Textbook Solutions: Marshlands | Gul Mohar Class 8: Book Solutions, Summaries & Worksheets PDF Download

Before You Read

Understanding the Poem

Answer these questions.

​b. What does the 'sun-lost lip' meeting the 'brim' of the marsh look like?
Ans: When this sun-lost edge of the sky meets the brim of the marsh, it looks as if the sky and the marsh are joining together in a faint yellow glow, blending into one continuous, shadowy line where light fades into darkness.

Q2. What in the marsh look like 'large cups of gold'? Can you explain why they have been described like that?
Ans: The pools of water in the marsh look like ‘large cups of gold’. They are described this way because the water glints and shines through mildew and moss, reflecting the faint golden light of the fading sun. Even though the marsh is damp and mouldy, the reflection makes the pools glow like precious cups filled with liquid gold. This striking image shows how beauty exists even in dull or decaying places.

Q3. Why has the wild goose come to the marsh? Where is it going?
Ans: The wild goose has come to the marsh to find shelter for the night after a long flight homeward. The marsh, with its rushes and lichens, provides a safe resting place. It is going towards its homing ground, where it can hide and rest among the tall grasses. The poet shows the goose as a traveller returning from its journey, seeking safety in the stillness of the marsh at the end of the day.

Q4. Which words from the poem tell us how big the crane is and how fast it is flying?
Ans: The words “late cranes with heavy wing, and lazy flight” tell us that the crane is a large bird with slow, deliberate movements. The phrase ‘heavy wing’ suggests its size, while ‘lazy flight’ shows that it is not rushing but gliding calmly across the evening sky. These words emphasize both the crane’s grandeur and the relaxed pace of its flight as night approaches.

Q5. How is the fog that comes over the marshes described? Do we know what time of day it is when the fog arrives?
Ans: The fog is described as “thick, grey and humid” and it comes quietly like a veil covering the marsh. It creeps over the land while the marshes sleep. From the lines of the poem, we know that the fog arrives in the twilight, as evening fades into night. The atmosphere becomes silent, mysterious, and slightly eerie as the fog spreads over the marshlands.

Q6. The poem describes what the marshlands are like during a shift in time in the day. What shift is this?
Ans: The shift is from late afternoon into evening and then into night. At first, the sky still holds some yellow light, but as the poem progresses, birds seek shelter, twilight spreads, and finally fog and shadows cover the marsh. The change shows the natural transition from daylight to darkness, with all the sights and sounds adjusting to the coming of night.

Q7. What breaks the silence of the marshlands? What do you think is the effect of one lone sound in the expanding stillness of the marshes?
Ans: The shrill note of the lizard is the lone sound that breaks the silence of the marsh. In the stillness, this single, monotonous sound seems even sharper and more noticeable. Its effect is to emphasize the silence, making the marsh feel both alive and eerily quiet at the same time. The presence of only one sound heightens the sense of isolation and calmness in the landscape.

Q8. How has the image of the marshlands changed from the first line to the last? Compare how different they look and feel.
Ans: At the beginning, the marshlands are described with faint light and golden reflections, giving them a quiet beauty. There is movement with birds returning and sounds in the still lagoon. By the end, however, twilight and fog take over, and the marshlands become thick, grey, and silent. The mood changes from calm and glowing to mysterious and heavy with darkness. The transformation shows the passage from day’s warmth and light to night’s dampness and stillness.

Appreciating the Poem

Q2. Hushed lie the sedges, and the vapours creep. Can the words 'appear' or 'move' be used as replacements for 'creep' in this line? Why do you think the poet has used 'creep' instead of these other options? What effect does it give to the image of the vapours and the poem?
Ans: The words ‘appear’ or ‘move’ would not convey the same slow, secretive quality as ‘creep’. The poet uses ‘creep’ to suggest the fog’s quiet, almost hidden advance across the marsh. It makes the vapours seem alive, mysterious, and slightly unsettling. The effect is to give the marsh a ghostly atmosphere, making the stillness even more intense and dramatic.

Q3. And like a spirit, swathed in some soft veil,/ Steals twilight and its shadows o'er the swale.
a. Which word describes the movement of twilight? What kind of movement is it?
Ans: The word “steals” describes the movement of twilight. It is a quiet, unnoticed, and gentle movement.

b. What figure has twilight been compared to? In what way does twilight look or behave like it?
Ans:Twilight is compared to a spirit swathed in a soft veil. Like a spirit, it comes silently and covers the marsh without being noticed at first. The image makes twilight mysterious yet delicate.

Q4. Read the poem again and describe how the poet has brought the marsh alive.
a. Would you describe the images created in the poem as beautiful? Or are they unpleasant? Or does the beauty exist side by side with the unpleasant? Give examples of images from the poem to support your answer.
Ans: The poet brings the marsh alive through vivid imagery of sight, sound, and movement. The images are both beautiful and unpleasant side by side. For example, the pools glint like gold (beautiful), but they are also dank with moss and mould (unpleasant). The shrill note of the lizard adds a sharp sound to the silence, while twilight and fog bring mystery. The poet may be saying that Nature is full of contrasts, holding beauty and decay together. She reminds us that even in silence and stillness, Nature is alive and powerful.

b. Do you think the poet is saying something about Nature or the world using her choice of images?
Ans: Yes, the poet is using her choice of images to suggest that Nature is a blend of beauty and decay, life and death. The marsh, despite its flaws, is alive and full of contrasting elements, much like the world itself. The poem serves as a reminder that life is a mix of opposites, and we should learn to appreciate both the beauty and the harsh realities of the world.