The Arrow and the Song | Lesson 9 | Poem | Summary | Questions | Answers

JANDKNCERT | English | Class 4th | Chant IV

 

The Arrow and the Song | Lesson 9 | Poem | Summary | Questions | Answers

 

The Arrow and the Song

I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell on earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterwards in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

H. W. Longfellow

 

Short Summary

The poet shoots an arrow and sings a song. Both disappear, but later he finds the arrow unbroken in an oak tree and the song in the heart of a friend. The poem teaches that our good deeds and kind words live on even when unseen.

swiftly — very quickly — تیزی سے
flight — act of flying — پرواز
unbroken — not broken — صحیح سلامت

 

Q1. What did the poet shoot?
Answer: The poet shot an arrow into the air.

Q2. Could the poet see where it fell?
Answer: No, it flew so swiftly that he could not follow it.

Q3. What did the poet breathe into the air?
Answer: He breathed a song into the air.

Q4. Where did he find the arrow later?
Answer: He found it unbroken in an oak tree.

Q5. Where did he find the song?
Answer: He found the song alive in the heart of a friend.

Q6. What lesson do we learn from the poem?
Answer: Our good deeds and kind words may travel unseen but they remain in people’s hearts forever.

 

Worksheet for Students

Q1. Why couldn’t the poet see the arrow?

Q2. Where did he find the arrow later?

Q3. Write two rhyming words for:
air, sight