Lesson 2: Poems about Nature

A. Look at the image and discuss in groups the possible answers to the questions:

1. What could be the colours of the field, the trees and birds?
2. Where are the birds going?

Something Told the Wild Geese

Something told the wild geese It was time to go. Though the fields lay golden Something whispered, — "snow".

Leaves were green and stirring, Berries, lustre-glossed, But beneath warm feathers Something cautioned, — "frost".

All the sagging orchards Steamed with amber spice, But each wild breast stiffened At remembered ice.

Something told the wild geese It was time to fly — Summer sun was on their wings, Winter in their cry.

Note Lustre-glossed - Shiny and smooth. Cautioned - Gave a warning. Sagging - Hanging down or sinking. Amber - A warm, yellow-brown colour. Stiffened - Became hard or tense. Steamed - Gave off steam or mist.

C. Answer the following questions:

1. What makes the geese decide to leave?
2. What happens to the leaves and berries in the poem?
3. What changes in nature tell us that winter is near?

Green Escape --Joseph Auslander

I have turned my face Away from streets and crowds To a windy place And clouds.

I have turned from skyscrapers That scratch out the sky, From wet newspapers Always whipping by.

I have taken away my heart, I will give it again To be split apart By wind and rain.

I will stand like a stone All day in the grass Where the bees drone And pass and repass.

I will watch them brush Gold across their legs, Hear the bird at hush Over her eggs.

I will hear the wild swan Lift high and harsh His crooked clarion Across the marsh.

Where the jewel-weed hangs, Where the spotted stream runs, Where the green beetle bangs Bronze on bronze—

Rooted in the deep ground, The sky tugging at my hair, There will I be found— There!

Note

Skyscrapers – Very tall buildings. Whipping – Moving quickly or being blown around by the wind. Drone – A continuous, low humming sound, like bees make. Repass – To pass by again. Clarion – A loud, clear sound, like a trumpet. Marsh – Wet, grassy land, often near water. Jewel-weed – A type of plant with bright orange or yellow flowers. Rooted – Fixed firmly in place, like a plant in the ground. Tugging – Pulling something with effort.

C. Answer the following questions:

1. Why does the speaker turn away from the streets and crowds?
2. What does the speaker hear and see in the grass?
3. How does the speaker describe the sound of the swan?
4. Where does the speaker want to be found at the end of the poem?