Friday, October 23, 2015

A Naughty Boy: John Keats

There was a naughty boy,
And a naughty boy was he.
He ran away to Scotland,
The people there to see,
But he found
That the ground
Was as hard,
That a yard
Was as long,
That a song
Was as merry,
That a cherry
Was as red,
That lead
Was as weighty,
That fourscore
Was still eighty,
And a door was as wooden as in England.
So he stood in his shoes, and he wondered,
He wondered, he wondered,
So he stood in his shoes and he wondered.

Summary: In this poem, ‘A Naughty Boy’, the poet John Keats describes about a naughty boy. He ran away to Scotland. He wanted to see the development of the people. But there he found the same hard ground, the same long yard, the same merry song, the same red cherry, same weighty led. He also found same fourscore that were still eighty and a same door which was as wooden as in England. These all things made him surprised. So he became active to perform wonderful things.

25 comments:

  1. Completely wrong interpretation!
    Here the poet John Keats is bringing out the mindset condition of those people who dream about visiting some distant place which they imagine would be totally different, mesmerizing, dreamy, heaven-like and so on. And once they reach the place, they feel a sense of disappointment that everything is just the same as in the place where they permanently reside and that the new place after all holds no special charm as they imagined while they were reading about it in the books.
    So some of us are in such a situation at some or otherpoint of our life! So, John Keats is not talking about a naughty boy in his poem. He is talking about the Naughty Boys in us!☺

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    Replies
    1. Hello dear....you're absolutely correct about the summary .....the author is talking about the naughtiness in us and not in the the"BOY" he's mentioning. ....I presented this poem in a competition when I was in IVth standard....and now I m preparing my son for this poem who is in Ist standard....

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    2. Brother can you give me summary of Tamarind Tree poem here.

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    3. Tamarind :


      Nobody knows where my Tamarind stood

      Just by a winding lane.

      Each year it gave me fruit and shade, and drew

      Me to my home again.


      I loved to sit beneath her shady boughs,

      And rest up for a while,

      To gaze out upon the distant blue hills,

      With laughter and a smile.


      And now that I’m back, I’m eager to find,

      My tamarind again.

      I hasten down to that favourite spot,

      I search... but search in vain.


      Then I stop and I stare; I stand quite still

      I listen to my heart.

      That magnificent tree, that was my life,

      Has just been ripped apart.


      I turn to the hills, my eyes filled with tears

      For sure, I've lost my soul.

      Where once it stood tall, there's nothing there now,

      Merely an empty hole.
      Please give me summery of this poem urgent

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    4. I'm now in 6th grade and finally understand this poem all thanks to u my friend although my teacher is not that educated in English

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    5. What is the meaning of fourscore in this poem kindly help

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  2. This poem was in our textbook of English in class v and our teacher took two days for its explanation.And then asked us to memorize it by heart.He gave us 2 days and on the 3rd every one of us read the poem in the class.Even today after "only" 75 years I cherish to recite it before my chidren and grand children in the form of a song.......Those were the teachers of our times.It was also due to their motivation that I topped in my M.A.English literature examination in the University.

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    Replies
    1. Tamarind :


      Nobody knows where my Tamarind stood

      Just by a winding lane.

      Each year it gave me fruit and shade, and drew

      Me to my home again.


      I loved to sit beneath her shady boughs,

      And rest up for a while,

      To gaze out upon the distant blue hills,

      With laughter and a smile.


      And now that I’m back, I’m eager to find,

      My tamarind again.

      I hasten down to that favourite spot,

      I search... but search in vain.


      Then I stop and I stare; I stand quite still

      I listen to my heart.

      That magnificent tree, that was my life,

      Has just been ripped apart.


      I turn to the hills, my eyes filled with tears

      For sure, I've lost my soul.

      Where once it stood tall, there's nothing there now,

      Merely an empty hole.
      khan jilani please give me summary of tamarind tree poem

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  3. I totally agree that this one is just an amazing piece of writing and to the words, the song is still cherish able and lyrical and rthymic,that we all siblings and friends still love to sing after nearly 30 years.

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  4. The summary of poem is really very understandable.

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  5. Meaning of foursvore from the naughty boy

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    Replies
    1. Score=20, fourscore means four twenties are eighty (4x20=80)

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  6. Replies
    1. Keats opines,'Distant hills look greener'. He conveys this through 'The naughty boy'.
      D G S Srinivas

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  7. 'That lead was as weighty' means????

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    Replies
    1. Lead weighed the same in England as it did in Scotland. For example one pound of rice weighs the same in England as it does in Scotland. MEANING: It's just as heavy.

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    2. Fourscore. .
      Score means 20
      Fourscore = 20x4=80

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  8. Why did he run away?
    someone explain

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  9. Can u say me what is the mood of the poem

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  10. Why did the poet say wondered three time in the poem

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  11. can someone please post the poem 'Lost People'

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  12. I learnt the poem 'Lost People' a long time ago in form 3 but forgot most of it.. "Lost People hungry people wanting too much to know what they really want" is all I remember... can someone post it so I learn it again... thanks

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