Ode on Solitude
Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound,
Content to breathe his native air,
In his own ground.
Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire,
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.
Blest, who can unconcernedly find
Hours, days, and years slide soft away.
In the health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day.
Sound sleep by night; study and ease;
Together mixt; sweet recreation:
And innocence, which most does please
With meditation.
Thus let me live, unseen, unknown
Thus unlamented let me die,
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.
— A. Pope
Word-Meanings
1. recreation : doing something for enjoyment 2. unlamented : one who is not mourned after his death 3. paternal acres : ancestral land, property 4. native : a place or environment in which a person is horn 5. herds : group of goats or cattle 6. flocks : group of sheep 7. attire : clothes 8. yield: to give
Questions:
1. Choose the correct option:
(a) ‘and not a stone’ tells us about:
(i) a building                  (ii) a memorial                      (iii) a wall                      (iv) a hillock
(b) A happy life is a life of ………….
 (i) short span               (ii) riches                                 (iii) contentment        (iv) competition
(c) The poet wants to mix with relaxation.
(i) rest                            (ii) meditation                        (iii) hard work             (iv) while away time
(d) The word ‘unlamented’ here refers to:
(i) praised by                                              (ii) unhappy with
 (iii) Ignored by                                          (iv) not mourned for
(e) The phrase ‘wish and care’ means:
 (i) labour                      (ii) hope                                 (iii) struggle                  (iv) none
 (f) The poem puts forward a/an………….. idea.
 (i) nasty                       (ii) fantastic                            (iii) utopian                 (iv) practical
2.Answer the questions briefly:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
(a) Where does the poet want to confine himself?
 (b) On what quality of mind does true happiness depend?
(c) How do trees help the poet?
(d) Who is a blessed man?
(e) What is meant by the lines ‘and not a stone, Tell where I lie’?
(f) Does the life suggest by the poet stand well today? Why?
Answers:
1. (a) ii             (b) iii          (c) ii           (d) iv         (e) ii           (f) iii
2.(a) The poet wants to confine himself in his native place a village.
(b) True happiness depends on satisfaction and contentment in living a simple life in one’s native place.
(c) Trees give the poet shade in summer and fuel in winter.
 (d) A blessed person is one who has a healthy body, peace of mind and time for study, recreation and meditation.
 (e) It means that no memorial should be raised on the poet’s grave.
(f) No, such a life is not good and relevant today.
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