Nature

Nature 
by H.D Carberry

We have neither Summer nor Winter
Neither Autumn nor Spring.
We have instead the days
When the gold sun shines on the lush green canefields-
Magnificently.
The days when the rain beats like bullet on the roofs
And there is no sound but thee swish of water in the gullies
And trees struggling in the high Jamaica winds.
Also there are the days when leaves fade from off guango trees’
And the reaped canefields lie bare and fallow to the sun.
But best of all there are the days when the mango and the logwood blossom
When bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey,
When the tall grass sways and shivers to the slightest breath of air,
When the buttercups have paved the earth with yellow stars
And beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone.

1. In your words describe the weather as depicted in the poem.

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2. State one moral value that you have learnt from the poem.
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3. Note that the poem ends with the line “and beauty comes suddenly and the rains have gone”. Describe how this bears a resemblance in our life.
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4. In the opening lines of the poem, the poet describes the things that are absent. In your opinion, what is the poet trying to convey?
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5. Why do you think the poet H.D.Carberry wrote the poem?

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6. List three words related to nature.

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7. Which line in the poem ‘Nature’ suggests the sense of smell?

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8. Based on your knowledge of the poem ‘Nature’, describe a theme in the poem.

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ANSWERS

1. The poem highlights the appealing climate conditions on the island of Jamaica.
2. We must appreciate the beauty of nature.
3. This is a big resemblance to our life, as it has been our experience that after bad times, good times will follow and sometimes ever so abruptly.
4. It is to highlight the pleasant climate on the island. It has no extreme weather conditions.
5. He wants to celebrate the richness of the land’s produce and how alive and plentiful Nature is.
6. b.      gold sun, rain, trees.
7. The line, “When the bushes are full of the sound of bees and the scent of honey”
8. Appreciating one’s country-Life in one’s country has its share of ups and downs but one must always look at the brighter side of life. In this poem, the poet stresses on his country’s weather being sunny, rainy and windy. The poet states that we must appreciate what we have.