Wander-Thirst By Gerald Gould

Gerald Gould (1885- 1936) was an English poet and writer. His poem Wonder-Thirst is the most famous exemplar of his literary work, most of which still remains buried in newspaper and magazine columns.

Beyond the East the sunrise,
beyond the West the sea,
And East and West the wander-thirst
that will not let me be;
It works in me like madness, dear,
to bid me say good-bye;
For the seas call, and the stars call,
and oh! The call of the sky!

I know not where the white road runs,
nor what the blue hills are;
But a man can have the sun for a friend,
and for his guide a star;
once the voice is heard,
For the river call, and the roads call,
and oh! The call of the bird!

Yonder the long horizon lies, and there by night and day
The old ships draw to home again, the young ships sail away;
And come I may, but go I must, and, if men ask you why,
You may put the blame on the stars and the sun and the white road and the sky.

1.
Choose the correct option to answer the following questions.
1. If beyond the east is the sunrise, what should be there beyond the West?
  1. East
  2. sunset
  3. noon
  4. midnight
2. What will not let the poet be?
  1. wander-lust
  2. wander-thirst
  3. both a and b
  4. neither a nor b
3. What are the things that call the poet?
  1. the seas and stars
  2. the rivers and roads
  3. the sky and the bird
  4. all of the above
4. Who is guiding the poet?
  1. the sun
  2. the blue hills
  3. a star
  4. a voice
5. Who returns home?
  1. the young ships
  2. the ships
  3. the old ships
  4. no one
6. Who is to be blamed for the poet's wander-thirst?
  1. himself
  2. others
  3. the stars and the sun
  4. the white road and the sky

Read the following lines and explain their implied meaning.

Lines	Implied meaning
1. the wander-thirst that will not let me be
2. It works in me like madness...to bid me say good-bye
3. And there's no end of voyaging when once the voice is heard
4. And come I may, but go I must...

3.
What is the main idea of the poem?
4.
Do you think the poet knows where he is going? How can you say?
5.
What does the poet refer to in the lines 'the old ships draw to home again,/the young ships sail away'?
6.
What would you do if you had the wander-thirst like the poet?

3 more answer(s) available.

English Reader Main Course Book 6

Limajungla Rongsen, N Verma, MGS Pub

Chapters

Wander-Thirst

Gerald Gould

Available Answers