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Night Voices
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
About Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was a Scottish physician and writer, best known for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes. His other works include science fiction, plays, romances, poetry. non-fiction, and historical novels.
Father, father, who is that a-whispering?
Who is it who whispers in the wood?
You say it is the breeze
As it sighs among the trees,
But there's someone who whispers in the wood.
Father, father, who is that a-murmuring?
Who is it who murmurs in the night?
You say it is the roar
Of the wave upon the shore.
But there's someone who murmurs in the night.
Father, father, who is that laughs at us?
Who is it who chuckles in the glen?
Oh, father , let us go.
For the light is burning low,
And there's somebody laughing in the glen.
Father, father, tell me what you're waiting for,
Tell me why your eyes are on the door.
It is dark and it is late,
But you sit so still and straight,
Ever staring, ever smiling, at the door.
−Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Available Answers
- 1.
What sounds does the child hear in the night?
- 2.
Does the child think it is (i) an animal sound or (ii) a human voice? Why do you say so?
- 3.
What explanation does the father give for the sounds?
- 4.
Is the child satisfied with the explanations? How do you know?
- 5.
Which lines tell us that the child is afraid of the dark?
- 6.
'Father, father, tell me what you're waiting for.
Tell me why your eyes are on the door.
It is dark and it is late.
But you sit so still and straight.
Ever staring, ever smiling, at the door.'- Which lines of the stanza tell us that the child is getting impatient with the father?
- Why do you think the father is sitting 'so still and straight'?
- What do you think the father is staring at the door and smiling for?
5 more answer(s) available.