers who guard our mother and motherland are mother’s children and, they sacrificed their lives for the sake of their motherland. So they are her own., Question 4. What, according to the poet, is the contribution of the seers and, prophets?, Answer: The seers and prophets have contributed their valuable lessons and experiences, to others., Question 5. Why is the poet ‘querulous’? What does he want to do?, Answer: The poet wanted to sing about the achievements and progress made by the, countrymen. He asks his mother (motherland) if she wished to hear about the dams and, lakes, about steel mills or of the atomic age the mother asks him to sing songs about, ‘strikes’ and about the leaders who emerged after such ‘strikes’ (revolutions). So the poet, asks her in a querulous (complaining) voice if there were no songs which he could sing for, her that he could sing wholeheartedly, a song that is pure and which will remain in, memory for a long time., Question 6. How is he answered? Describe the vision. (Refer stanza 4), Answer: The poet was answered by a wonderful vision. A vision of a new and bright, future. In the vision, he saw the mother (motherland) rise gloriously against the blue sky., The three milky – white oceans, ie., the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean,, rose and fell with steady powerful motions. (There was calm on the sea). Their waves sent, forth a wonderful and illuminated her. She seemed to sit of this illuminating light to write, the ‘book of marrow’. (a new reign, a new future’). She foresaw a new ‘destiny’, a new, bright future like the bright sun – god, who destroyed darkness with his powerful rays, this, new future wiped out the sorrow of her people. This new future will arrive like a ‘clear

Page 2 : dawn’. In this new future, the sorrows and hardships of her people will flee like a, nightmare (bad dream)., Question 7. What do the night, the sun god and the clear dawn represent?, Answer: Here the night represents all sorrow the Sun God represents the hand that saves, and clear dawn represent the bright future and calmness and the good things., Question 1.What is the picture of India that you get in stanza 1 of the poem?, Answer:The first stanza, like the stanzas to follow, offers a mixed picture of India. India is, described in terms of its physical features which are beautiful, be it the majestic, Himalayas, be it the magnificent seas, be it the clear sunrise. However, there are cracks in, the beauty of the country as there is poverty and squalor all over. Hence, the Mother, challenges the poet and tells him that he cannot write a song of praise without reckoning, with these negative strains., Question 2.;How does the poet describe the Mother’s anger? Name the figure of, speech used in stanza 2., Answer: The poet uses two similes to describe the anger of the Mother. He says that the, angry words of the Mother fell against his ears like the powerful sound of the bell and, they flew about him like huge white birds. Thus the poet uses both aural and visual, images to describe the wrath of the Mother., Question 3. Explain the lines ‘A song bathed in the stainless blue un vaporing in the, void.’, Answer: ‘Stainless blue’ refers to the clear sea. The metaphor refers to a song of pure joy, that is free of negativity. The phrase ‘Unvapouring in the void’ can mean crystal clear,, without the mist in the openness of the sky. On the whole, this is also a reference to the, possibility of singing a song of pure joy, free of ugliness and devoid of doubt., Question 4. What does ‘the Motherland writing the Book of the Morrow’ signify?, Answer: It means the poet’s desire or wash was the motherland or mother sitting on the, throne and write the future of our country. She wrote in the book of the morrow. Which, signifies the earth’s destiny., Question 5.Write in brief your vision of the future of India., Answer:According to the poet, the future of our country can open up on mothers’, foreheads. It is like the earth’s destiny. All the sorrows and suffering came to an end and, the new things and views will come and make the people happy. The Sun God will protect, the earth and saves all., I envision a very bright future for India. An India where there all it people work hard for, the development of the country. All Indians should be happy and live harmoniously with, each other. There should be no discrimination and all the people should be treated as, equals.