Class 9 Beehive Poem Chapter 8 Question Answers - A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

Q1: How does the poet react to the untimely, sudden and shocking death of his beloved? What does he imagine her to be after her death?
Ans: The sudden and untimely death of his beloved leaves the poet stunned. It is not easy to express the poet’s feelings in words. Actually, a deep slumber ‘sealed’ his spirit. He fell as if he were in deep sleep. This deep sleep seems to have closed off his body and soul. She is no more and will not be affected by the earthly years as well as by the touch of five physical senses. She will feel no motion, movement or force. Nor will be able to hear or see. Yet she will become an in separable part of nature. Physical death doesn’t mean that will be condemned to an everlasting death. No, she will roll round in earth’s diurnal course. She will become one with rocks, stones and trees.

Q2: Give a brief analysis of the poem ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal’ in your own words.
Ans: In the poem ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal’ the poet describes his beloved after her death. In the first stanza, the poet says that the death of his beloved made him very depressed. He says that his beloved has now become a non-living thing which cannot feel the touch of anything on the earth. In the second stanza, he says that his beloved has no motion. She can neither hear any sound nor can she see any thing. She is trapped under the earth and revolves with rocks, stones and trees.

Q3:  All of us know that nothing is ours permanently, then why do we suffer so much to have more and more?
Ans: It is true that nothing belongs to us permanently because one day we have to leave all the things on the earth. Nevertheless, people crave for more wealth, fame, knowledge, beauty and even commit crime, because this is human nature. We cannot separate ourselves from such things. If we give up our greed to have more and more, the world would be a much better place to live in. People would not go to extremes to achieve something.