THE BROOK BY LORD ALFRED TENNYSON - LINE BY LINE EXPLAINATION

 

I come  from haunts of coot and hern,

I make a sudden sally,

And sparkle out among the fern,

To bicker down a valley.

 

By thirty hills I hurry down,

Or slip between the ridges,

By twenty thorps, a little town,

And half a hundred bridges.

 

Till last by Philip's farm I flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on forever.

 

The poem The Brook by Lord Alfred Tennyson has been written from the perspective of a brook or stream, which describes its journey from its source to the river it joins.

The first stanza of the poem describes the brook's origin and its initial movement. The brook says it comes from the "haunts of coot and hern," which are areas where coots and herons are commonly found. The brook then describes how it makes a sudden movement, or "sally," and "sparkles out among the fern" before flowing down a valley, "to bicker" or flow rapidly.

The second stanza describes the brook's journey through various landscapes. The brook says it hurries down "thirty hills" or flows between "ridges," passes through "twenty thorps," which are small towns or villages, and crosses "half a hundred bridges."

The third stanza describes the brook's final destination. The brook flows until it reaches Philip's farm, where it joins a larger river. The final line, "For men may come and men may go, / But I go on forever," emphasizes the brook's constancy and never-ending flow.

Alliteration: "haunts of coot and hern"

Personification: "I make a sudden sally"

Imagery: "sparkle out among the fern"

Onomatopoeia: "bicker down a valley"

Repetition: "By thirty hills I hurry down"

Metaphor: "To join the brimming river"

Anaphora: "For men may come and men may go, / But I go on forever"

 

 I chatter over stony ways,

In little sharps and trebles,

I bubble into eddying bays,

I babble on the pebbles.

 

With many a curve my banks I fret

by many a field and fallow,

And many a fairy foreland set

With willow-weed and mallow.

 

I chatter, chatter, as I flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on forever.

The brook flows over stony ways, making a bubbling and babbling sound as it flows past eddying bays and pebbles. The use of alliteration in "little sharps and trebles" and onomatopoeia in "bubble" and "babble" helps to emphasize the sound and movement of the brook.

In the second stanza the brook's path as it winds through the landscape, with "many a curve" and "many a field and fallow." The brook is also described as passing by "many a fairy foreland set / With willow-weed and mallow," which creates a vivid and picturesque image of the brook's surroundings.

In the next stanza the poet emphasizes the brook's constancy and unending flow, saying that it "chatters" as it flows to join the "brimming river." The repetition of "chatter" and the anaphora in "For men may come and men may go, / But I go on forever" further emphasize the brook's constant movement and the transient nature of human life compared to the everlasting flow of the brook.

 

Alliteration: "stony ways", "little sharps and trebles"

Onomatopoeia: "bubble", "babble"

Personification: "I chatter", "I bubble", "I babble"

Imagery: "eddying bays", "pebbles", "many a curve", "many a field and fallow", "willow-weed and mallow"

Repetition: "I chatter, chatter, as I flow"

Metaphor: "To join the brimming river"

Anaphora: "For men may come and men may go, / But I go on forever."

 

 

I wind about, and in and out,

with here a blossom sailing,

And here and there a lusty trout,

And here and there a grayling,

 

And here and there a foamy flake

Upon me, as I travel

With many a silver water-break

Above the golden gravel,

 

And draw them all along, and flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on forever.

 

The poet further describes how the brook winds its way through the landscape, with blossoms sailing on the water's surface and fish such as trout and grayling swimming in the water. The use of imagery in "foamy flake," "silver water-break," and "golden gravel" helps to paint a vivid picture of the brook and its surroundings.

In the second stanza poet continues to describe the brook's path as it flows, drawing the blossoms, fish, and other debris along with it. The brook's path is described as winding "about, and in and out" and flowing "with many a silver water-break." The use of personification in "draw them all along" emphasizes the brook's power to carry and transport.

the next stanza again emphasizes the brook's constancy, saying that it "flows to join the brimming river." The repetition of "And here and there" in the first stanza creates a sense of movement and variation, while the repetition of "For men may come and men may go, / But I go on forever" in the final stanza emphasizes the brook's constancy and endurance compared to the fleeting nature of human life.

the poem creates a vivid and picturesque image of the journey of a brook from its source to the river it joins, emphasizing the beauty and constancy of the natural world.

Repetition: "And here and there"

Alliteration: "foamy flake," "silver water-break," "golden gravel"

Personification: "I wind about," "blossom sailing," "lusty trout," "grayling," "foamy flake," "draw them all along"

Imagery: "blossom sailing," "lusty trout," "grayling," "foamy flake," "silver water-break," "golden gravel"

Metaphor: "To join the brimming river"

Anaphora: "For men may come and men may go, / But I go on forever."

 

 I steal by lawns and grassy plots,

I slide by hazel covers;

I move the sweet forget-me-nots

That grow for happy lovers.

 

I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance,

Among my skimming swallows;

I make the netted sunbeam dance

Against my sandy shallows.

 

I murmur under moon and stars

In brambly wildernesses;

I linger by my shingly bars;

I loiter round my cresses;

 

And out again I curve and flow

To join the brimming river,

For men may come and men may go,

But I go on forever.

 

 The speaker, who is the brook itself, describes its journey from the "lawns and grassy plots" through "hazel covers" and past "forget-me-nots." The brook describes how it "slips," "slides," and "glances" among the "skimming swallows," creating a playful atmosphere.

The brook mentions how it flows through "brambly wildernesses" and around "shingly bars," which gives a sense of roughness and unevenness to its path. The speaker notes how it "lingers" around its "cresses," which are watercress plants.

Finally, the brook flows into the "brimming river," highlighting its continuity despite the changes that occur around it. The repetition of the line "For men may come and men may go, / But I go on forever" emphasizes the brook's longevity and endurance.

 

Personification - the river is given human-like qualities such as "I steal", "I slide", "I move", "I slip", "I slide", "I gloom", and "I glance".

Imagery - the descriptions of the river's movements and surroundings create vivid mental images, such as "skimming swallows", "netted sunbeam", "brambly wildernesses", and "shingly bars".

Alliteration - repetition of initial consonant sounds, such as "slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance".

Assonance - repetition of vowel sounds, such as "move the sweet forget-me-nots".

Rhyme - the poem has an ABAB rhyme scheme with alternating end sounds, such as "plots/covers" and "swallows/shallows".