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Home They Brought Her Warrior Dead
Lord Alfred Tennyson
About Lord Alfred Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) was appointed the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom and is considered to be one of the most popular English poets. In 1894, Queen Victoria granted him the title of Baron. Some of his best-known poems are The Charge of the Light Brigade, Ulysses, The Lady of Shallot and Crossing the Bar.
This poem by Lord Alfred Tennyson reflects on a mother's love, which is so strong that it can overcome every grief. It also depicts the wisdom which comes with age, which permits a 'nurse of ninety years' to understand the feelings of a mother's heart that a maiden cannot comprehend.
Home they brought her warrior dead:
She nor swooned, nor uttered cry:
All her maidens, watching, said,
'She must weep or she will die.'
Then they praised him, soft and low,
Called him worthy to be loved,
Truest friend and noblest foe;
Yet she neither spoke nor moved.
Stole a maiden from her place,
Lightly to the warrior stept,
Took the face-cloth from the face;
Yet she neither moved nor wept.
Rose a nurse of ninety years,
Set his child upon her knee-
Like summer tempest came her tears-
'Sweet my child, I live for thee.'
Available Answers
- 1.
State whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Correct the false statements.
- The woman did not move or cry because the warrior's death did not make any difference to her.
- A maiden stole the warrior's face-cloth.
- The old nurse if ninety years was the wisest of the people there.
- When the woman started crying, a summer tempest came.
- The sigh of the child reminded her that she had something to live for.
- 2.
Describe the situation at the beginning of the poem. Why were the woman's maidens worried?
- 3.
What did the maidens do? What was the woman's reaction?
- 4.
What does the poem tell you about the dead soldier?
- 5.
Like summer tempest came her tears - What is the significance of this line?
- 6.
Who finally managed to make the woman cry and how?
6 more answer(s) available.