CHSE Odisha Class 11 English Solutions Poem 2 Oft, In The Stilly Night

Odisha State Board CHSE Odisha Class 11 Invitation to English 1 Solutions Poem 2 Oft, In The Stilly Night Textbook Exercise Questions and Answers.

CHSE Odisha 11th Class English Solutions Poem 2 Oft, In The Stilly Night

CHSE Odisha Class 11 English Oft, In The Stilly Night Text Book Questions and Answers

Think It Out

Question 1.
When do the past memories occur to the poet?
Answer:
The past memories occur to the poet before he finds himself in deep sleep.

Question 2.
What does “other days” mean?
Answer:
‘Other days’ means the days coming nearer and this creates a sense of impending doom.

Question 3.
Are the memories of boyhood sweet or sad? Quote the line in support of your answer. How does the poet grieve for his dear ones who have passed away?
Answer:
Memories of boyhood are both sweet and sad. The lines :
“The smiles, the tears”
“The eyes that shone”
“Now dimm’d and gone”
“The cheerful hearts now broken !”
bring out sad memories.

Besides the lines
“Of boyhood’s years”
“The words of love then spoken”
describe sweet memories.
The poet grieves for his dear and near ones who have passed away in his nostalgic vein.

Question 4.
How does he recall his friends?
Answer:
He sadly recalls his friends who were very close to him. They are now all dead.

Question 5.
Does the poet feel lonely in the absence of his near and dear ones? Quote the line in support of your answer.
Answer:
Yes, the poet feels lonely in the absence of his dear and near ones. The line “Who trades alone” states this.

Question 6.
A simile is a figure of speech used to make a comparison between two unlike things using ‘as’, and ‘like’ … What figure of speech does the poet use to express his loneliness?
Answer:
The poet used metaphor to express his loneliness.

Question 7.
The figure of speech used to express inanimate beings as animate is called personification. Give the example of personification used m the poem.
Answer:
The line “slumber’s chain has bound me” is an example of personification.

CHSE Odisha Class 11 English Oft, In The Stilly Night Important Questions and Answers

A. Short Answer Type Questions with Answers

1. Read through the extract and answer the questions that follow.

When I remember all
The friends, so linked together,
I’ve seen around me fall,
Like leaves in wintry weather;
I feel like one
Who treads alone

Some banquet-hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled,
Whose garlands dead,
And all but he departed!

Thus, on a stilly night,
Ere slumber’s chain has bound me,
Sad memory brings the light
Of other days around me.

Questions :
(i) “So linked together.” Explain its significance.

(ii) Explain :
“I’ve seen around me fall,
Like leaves in wintry weather;”

(iii) Why is ‘Some banquet-hall deserted’?

(iv) What does this extract indicate?

(v) Account for repetition of words ‘whose’ and ‘he’ signify?

Answers :
(i) The expression “So linked together” implies the poet’s close Mends.

(ii) With the advent of winter, leaves wither. Like them, his friends have passed away in course of time.

(iii) Some banquet-hall looks empty, because his dear and near ones, and his friends are all dead.

(iv) This extract indicates the poet’s transition from boyhood to the present time by switching from past to present tense.

(v) The repetition of ‘whose’ and ‘he’ indicate personalization.

B.Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with Answers

Choose the correct option.
Introducing the poet and Warm-up

Thomas Moore…………. away.
Question 1.
Who among the following is the poet of the poem “Oft, In The Stilly Night”?
(a) Thomas Hardy.
(b) Thomas Moore.
(c) John Milton.
(d) John Keats.
Answer:
(b) Thomas Moore.

Question 2.
The description in this poem is mainly about :
(a) a natural science.
(b) the life of a great man.
(c) the memories of the past.
(d) a hero of a great battle.
Answer:
(c) the memories of the past.

Question 3.
In the poem the poet longs for :
(a) the days have gone by, and the dear ones who have passed away.
(b) the hero of battle who fought till the last drop of his bloodshed.
(c) the natural beauty which he had seen while visiting a hill station.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(a) the days have gone by, and the dear ones who have passed away.

