THE TREES
REFERENCE TO CONTEXT
1. The trees inside are moving out into the forest,
the forest that was empty all these days
where no bird could sit
no insect hide
no sun bury its feet in shadow
The forest that was empty all these nights will be full of trees by morning.
(a) What does the poet mean by empty forest? Why is it empty?
Ans. Empty forest means forest with no trees and it is so because humans have destroyed
the forests for building cities and other uses.
(b) Explain ‘No sun bury its feet in the shadow’.
Ans. The sun radiates heat and the given words create a picture of the hot, radiating sun
cooling its feet in the cool shadow of the forest. The poet has personified sun and its ‘feet’
refers to its rays that reach the earth. The scorching rays of the sun have no shade of trees
to cool themselves and neither do the animals and birds have any respite from the scorching
sun as there is no shade in the absence of tress.
(c) What are the things that cannot happen in a treeless forest?
Ans. A forest is a natural habitat for numerous birds and insects. When the forests are
cleared, the birds cannot make their nests, nor can the insects hide in the bark of the trees.
And there is nothing to shade the area from sunlight.
(d) Which word in the stanza means ‘hide from view’?
Ans. Bury
2. All night the roots work to disengage themselves
from the cracks in the veranda floor.
The leaves strain toward the glass
small twigs stiff with exertion
long-cramped boughs shuffling under the roof like newly discharged patients
half-dazed, moving to the clinic doors.
(a) Why do the roots work all night?
Ans. The roots work all night so that they can free themselves from the walls put around
them by humans.
(b) Why do the twigs get stiff?
Ans. The twigs get stiff due to the pressure they apply on the glasses.
(c) Explain ‘long cramped boughs......newly discharged patients’.
Ans. The poet compares the ‘long-cramped’ branches that have been shuffling under the
roof to newly discharged patients who look half-dazed as they move towards the hospital
doors after long illnesses and wait to get out of the hospital. The branches also have
cramped under the roof and want to get out into the open to spread themselves in fresh air.
The figure of speech is simile.
(d) Which word in the stanza means “to get free”?
Ans. Disengage
3. I sit inside, doors open to the veranda, writing long letters
in which I scarcely mention the departure of the forest from the house.
The night is fresh, the whole moon shines in a sky still open
The smell of leaves and lichen still reaches like a voice into the rooms.
(a) What is the poet doing?
Ans. The poet is writing letters
(b) What does the poetess not mention in the letters and why?
Ans. The poetess does not mention the departure of the forest from the house. The poet,
like most people, tried hard to recreate the forest in her veranda; however, she then
realised that the trees themselves wished to be freed from the captivity of indoor life and to
go back to their natural habitat. This realisation causes her some embarrassment, as she
held them captive against their will; hence she does not mention the departure of forests in
her long letters.
(c)Identify the poetic device used in the last line.
Ans. The poet has used a simile. When the trees move out, they break the glass on their way
out. The smell of leaves and lichens still reaches the poet like a voice from afar.
(d) Describe the pleasant night when ‘the forest’ departed from the house.
Ans. The poet says that the night is fresh and the whole moon is shining in the open sky.
4. My head is full of whispers, which tomorrow will be silent.
Listen. The glass is breaking.
The trees are stumbling forward into the night. Winds rush to meet them.
The moon is broken like a mirror, its pieces flash now in the crown of the tallest oak.
(a) Why would the whispers be silent tomorrow?
Ans. The whispers will be silent because the trees will move outside to the forest.
(b) Why are the trees stumbling?
Ans. The trees are stumbling because they hurry to move outside after breaking the glass.
(c) How does the poet describe the moon?
Ans. The poet says that the moon seems to be broken like a mirror and its pieces shine in
the crown of the tallest oak tree.
(d) Why is the description of the moon different in the beginning and at the end of the
third stanza?
Ans. At the beginning of the third stanza, the poet says that one can see the whole moon
shining in the open sky but in the end, the moon seems to be broken like a mirror and its
pieces shine in the crown of the tallest oak tree. The change is caused by the shifting of the
trees outside.
Value Based Question
Ques. The poem ‘The Trees’ present a conflict between man and nature. Describe the
struggle of the trees and their victorious march to their natural habitat—the forest.
Ans. The poem does present a conflict between man and nature; man wanting to keep
nature in 'captivity' and nature longing for its 'freedom'. Man not only prefers to live in
closed places but also likes to restrict nature. He uses trees and plants to decorate his home;
he builds artificial forests in closed places; he cuts trees for his selfish purposes; he hunts
animals and birds for their meat; keeps them in captivity and deprives them of their
freedom.
The greed, arrogance and foolishness of man have constantly tested the patience of
otherwise peaceful nature. When nature can’t bear any more, it revolts and causes havoc
on man in the form of storms, droughts and floods. Man’s greed leads to deforestation.
Forests without trees have become a curse for birds, insects and even for the sun. This
disaster can’t be redeemed.
Any attempt to subdue and control nature will end in failure. Uprooting trees from their
original habitat, the forests and confining them to artificial glasshouses will end in failure.
The trees rise against the onslaughts of men and wage a long and hard struggle to liberate
themselves from the bondage of man. Ultimately, they are victorious. They return to their
original home where they should be. Ultimately, nature asserts itself and repulses man’s
attempt to exploit, subdue and tame it.
