A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

Summary

It is a poem about the death of a loved one of the poet. The poet says that his soul has
been sealed by the deep sleep of a person whom he loved very much. But when he thinks
that she has become a part and parcel of nature, this gives him some relief and peace.

Explanation

In this poem, the poet seems to be immortalizing her death by saying that she had no
human fears. Now earthly years were no longer a matter of concern for her because they
cannot make her older now.
In the second stanza he is describing her dead body. She is not able to perform any of the
physical movement or activity now. In the last two lines the poet describes that she is now
under the surface of the earth revolving along with it on its path. He tells us that like other
stones, rocks and trees, she also revolves with the earth now.

Comprehension Questions

1. What does ‘a slumber’ refer to?
A slumber refers to the deep sleep.

2. What did the slumber do to the poet’s spirit?
The slumber sealed the poet’s spirit. He could not feel any human fear.

3. What had sealed the poet’s spirit?
The death of a loved one sealed the poet’s spirit.

4. What is meant by ‘human fears’?
‘Human fears’ mean the common worries and fears that everyone faces in the world.

5. What is meant by earth’s diurnal course’?
‘Earth’s diurnal course’ means the regular movement of the earth around the sun.

Answers to Text book questions
Thinking about the Poem

1. “A slumber did my spirit seal,” says the poet. That is, a deep sleep ‘closed off’ his soul
(or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief?
Or does he feel a great peace?
The poet’s reaction to his loved one’s death is not of bitter grief that he could shed out
in the form of tears. On her death, he did not experience any human fears. He just
looked at her and wondered how she looked and what she would experience later. He
did not feel any fear. Therefore, it is difficult to say whether he is experiencing bitter
grief or is in a peaceful state of mind.

2. The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say
this?
The lines of the poem that show that the passing of time will no longer affect her are as
follows:
‘She seemed a thing that could not feel The touch of earthy years.’

3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person
living in a very happy state (a ‘heaven’)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In
which lines of the poem do you find your answer?
The poet thinks that she is now a part of nature. After her death, he imagines her
buried inside the earth with other rocks, stones, and trees and rolling around with the
earth in its daily rotation. The following lines express this idea:
Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course With rocks and stones and trees.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q 1 Read the given extracts and answer the questions that follow.

(a) A slumber did my spirit seal-

I had no human fears

She seemed a thing that could not feel

The touch of earthly years.

i. What is the meaning of ‘slumber’?

Slumber refers to the deep eternal sleep.

ii. What was the effect of the slumber on the poet?

The poet’s spirit was sealed by the deep sleep.

iii. Who is referred to as ‘she’? Why will she not feel the earthly years?

The loved one of the poet is referred to as ‘she’.

She was dead so she will not be affected by the life on earth.

iv. Give the synonym of the word ’spirit’.

inner self

(b) No motion has she now ,no force-

She neither hears nor sees,

Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course

With rocks and stones and trees

i. Where is she now?

She has become a part of the earth, buried in the earth with the rocks, stones

and trees.

ii. What is referred to as earth’s diurnal course?

The regular natural movement of the earth around the sun.

iii. How did the poet react to the ‘slumber’ of his loved one?

The poet was at peace because his loved one was now a part of nature.

iv. Give the synonym of ‘motion’

movement/life

Q 2 Answer each of the following questions in 30-40 words.

(a) What changes were brought about in the feelings of the poet on the death of his

loved one?

The poet was grieved at the death of his loved one but the thought that she was

now beyond earthly matters and was one with nature and moving with the earth,

gave him peace.

(b) How will the poet’s loved one not feel the touch of the earthly years?

The poet’s loved one is dead. Time will not affect her. She has neither motion

nor force. She neither hears nor sees. She has become a part of the rocks, stones

and trees and moves with the regular motion of the earth.

Q 3 Answer the following question in 100-150 words.

How does the poet pay tribute to his loved one in the poem ‘A Slumber Did My Spirit

Seal’?

The poet is grieved and troubled on the death of his loved one. He realises that

his loved one has gone into deep slumber where worldly matters will not affect

her. She is unaffected by passing time. She cannot hear or see anything. She has

become a part of the rocks, stones and trees. The earth moves regularly around

the sun and on its axis. The poet’s beloved also moves along with the earth. She

will live forever like other objects of nature and has become immortal.