Nicholas Nye
By, Walter De La Marie
Thistle and darnell and dock grew there,
And a bush, in the corner, of may,
On the orchard wall I used to sprawl
In the blazing heat of the day;
Half asleep and half awake,
While the birds went twittering by,
And nobody there my lone to share
But Nicholas Nye.
Nicholas Nye was lean and gray,
Lame of leg and old,
More than a score of donkey’s years
He had been since he was foaled;
He munched the thistles, purple and spiked,
Would sometimes stoop and sigh,
And turn his head, as if he’d said,
'Poor Nicholas Nye!'
Alone with his shadow he’d drowse in the meadow,
Lazily swinging his tail,
At break of day he used to bray,-
Not much too hearty and hale;
But a wonderful gumption was under his skin,
And a clean calm light in his eye,
And once in a while; he’d smile:-
Would Nicholas Nye.
Seem to be smiling at me, he would,
From his bush in the corner, of may,-
Bony and ownerless, widowed and worn,
Knobble-kneed, lonely and gray;
And over the grass would seem to pass
‘Neath the deep dark blue of the sky,
Something much better than words between me
And Nicholas Nye.
But dusk would come in the apple boughs,
The green of the glow-worm shine,
The birds in nest would crouch to rest,
And home I’d trudge to mine;
And there, in the moonlight, dark with dew,
Asking not wherefore nor why,
Would brood like a ghost, and as still as a post,
Old Nicholas Nye
Word meanings:
darnet a type of grass commounly found growing in fields in Europe
dock a plant of the buckwheat family with greenish or reddish flowers and long, broad leaves
may the may blossom; a hawthorn plant
sprawl slump; lounge; to lie with the arms and legs spread awkwardly
lone lonely (state)
foal a young horse
thistle a prickly plant with purple flower heads surrounded by thorny leaves
gumption courage, bravery
knoble-knee knees that are uneven and bent inwards
Exercises
- Questions
- In what way does the poet feel close to the donkey? Ans: The poet feels close to the donkey as each of them give the other a company. When the speaker sprawled alone in the orchard lonely, there was only Nicholas Nye with whom he could share his loneliness. The poet could empathize his loneliness with the miserable condition of the donkey.
- How does the poet pass his day? Ans: The poet passes his day in the blazing heat by sprawling on the orchard wall half asleep and half awake.
- How does the donkey pass his day? Ans: The donkey would pass his day by munching(chewing) the thistles. Sometimes it would stoop and sigh. In evening it would bray though not full of energy and liveliness, however, there would be boldness to make a smile showing the calmness in his eye.
- What physical description does the poet give of the donkey? Ans: Nicholas Nye - the donkey, was thin with gray colored hair, its one leg was lame(defective) and it was old as its age was over 20 years.
- What characteristics does the poet see in the donkey?
Which phrases give us clues about his character?
Ans: The poet describes the donkey as lonely this clue can be derived from the phrase "Alone with his shadow he’d drowse in the meadow, and Knobble-kneed, lonely and gray;". The poet also described it as gritty, inspite of all miseries there was calmness in its eye and a smile once in a while, this trait can be derived from the phrase "Not much too hearty and hale;..., And a clean calm light in his eye, And once in a while; he’d smile:-". - How are the natural aspects of the field and its surrounding described by the poet? Ans: The field is an orchard covered with thistles, darnell, dock, in one corner of the orchard was a bush with may. The orchard had walls, birds flew and twittered in the orchard.
- Reference to context
- Half asleep and half awake,
While the birds went twittering by, - Who or what is half asleep? Ans: The poet(speaker) is half asleep.
- When and where is the subject half asleep? Ans: The subject is half asleep on the orchard wall.
- Is the subject alone? Ans: The subject was lonely in the orchard,however, there was Nicholas Nye(the donkey) as well in the orchard.
- But a wonderful gumption was under his skin,
And a clear calm light in his eye, - What does 'gumption' mean? Ans: Gumption means gritty (showing courage and resolve).
- Why is it surprising that the subject has gumption? Ans: The subject (now the donkey) has gumption(grit willed) because inspite of all his miseries there was calmness in his eyes and a smile once in a while.
- What is being said prior to this about the subject? Ans: Before mentioning 'gumption' the poet(speaker) tells about his physical characteristics - lean, gray haired, old, one leg lame; then the speaker tells how it would munch the thistles sometimes stooping and heaving a sigh as if to describe its miserable condition, further the speaker tells that it would be half asleep in the meadow, lazily waging its tail, in evening it would bray though not full of energy and liveliness.
Read these lines from the poem, then answer the questions.
