Nurse’s Song
Summary of the Poem
When children’s voices dare heard in the green glades and their laughter is heard on the hills, the heart of the nurse is in complete peace within her breasts and everything else is quiet.
She addresses the children and says: “come home” The sun has set and the dews of the night are beginning to fall. Leave the play and come, let us go away till it is day again.
The children rely to her and say: “Please let us play for sometime more the daylight is still there. As yet we cannot go to sleep. Besides, the little birds are still flying in the sky, and even the sheep have not yet gone away from the bills.”
The Nurse tell the children, “Alright go and play so long as there is light and then come home to bed.” The little children leap with joy, laugh and shout and all the hills echo their shouts and their laughter.
Line by Line Explanation of Nurse’s Song
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When the voices …………in the skies.
Reference— These lines have been taken from the poem ‘Nurse’s Song’ composed by famous poet William Blake.
Context– When children’s voices are heard in the green glades and their laughter is heard on the hills. The nurse says to children, come here. The sun has set and the dews of night are beginning to fall.
Explanations– The poet says that the children are playing on the green and on the hillside. A ‘green’ is a plot of green-land. When the Nurse hears the merry voices and carefree laughter of the children, she feels peaceful and tranquil.,
As the evening has fallen, the countryside is silent except for the voices of the children. There is thus perfect accord between the Nurse’s heart and the mood of Nature at this time.
The Nurse calls out to the children as the sun has set and the evening dews are settling upon the grass and the plans. The Nurse asks the children to come to her so that she may take them home. They must stop playing. They can resume their games in the morning.
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No, no let us……………..all the hills echoed.
Reference- These lines are taken from the poem ‘Nurses’s Song’ composed by William Blake.
Context- When nurse says to children then the children rely to her and say: ‘Please let us play for some time more the daylight is still there.’
Explanation- Blake says that the children reply that the day is not yet over and that they will not be able to sleep so early. Besides, the little birds are still seen flying about in the air, and the sheep are still grazing on the hill-side. As the birds and the sheep are still out in the open, children too would also like to play there a little longer.
The Nurse agrees to let the children play till the light fades away completely. The children leap shout and laugh on being permitted by the Nurse is continue playing for a little while longer. All the hills echoed with their voices and laughter.
English Literature—Important links
- “Paradise Lost” (Lines 242-272) John Milton | Summary & Analysis
- Critical Appreciation of the poem “Nurse’s Song” (By William Blake)
- Characteristics of John Milton’s Poetry (with reference to Paradise Lost)
- “PARADISE LOST” as an Epic- By John Milton
- Critical appreciation of Paradise Lost- Theme, Styles, Cosmology etc.
- Speeches of Satan in Book I of Paradise Lost (By John Milton)
- Absalom and Achitophel (John Dryden)- Introduction & Summary
- Explanations of Absalom and Achitophel (Line by line analysis)
- Critical appreciation of “The False Achitophel” by John Dryden
- Dryden as a Satirical Poet
- Poetry of Dryden: As Classical Poet, As Versatile Genius etc.
- Alexander Pope’s poetry- Pope as Satirist, Lyricist, Classicist etc.
- “Essay on Man” by Alexander Pope, Epistles II (Complete Explanation)
- Development of English poetry since the age of Shakespeare
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