2. What is the message of the poemThe Brook?

The brook appears to be a symbol for life. A few instances which explain and help to compare life and the
brook are:

When the brook comes out from the mountains, its movement is very noisy and quick and it is in
full vigor. It is in a hurry to reach its destination, that is, the river. This is similar to human beings
in early age, when man is very energetic, lively, enthusiastic and full of vigor.
The poet talks about the movement of the brook being slow and smooth when it comes closer to
the river, which can be compared to man in his old age, who becomes very calm, soft, gentle and
lethargic.
In the early phase of the brooks life, it has a very fast motion and it overcomes all the obstacles,
stones and pebbles in its way. This nature of the brook can be compared to man in his youth when
he is enthusiastic and is ready to face all the challenges that come in his way.
During the course of the brooks journey, it takes a lot of things along with it like blossoms, silt,
gravel and fish. Same is the case with man who accompanies and moves forward in life with the
people he meets, in the journey of his life.
The only difference between the two can be drawn by the fact that the brook is eternal and has a
continuous flow while the human life ends by the arrival of death.

3. I come from haunts of coot and hern. Who are coot and haunts?
Haunts - place frequently visited
Coot - a type of water bird with a white spot on the forehead
INTRODUCTION:
The poet has realistically drawn a parallelism between the journey of the brook with the life of a
man... the poet says as in the childhood the a child is very agile, energetic and lively , like that only
the brook in the beginning stage of its life is very powerful, enhancing and it keeps on flowing with a
great rush and enthusiasm throughout its life .it falls from great heights and menders around the
wavy path, and when it approaches on plain it becomes very slow and continues to flow eternally
.like the brook a man toward the end of his life he becomes slow in his moves and ultimately dies
and also emerges with its final destination but it never ends to flow........
LITERAL EXPLANATION:

The brook makes a sudden appearance by emerging from the mountains, the
dwelling place of water birds (coot and hern). It sparkles and shines among the fern
(flowerless plants) because the sun's rays are reflected off by it. The brook flows
down a valley quickly in a very noisy manner.

The poet depicts the pace of the brook, as it quickly flows through hills, ridges,
villages, a town and bridges.

Finally, the brook joins the overflowing river after it flows by a farm (Philip's
farm).

As the brook flows by stony ways, it creates a whirlpool (eddying bay) and
sounds (chatters) because of the stones and pebbles in its path.

As the brook flows further, it erodes its banks. The brook then flows by fields,
infertile barren lands and a foreland filled with flowers (willow-weed and mallow).

The brook then meanders in and out, and carries along with it blossoms, silt,
fish(grayling and trout) and gravel.

There are some changes in the terrain and the water of the brook hits many hard
objects, causing the water to split in various directions and foam formation.

When the brook comes closer towards the river, in the plains, its movement
becomes slower, gentle, calm, quiet and soft. It flows smoothly by the lawns and
grassy plots; and the hazel covers and the forget-me-nots flowers.

The sunlight falls on the brook after it penetrates through the canopy covers.
Water becomes shallower on its sandy banks.

At night, the brook flows through thorny forests. It flows by eroded pebbles and
stones slowly and by the pungent leaf plants (cresses).

The brook continues its journey to join the brimming river as it makes its way out
of the vegetation.

PARALLEL WITH HUMAN LIFE:

When the brook emerges from the mountains, its movement is very noisy and
quick and it is very energetic. It is in a rush to achieve its goal of joining the
overflowing river. Similarly, man in his youth is very lively, agile, energetic and
active.

The brook in its early stages is very fast and overcomes all the hurdles, hard
objects, stones and pebbles in its journey. This can be compared to man in his youth
who is enthusiastic and can strive and accept all the challenges that come in his way.

During the journey, the brook takes along with it silt, gravel, blossoms and fish.
Similarly man also takes away different people he comes across along with him, in
some way, to accompany him ahead in the journey of life.

When the brook comes closer to the river, its movement becomes slow and
smooth, which can be compared to man in his old age, who becomes very calm,
gentle, soft and lethargic.

The difference between the two is that the brook is eternal and keeps flowing on
forever, while man reaches his final destination after his old age by meeting the
horns of death.

POETIC DEVICES:

ALLITERATION: sudden sally, Half a hundred, skimming swallows, golden gravel,

willow-weeds, fairy foreland, field and fallow

ONOMATOPOEIA: bicker, babble, chatter, murmur

RHYMING SCHEME: abab

REFRAIN: For men may come and may go, but I go on forever.

REPETITION: And here and there a lusty trout, And here and there a grayling.
I chatter, chatter

PERSONIFICATION: The brook has been personified

SYMBOL: Fish=source of life, forget-me-nots=eternal love

'FOR MEN MAY COME AND MAN MAY GO, BUT I GO ON FOREVER':
The poet has compared the mortal nature of man with the immortal nature of the brook. The poet
has drawn a parallel between the two and has tried to depict the similarities between the two in the
various stages of the journey of their lives. The brook keeps flowing on forever and is eternal. But
man has a certain lifespan and man's journey of life has to end when he meets the horns of death.
The poet, through this poem has tried to emphasize on this point by using the refrain-'For men may
come, And men may go, But I go on forever.'