The River

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Unit 5 Poem
*The River
Caroline Ann Bowles
Warm up
• Have you ever been to a river?
• Describe the beauty of the river you have seen?
• Do you think rivers have life like human beings?
River, river, little river!

Bright you sparkle on your way;
O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Like a child at play.
River, river! Swelling river!

On you rush through rough and smooth;
Louder, faster, brawling, leaping.
Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping
Like impetuous youth.
River, river! Brimming river!

Broad and deep, and still as time;
Seeming still, yet still in motion,
Tending onward to the ocean,
Just like mortal prime.
River, river! Headlong river!

Down you dash into the sea,
Sea that line hath never sounded,
Sea that sail hath never rounded,
Like eternity.
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9th English Unit 5 Poem Pages 141-145.indd 141 13-12-2021 13:46:05

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About the Poet

Caroline Ann Bowles (1786-1854) was an English poet and the wife of Robert
Southey, the poet laureate of Britain. She was a poet of great merit and produced
some of the best work at the threshold of the Victorian era. She wrote various
other works including ‘The Little Ladybird’, ‘Chapter on Churchyard’ and ‘Tales of
the Factories’.
Glossary
foliage (n) : a cluster of leaves, flowers and branches

glancing (adj) : touching or hitting something lightly from
the side, without causing much damage
swelling (adj) : becoming greater in intensity or volume
rose-banks (n) : riverbanks where roses (flowers) appear along
impetuous (adj) : acting quickly and without thought or care
tending (adj) : going in a particular way
headlong (adv) : with the head first and the rest of the body following
hath (v) : in the past, the third person singular form of the word ‘have’.
eternity (n) : life continuing without end after death
A. *Memorise the poem 'The River'

B. Read the following lines and answer the questions given below
1. O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing
a) How does the river flow?
b) What is meant by ‘foliage’?
2. River, river! Swelling river!

On you rush through rough and smooth;
a) Why does the poet mention the river to be swelling?
b) What are the surfaces the river flow through?
3. Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping

Like impetuous youth.
a) Where does the rose grow?
b) Which stage of man is compared here?
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4. Broad and deep, and still as time;

Seeming still, yet still in motion.
a) What is broad and deep?
b) Is the time still?
5. Tending onward to the ocean,

Just like mortal prime.
a) Where is the river flowing to?
b) What does the poet mean by ‘mortal prime’?
Poetic Devices
Anaphora is the repetition of a certain word or phrase at the beginning of successive
lines of writing or speech.
(e.g.) Sea that line hath never sounded,
Sea that sail hath never rounded
Epithet is an adjective or phrase expressing a quality or attribute regarded as
characteristic of the person or the thing mentioned.
(e.g.) Little river.
Imagery is the name given to the elements in a poem that sparks the senses. It
need not be only visual, it can relate any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch,
taste, smell)
(e.g.) yellow pebbles.
C. Read the following lines and answer the questions

1. B
right you sparkle on your way;
O’er the yellow pebbles dancing,
Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Pick out the rhyming words.
2. Mention the rhyme scheme of the poem.
3. Through the flowers and foliage glancing,
Mention the figure speech used in the above line. Give various other examples
from the poem.
4. Seeming still, yet still in motion
a. Pick out the words in alliteration from the above line
b. Identify other examples from the poem for alliteration.
5. Pick out the examples for epithet from the poem.
6. Pick out the examples for imagery from the poem.
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D. Answer the following in a paragraph of about 120-150 words.

1. How does the poet bring about the comparison of life with the river? Explain it with
reference to the poem.
2. Describe how the poem clearly describes about the features, functions and destruc-
tive power of the river.
E. B
ased on your understanding of the poem, complete the summary of the poem by
choosing the words/phrases given below.
prime phase, the yellow pebbles, motionless, stages of

human life, sweeping, child, journey, reckless youth.
In the poem 'The River', the poet compares the flow of the river with
different__________________. The first stanza explains how the sparkling river goes
dancing over _______________ and glancing through the flowers and leaves. These acts
of the river is compared to a curious and innocent _______ at play. The second stanza
compares the river to a _______________ who goes through rough and smooth patches
of life. Like a youth, here the river becomes louder, faster and ___________ everything all
along the way. In the third stanza, the river becomes like a hard working man who is at
the _____________ of the life. Here the deep and broad river seems ____________ but it
keeps moving towards the sea like a matured man who silently marches towards the goal.
In the last stanza the long ___________ of the river reaches the endless sea like a human
life attains eternity.
English 144

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River, river, little river!

River, river! Swelling river!

River, river! Brimming river!

River, river! Headlong river!

9th English Unit 5 Poem Pages 141-145.indd 141 13-12-2021 13:46:05

About the Poet

foliage (n) : a cluster of leaves, flowers and branches

A. *Memorise the poem 'The River'

2. River, river! Swelling river!

3. Over rocks, by rose-banks, sweeping

9th English Unit 5 Poem Pages 141-145.indd 142 13-12-2021 13:46:05

4. Broad and deep, and still as time;

5. Tending onward to the ocean,

C. Read the following lines and answer the questions

9th English Unit 5 Poem Pages 141-145.indd 143 13-12-2021 13:46:05

D. Answer the following in a paragraph of about 120-150 words.

prime phase, the yellow pebbles, motionless, stages of

life attains eternity.

9th English Unit 5 Poem Pages 141-145.indd 144 13-12-2021 13:46:05

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