Poem (3) LOVELIEST OF TREES, THE CHERRY NOW : Book 3

 Poem (3) LOVELIEST OF TREES, THE CHERRY NOW

 By "A.E. Housman"

Word	Meaning	Synonyms
1.      Hung	attach	Covered, loaded
2.      Woodland	land covered with trees.	Jungle, woods, forest
3.      Ride	A trip on a horse, a track for, horse riding	The trip, journey, expedition
4.      Easter	symbolism festival and holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.	Pasqua, paschal festival
5.      Tide		Time, occasion, age

 

Reference:

This poem is taken from the poem, “Loveliest of Trees, The Cherry Now” written by “A.E. Housman”

Context:

The beauty of nature is so captivating that man’s life is not long enough to enjoy it. The marvels of nature and beautiful scenery are attractive. The poet thinks that his remaining life is too short to relish this amazing scene.

Explanation:

In this poem, the poet expresses his keen love for Cherry Tree. He admires the snow-packed cheery time and feels a strange sensation when he sees it. He thinks that fifty years are not sufficient enough. The poet loves the beauty of cherry, its radiant color, and its sweet fragrance in the spring season. He looks at the cherry and he wants to feast his eyes with the beauty of the cherry tree for the rest of his life.

 

Write Down the Answers to the Following Questions:

Q.1: What time of the year is mentioned in the first stanza?

ANS: Easter is mentioned in the first stanza. It is a festival of Christians which is celebrated in spring after the full moon. This is a day of joy and happiness.

Q.2: What is the loveliest of the tree and why? OR What is the cherry tree loaded with and how? OR What does the poet depict in the poem? OR How does the cherry look?

ANS: The cherry is the loveliest of the tree because it is laden (loaded) with white beautiful flowers. All its branches are covered with flowers. The cherry is the symbol of the beauty of nature.

Q.3: When does the cherry bloom and how does it look? OR What does the poet depict in the poem?

ANS: The cherry flowers bloom in spring. It is covered with white flowers. It looks like the bride of the garden. Its whiteness matches the white clothes of the bride and white clothes worn at Easter.

Q.4 The cherry is covered/hung with snow. What does it mean?

ANS: The snow in winter covers the cherry tree, and its branches bend under its weight. It looks that the Cheery is wearing white for Easter tide. The poet feels attracted to the fascinating beauty of the Cheery tree.

Q.5: Why does the poet wish for a longer life?

ANS: The poet laments that a man’s life is not long enough to appreciate the beauty of nature. The poet wishes for eternal life so that he enjoys the eternal bliss of cherries.

Q.6: What is meant by ‘’wearing white for Easter tide’’ mean?

ANS: Easter is the day when Christ was resurrected (coming back to life after death). When the poet sees the cherry tree covered with white flowers and snow he feels as if it has worn this white dress to celebrate the Christian festival of Easter.

Q.7: Why the fifty springs are little to see the cherry tree?

ANS: The poet thinks that only fifty years of his life are left. Fifty years is a very short period for him to enjoy the beauty of the cherry tree. Therefore, he says, ‘’Even fifty years are not enough time to enjoy it.

Q.8: Why does the poet say ‘’twenty will not come again’’?

ANS: The poet finds his age too short to enjoy the beauty of the cherry tree. Therefore, he misses his past days which he could not spend enjoying the beauty of the cherry tree, and says ‘’Twenty will not come again’’.