The Text
Lines from 1 to 14
Oft, in the stilly night……….. days around me.
Question 4.
How was the night that the poet refers to?
(a) stormy.
(b) stilly.
(c) shivering.
(d) snowy.
Answer:
(b) stilly.

Question 5.
What do you mean by the word ‘stilly’?
(a) disturbing.
(b) fearful.
(c) calm.
(d)horror.
Answer:
(c) calm.

Question 6.
Which kind of ‘chain’ does the poet here refer to?
(a) chain of iron.
(b) chain of dreams.
(c) chain of deep sleep.
(d) chain of thoughts.
Answer:
(c) chain of deep sleep.

Question 7.
What do you mean by the word ‘slumber’?
(a) deep breathe.
(b) deep sleep.
(c) deep thought.
(d) deep voice.
Answer:
(b) deep sleep.

Question 8.
What does the word ‘light’ mean?
(a) the sunshine.
(b) the joy.
(c) the sorrow.
(d) the moonlight.
Answer:
(b) the joy.

Question 9.
What do the words ‘other days’ mean?
(a) the days other than his days of the tour.
(b) the days when the poet was away from his friends and his kith and kin.
(c) the days of his childhood.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(b) the days when the poet was away from his friends and his kith and kin.

Question 10.
He remembers the smiles and the tears of a particular period. Which is that?
(a) period of childhood.
(b) period of youth.
(c) period of his tours and travels.
(d) period of the old hood.
Answer:
(a) period of childhood.

Question 11.
What does the poet feel to have lost?
(a) his childhood days.
(b) his memory of good and bad days.
(c) the shining eyes and the cheerful hearts of his near and dear ones.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(c) the shining eyes and the cheerful hearts of his near and dear ones.

A line from 15 to 28
When I remember………….. ….days around me.
Question 12.
Whom does the poet remember?
(a) his friends who had gone.
(b) his friends who are still alive.
(c) his forefathers who have gone.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(a) his friends who had gone.

Question 13.
How did his friends leave this world?
(a) like a journey to heaven.
(b) like leaves in winter weather.
(c) like everybody in this world.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(b) like leaves in winter weather.

Question 14.
What does it imply ‘so linked together’?
(a) people in the link.
(b) people of an association.
(c) poet’s close friends.
(d) natural things linked together.
Answer:
(c) poet’s close friends.

Question 15.
What do you mean by the expression ‘banquet-hall deserted’?
(a) nobody in the hall to enjoy the feast.
(b) the loneliness of the last survivor.
(c) loss of cheerfulness in life.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(b) the loneliness of the last survivor.

Question 16.
‘And all but he departed.’ In this line the word ‘he’ refers to :
(a) to the man who is not dead.
(b) the best friend of the poet.
(c) the poet himself.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(c) the poet himself.

Question 17.
One line of the poem signifies that the poet is all alone. What is that line?
(a) Line 19
(b) Line 20
(c) Line 21
(d) Line 24
Answer:
(b) Line 20

Question 18.
Which words in the poem express personification?
(a) in the stilly night.
(b) slumber’s chain.
(c) who treads alone.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(b) slumber’s chain.

Question 19.
What do you mean by the word ‘departed’?
(a) went away.
(b) divided.
(c) dead.
(d) separated.
Answer:
(c) dead.

Question 20.
What’s the expression of the line ‘Whose lights are fled”?
(a) the joys of their happiness are gone.
(b) who have lost their lives?
(c) the light of their lives has become a beam.
(d) none of the above.
Answer:
(a) the joys of their happiness are gone.

