Basically, last year I chose this poem for my poem recital.
In case you never read the poem before, here it is:
The Flower by Lord Alfred Tennyson
Once in a golden hour
I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
The people said, a weed.
To and fro they went
Thro' my garden-bower,
And muttering discontent
Cursed me and my flower.
Then it grew so tall
It wore a crown of light,
But thieves from o'er the wall
Stole the seed by night.
Sow'd it far and wide
By every town and tower,
Till all the people cried
`Splendid is the flower.'
Read my little fable:
He that runs may read.
Most can raise the flowers now,
For all have got the seed.
And some are pretty enough,
And some are poor indeed;
And now again the people
Call it but a weed.
Important Points of the poem:
Essentially, the poet gives us an idea of how we view things that are new.
First stanza:
The poet introduces a seed, which symbolizes the birth of something new, or (to me) can be referred to as an invention. He describes it as a rare invention (once in a golden hour) and says that it had succeeded (up there came a flower). At first, people did not believe him and still thought his new invention was useless, sarcastic that the invention was good(the people said, a weed) .
Second stanza:
People were angry and unhappy that the persona had discovered something they did not. They wandered around the invention, finally seeing how great it was for themselves, now becoming jealous that it was him instead of them that found out this new invention (To and fro they went Thro' my garden-bower And muttering discontent Cursed me and my flower).
Third stanza:
However, the poet proved that the invention was so good that it could not be given the slightest of doubts. (Then it grew so tall It wore a crown of light), but at last, people managed to steal the secret in making it (But thieves from o'er the wall Stole the seed by night).
Fourth stanza:
Later, the people who copied it mass produced it to the public (Sow'd it far and wide By every town and tower). As everybody tried the new invention, they realized how good it was (Till all the people cried`Splendid is the flower.'). Soon, the time came when the secret of the invention leaked out, and many people knew how to produce the same invention (Most can raise the flowers now, For all have got the seed.).
Fifth stanza:
Everybody had and could make the invention now, until it became so common everybody now took them for granted. (And now again the people Call it but a weed.)
Why did I choose this poem, and what did I learn from it?
I chose this poem because of the deep textual meanings coupled with the beautiful way in which it is written. Tennyson could really capture the essence of what happens to new things, and be able to paraphrase it into such a concise language. This poem was so perfectly written that his poem is even relevant today!
Many of our modern inventions are prime examples of this -- for example, the aeroplane, the phone, the computer, etc. Let us talk more about the aeroplane. At first, when the idea of being above the ground came out, people treated it with sarcasm and scrutiny. The Wright brothers who believed that their idea would work could not get the motor for their plane as people were reluctant to sell them as they saw their plan as a failure and would only bring bad reputation to their motor.
Next, Jealousy arouses when they finally come to see how great it is for themselves. The plane finally takes off and makes a successful journey in the air. After that, the truth is finally out - People finally accepts that the brother had just made a miraculous invention .
Imitators, for example, China companies try to copy the idea and manufactures them on a wide scale. Everybody scrambles to claim that the plane and flying was done by them. Later, enough planes are created, prices drops, people take flying for granted.
This can be used to explain what happened for the other inventions too!
From this poem, I not only learnt new techniques on writing a poem, I also understand how life is like for inventors and anybody pioneering something new for that matter. I can really empathise with them how harsh and cruel life must be -- forever being worried that someone would copy you etc.
Now, I hope that you understand how great this poem is. It really captures everything and that is what makes it so realistic and fascinating to me.
In case you never read the poem before, here it is:
The Flower by Lord Alfred Tennyson
Once in a golden hour
I cast to earth a seed.
Up there came a flower,
The people said, a weed.
To and fro they went
Thro' my garden-bower,
And muttering discontent
Cursed me and my flower.
Then it grew so tall
It wore a crown of light,
But thieves from o'er the wall
Stole the seed by night.
Sow'd it far and wide
By every town and tower,
Till all the people cried
`Splendid is the flower.'
Read my little fable:
He that runs may read.
Most can raise the flowers now,
For all have got the seed.
And some are pretty enough,
And some are poor indeed;
And now again the people
Call it but a weed.
Important Points of the poem:
Essentially, the poet gives us an idea of how we view things that are new.
First stanza:
The poet introduces a seed, which symbolizes the birth of something new, or (to me) can be referred to as an invention. He describes it as a rare invention (once in a golden hour) and says that it had succeeded (up there came a flower). At first, people did not believe him and still thought his new invention was useless, sarcastic that the invention was good(the people said, a weed) .
Second stanza:
People were angry and unhappy that the persona had discovered something they did not. They wandered around the invention, finally seeing how great it was for themselves, now becoming jealous that it was him instead of them that found out this new invention (To and fro they went Thro' my garden-bower And muttering discontent Cursed me and my flower).
Third stanza:
However, the poet proved that the invention was so good that it could not be given the slightest of doubts. (Then it grew so tall It wore a crown of light), but at last, people managed to steal the secret in making it (But thieves from o'er the wall Stole the seed by night).
Fourth stanza:
Later, the people who copied it mass produced it to the public (Sow'd it far and wide By every town and tower). As everybody tried the new invention, they realized how good it was (Till all the people cried`Splendid is the flower.'). Soon, the time came when the secret of the invention leaked out, and many people knew how to produce the same invention (Most can raise the flowers now, For all have got the seed.).
Fifth stanza:
Everybody had and could make the invention now, until it became so common everybody now took them for granted. (And now again the people Call it but a weed.)
Why did I choose this poem, and what did I learn from it?
I chose this poem because of the deep textual meanings coupled with the beautiful way in which it is written. Tennyson could really capture the essence of what happens to new things, and be able to paraphrase it into such a concise language. This poem was so perfectly written that his poem is even relevant today!
Many of our modern inventions are prime examples of this -- for example, the aeroplane, the phone, the computer, etc. Let us talk more about the aeroplane. At first, when the idea of being above the ground came out, people treated it with sarcasm and scrutiny. The Wright brothers who believed that their idea would work could not get the motor for their plane as people were reluctant to sell them as they saw their plan as a failure and would only bring bad reputation to their motor.
Next, Jealousy arouses when they finally come to see how great it is for themselves. The plane finally takes off and makes a successful journey in the air. After that, the truth is finally out - People finally accepts that the brother had just made a miraculous invention .
Imitators, for example, China companies try to copy the idea and manufactures them on a wide scale. Everybody scrambles to claim that the plane and flying was done by them. Later, enough planes are created, prices drops, people take flying for granted.
This can be used to explain what happened for the other inventions too!
From this poem, I not only learnt new techniques on writing a poem, I also understand how life is like for inventors and anybody pioneering something new for that matter. I can really empathise with them how harsh and cruel life must be -- forever being worried that someone would copy you etc.
Now, I hope that you understand how great this poem is. It really captures everything and that is what makes it so realistic and fascinating to me.
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