NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Beehive Poem A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

Thinking about the Poem

Question:- 1. “A slumber did my spirit seal,” says the poet. That is, a deep sleep ‘closed off’ his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief ? Or does he feel a great peace?

Answer:- The poet is shocked and surprised by his loved one’s death. It hurts a lot. Death is not a pleasant experience for anyone. It’s always connected with a sense of doom and gloom.

Question:- 2. The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this?

Answer:- “She seemed a thing that could not feel the touch of earthly years”.

Question:- 3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a ‘heaven’)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?

Answer:- She is submerged in the earth, according to the poet. He believes she has rolled along with the rocks, stones, and trees as part of the earth’s daily course. We found our answer in the following lines of the poem:

“Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course

With rocks and stones and trees.”