Textbook Solutions: Orpheus with His Lute | Gul Mohar Class 6: Book Solutions, Summaries & Worksheets PDF Download

Understanding the Poem

Answer these questions.

Q2: Ever sprung; as sun and showers / There had made a lasting spring. How does the poem use different meanings of the word 'spring' here?
Ans: Spring means both the season of freshness and growth, and also a source or beginning. The poem plays on both meanings to show that Orpheus’s music created endless renewal and life.

Q3: The mountain tops Bow themselves while the sea waves Hung their heads, and then lay by. Which of these can really be seen? Explain.
Ans: The calming of sea waves (“lay by”) can be observed in real life. Mountains bowing is magical imagery and cannot actually happen.

Q4: This poem talks about different effects of music. Which of these are magical and which of these can be observed in real life?
Ans:

• Magical effects: Trees and mountains bowing, flowers instantly blooming.
• Real effects: Music calming the mind, easing grief, soothing emotions, helping someone rest or sleep.

Q5: The two stanzas of the poem describe two different kinds of effect that music has. Underline the correct difference.
a. The first stanza talks only about Orpheus's music and the second stanza does not mention him at all.
b. The first stanza describes movement and liveliness ('bow', 'sprung') while the second stanza describes a calming effect ('lay by', 'fall asleep').
c. The first stanza talks only about magical effects while the second stanza describes only real effects.
Ans: (b) The first stanza describes movement and liveliness ('bow', 'sprung') while the second stanza describes a calming effect ('lay by', 'fall asleep').

Appreciating the Poem

Q1: Work out the rhyme scheme of the poem. You can begin this way:
Orpheus with his lute made trees, (a)
And the mountain tops that freeze, (a)
Bow themselves, when he did sing: (b)
Which line of the second stanza seems to have a different rhyming pattern from the first stanza?
Ans: The rhyme scheme is aabccb ddb eef. The line “Hung their heads, and then lay by” breaks the expected rhyming pattern, making it stand out.

Q2: The last three lines of this poem are written in the present tense. The rest of it is written mostly in the past tense. Why does the poem use two different tenses?
Ans: The past tense shows Orpheus’s legendary powers in myth, while the present tense shows that music continues to soothe hearts and minds even today.

Q3: Killing care and grief of heart / Fall asleep, or hearing, die.
a. What does the word 'care' mean here?
Ans: “Care” means worries, anxieties, or troubles of the mind.
b. Can you think of any real-life situations where music is used to make someone feel better or fall asleep?
Ans: Yes, lullabies are sung to help children sleep, calming music is played to relax stressed people, and soothing tunes are even used in hospitals for healing.