Detailed Summaries and Glossary
Stanza – 1 (Lines 1-14)
Gist with Glossary
Gist :
Stanza one presents two periods of memories, sweet and sad that occupy the poet’s mind. It begins with memories of boyhood. It was a blend of joy, love, and sorrow. The shining eyes and the cheerful hearts of his dear and near ones met with the tragic loss. He remembers these days in a quiet night before deep sleep takes hold of him

Glossary:
Oft: often (ବାରମ୍ବାର, ବହୁବାର)
Stilly: calm, silent (ନୀରବ, ନିସ୍ତବ୍ଧ)
Slumber: deep sleep (ଗଭୀର ନିଦ୍ରା)
The Light: (here) joy (ଆନନ୍ଦ)
Other Days: the days when the poet was away from his friends and his kith and kin.
The eyes…gone: The death of those whom he loved most
The cheerful…… broken: indicate death

Stanza – 2 (Lines 15-28)
Gist With Glossary
Gist:
Stanza two begins with the poet’s remembrance of close friends. He has seen them like withered leaves in the wintry cold. He now feels lonely. He sees the deserted banquet hall. The lights and garlands there are all gone with the death of each and every friend. They have left him alone to remember them in the stillness of night before he finds himself in deep sleep. Sad memory freshens the happy and joyful days he had spent not only with his friends but with other people around him.

Glossary:
The Friends….together: the poet’s close friend.
I have…….. fall: his friends are no more.
like……… weather: they have withered as the leaves fall as a result of bitter wintry cold.
I feel……… alone: the poet wilts under loneliness.
banquet…….. deserted: The banquet hall is empty. There is no sign of his friends.
whose…….. dead: They are all dead.
And all but he departed: Each of his close friends has died. He remains a lone survivor.

Introducing The Poet

Thomas Moore, an Irish poet, is a singer, songwriter, and entertainer. Besides, he is a satirist and a propagandist. He is now best remembered for The Lyrics of the Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. In his lifetime, he was often referred to as Anacreon Moore.

About The Poet

Moore’s Oft, In the Stilly Night, throws light on two periods (past and present) and memories (boyhood and present). There is a tinge of nostalgia about it. It is one of the most magnificent songs of Moore with a complete adjustment of words to music and music to words with a very fine quality poetical merit in the verse. The theme of death pervades the poem.

Summary

The poet walks down the memory. He recollects memories, sweet and sad, in the calm night before deep sleep grips him. ‘The smiles, the tears’ of his ‘boyhood years’ flash before his mind’s eye. Besides loving words of his dear and near ones ring his ears. Their shining eyes are no more. Their gay hearts do not exist. The poet’s remembrance of the sad past takes him back to the days of sunshine and happiness he had had with his kith and kin. In short, death is first presented in the shining eyes that are ‘now dimmed and gone’.

It is next presented as ‘cheerful hearts now broken’. The poet’s mind is filled with near-present memories of ‘friends, so link’d together’. Death is presented here as friends who ‘fall/like leaves in wintry weather’. Death again is presented in a personal connection and in a threatening way. He remembers the day when his dear ones left some banquet-hall one by one. They have passed away. He is the lone survivor. In other words, he recollects the past in a state of deep sorrow.

ସାରାଂଶ:
କବି Thomas Moore ଏହି କବିତାରେ ଜୀବନର ଦୁଇଟି ସମୟର ସ୍ମୃତିଚାରଣ କରିଛନ୍ତି – ବାଲ୍ୟ ଅବସ୍ଥା ଓ ବର୍ତ୍ତମାନର ବାର୍ଦ୍ଧକ୍ୟ ଅବସ୍ଥା । ରାତିର ଗଭୀରତା ସହିତ ନିର୍ଜନତା ମଧ୍ୟ ବଢୁଥାଏ, ପରିବେଶର ନିସ୍ତବ୍ଧତା ଓ ନିର୍ଜନତା ମଧ୍ୟ ଚତୁଃପାର୍ଶ୍ଵକୁ ବିସ୍ତାରିତ କରୁଥାଏ । କବି ଶୟନ କକ୍ଷକୁ ଯାଆନ୍ତି ବିଶ୍ରାମ ନେବାପାଇଁ । କିନ୍ତୁ ଅତୀତର ସ୍ମୃତି ପ୍ରକାର ଚିନ୍ତାରେ । ପିଲା ସମୟର ସୁଖ ଓ ଦୁଃଖର ଚିନ୍ତାଗୁଡ଼ାକ ମନ ମଧ୍ୟକୁ ଧସେଇ ପଶିଆସେ । କବିଙ୍କ ଚିନ୍ତା ବାଲ୍ୟାବସ୍ଥାର ସ୍ମୃତିରୁ ଆରମ୍ଭ ହୋଇଛି । ଏହା ଥିଲା ଆନନ୍ଦ, ପ୍ରେମ ଓ ଦୁଃଖର ଏକ ସମ୍ମିଶ୍ରଣ । ବାଲ୍ୟାବସ୍ଥାର ଏହି ପ୍ରତିଧ୍ଵନିତ ହୁଏ । ସେମାନଙ୍କର ସେହି ଉଜ୍ଜଳ ଆଖି ଓ ନିର୍ମଳ ହୃଦୟ ଆଉ ନାହିଁ । କବିଙ୍କର ସେହି ଆନନ୍ଦ ଓ ମଧୁର ମୁହୂର୍ଭର ସୂ ତିଚାରଣ ହୁଏ । ଯୁବକ ଅବସ୍ଥାର ସେହି ପ୍ରେମ ବିଭୋରିତ ମୁହୂର୍ଭ ବି କବିଙ୍କର ମନେପଡ଼େ ।

