PALM TREE A POEM FOR CLASS 7 ICSE

Worksheet 28

ABOUT THE POET

Rabindranath Tagore (1861 -1941)freedom fighter and spokesperson for the cause of Indian independence, his famous works are Gitanjali, Gora, The home and The world, Kabuliwala

Palm Tree
STANZA 1
Palm-tree: single-legged giant,
topping other trees,
peering at the firmament -
It longs to pierce the black cloud-ceiling
and fly away, away,
if only it had wings.
STANZA 2
The tree seems to express its wish
in the tossing of its head:
its fronds heave and swish -
It thinks, Maybe my leaves are feathers,
and nothing stops me now
from rising on their flutter.
STANZA 3
All day the fronds the windblown tree
soar and flap and shudder
as though it thinks it can fly,
As though it wanders in the skies,
travelling who knows where,
wheeling past the stars –
STANZA 4
And then as soon as the wind dies down,
the fronds subside, subside:
the mind of the tree returns.
To earth, recalls that earth is its mother:
and then it likes once more

its earthly corner.

1. What is the message conveyed by the poet?

According to the poet the aim of the palm tree is to pierce the rainy clouds and go high in the sky. The palm tree wants to become tall to attain the heights and glories that come his way. The rainy, dark clouds can be a reference to the hurdles one needs to face in their journey to success.

2. What is the central theme of the poem?

The theme of the poem- the tree wants to be a bird.

3. What is the figure of speech used here?

Personification – the poet compares the tree to a bird. giving human qualities to non-living things. The trunk of a tree is compared to one legged.

Glossary of words in the poem.

Soar- to fly high

Flap-to move up and down 

Shudder- to shake suddenly

Wheeling – to move around

A palm frond is basically the leaf of the palm tree. Unlike the leaves of deciduous trees, which emerge in the spring and drop off in the fall, palm fronds stay green year-round and last for several years. Like deciduous tree leaves, palm fronds perform photosynthesis, giving the tree the food it needs to live. 

Heave – to raise and fall rhythmically. 

Swish – to move quickly and gently.

Flutter- to mov in air. Example the flag was fluttering in the wind.