ଆଜି କବି ବାର୍ଦ୍ଧକ୍ୟର ଉପନୀତ।ସେଦିନର ସେହି ନିର୍ମଳ ହୃଦୟ ଓ ଉଜ୍ଜଳ ଆଖିକୁ ଆଜି ମୃତ୍ୟୁର ମଳିନତା ଗ୍ରାସ କରିଛି । ଚାଲିଯାଇଛି ସେହି ଆନନ୍ଦମୟ ପ୍ରେମ ବିଭୋରିତ ମୁହୂର୍ତ୍ତ । ଆଜି ତାଙ୍କର ହୃଦୟ ହୋଇଛି ଶୁଷ୍କ ଓ ନୀରସ । ଏହା ଭାଙ୍ଗି ଖଣ୍ଡ ଖଣ୍ଡ ହୋଇଯାଇଛି । ନିସ୍ତବ୍ଧ ରାତ୍ରିର ଗଭୀରତା ତାଙ୍କ ପାଖକୁ ନେଇ ଆସିଛି ଦୁଃଖ ଓ ହତାଶାର ଚିତ୍ର । କବିଙ୍କର ସ୍ମୃତିଚାରଣ ହୁଏ ସାଙ୍ଗମାନଙ୍କ ସହିତ ସେହି ସୁନେଲି ମୁହୂର୍ଭ, ଯେତେବେଳେ କି ସେ ସେମାନଙ୍କ ଗହଣରେ ଆନନ୍ଦଭରା ନାଚ ଓ ଗୀତରେ ସମୟ ଅତିବାହିତ କରିଥିଲେ । ଏବେ ମୃତ୍ୟୁର ପରିପ୍ରକାଶ ଘଟିଛି । ସେ ଆଜି ବାର୍ଦ୍ଧକ୍ୟରେ ଉପନୀତ । ସାଙ୍ଗମାନେ ସମସ୍ତେ ଛାଡ଼ି ଚାଲିଗଲେଣି । ଏବେ ସେ ଏକାକୀ ନିଃସଙ୍ଗ ହୋଇ ବଞ୍ଚ୍ ଭିତରେ । ସେ ହୋଇଯାଇଛନ୍ତି ଏକ ପରିତ୍ୟକ୍ତ ଭୋଜିଭାତ ଘରେ ଏକୁଟିଆ ବୁଲୁଥିବା ଜଣେ ଲୋକ ଭଳି । କିଛି ଉଠୁଥ‌ିବା ଘରଟି ଏବେ ନିର୍ଜନ ଓ ନିଃସଙ୍ଗ ହୋଇଯାଇଛି । ଆଲୋକ ଲିଭିଯାଇଛି ଓ ଫୁଲମାଳ ମଉଳି ଯାଇଛି । ସମସ୍ତେ ଅନ୍ଧକାର ରାତ୍ରିର ନିର୍ଜନତା ମଧ୍ଯରେ ।