Maharashtra State Board Class 10 English Poem The Pulley Summary, Line by Line Explanation, Theme, Poetic Devices along with difficult word meanings from English Kumarbharati Book
The Pulley – Are you looking for the summary, theme and poem explanation for Maharashtra State Board Class 10 Poem The Pulley from English Kumarbharati Book. Get poem summary, theme, explanation, poetic devices along with difficult word meanings.
- The Pulley Introduction
- Theme of the Lesson The Pulley
- The Pulley Summary
- The Pulley Summary in Hindi
- The Pulley Poem Explanation
- The Pulley Poetic Devices
The Pulley Maharashtra State Board Class 10 English
By George Herbert
The Pulley Introduction
The poem “The Pulley” is written by George Herbert. The poet was also a priest by profession and religious ideas are a central theme in his poems.
This poem’s religious idea is that if God gave humans perfect peace (rest), they would focus on the blessings themselves rather than God. So, God gives humans everything but rest, leaving them with a sense of longing. This longing, the poem suggests, might eventually lead people back to God.
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Theme / Central Idea of the Poem The Pulley
The important themes of the poem “The Pulley” are-
God’s Love and Wisdom: God seems to be holding back something good (rest) because he knows it’s better for us in the long run. God wants us to love him, not just the good things in life.
“For if I should (said He)
Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts instead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature.”
Importance of Work and Striving: Even though God gives humans many good things, he keeps them a little unsatisfied. This “restlessness” makes them keep working and searching for something more, which ultimately leads them back to God.
“Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness”
The Pulley Summary
The poem tells a story about how God created humans. Imagine God has a giant glass full of amazing things like strength, beauty, wisdom, and fun. He wants to give humans everything, but then stops before giving them rest.
God realizes that if humans have everything, including perfect peace, they might just love all those things more than God himself. They might focus on enjoying life on Earth and forget about God who created it all. So, God keeps rest away for now.
Instead, humans get to have all the other blessings, but they’ll never be completely satisfied. This feeling of wanting more might make them keep searching and eventually lead them back to God. In the end, God hopes that either their good choices or even the tiring struggle of life itself will bring them closer to him.
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The Pulley Summary in Hindi
इस कविता में कहानी बताई गई है कि कैसे भगवान ने मनुष्य का निर्माण किया। कल्पना कीजिए कि भगवान के पास एक विशाल गिलास है जो अद्भुत चीजों से भरा हुआ है, जैसे बल, सौंदर्य, ज्ञान और आनंद। भगवान मनुष्यों को सब कुछ देना चाहता है, लेकिन आराम देने से पहले रुक जाता है।
भगवान को एहसास होता है कि अगर इंसानों के पास सब कुछ होगा, जिसमें पूर्ण शांति भी शामिल है, तो वे सिर्फ उन्हीं चीजों से ज्यादा प्यार करेंगे, खुद भगवान से भी ज्यादा। वे पृथ्वी पर जीवन का आनंद लेने पर ध्यान केंद्रित कर सकते हैं और उस भगवान को भूल सकते हैं जिसने यह सब बनाया है। इसलिए, भगवान अभी के लिए आराम को दूर रखते हैं।
इसके बजाय, मनुष्यों को अन्य सभी आशीर्वाद मिलते हैं, लेकिन वे कभी भी पूरी तरह से संतुष्ट नहीं होंगे। अधिक पाने की यह चाहत उन्हें लगातार खोज में रखेगी और अंततः उन्हें वापस भगवान के पास ले जा सकती है। अंत में, भगवान आशा करते हैं कि उनके अच्छे निर्णय या जीवन के थकाऊ संघर्ष से वे भगवान के करीब आएंगे।
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The Pulley Poem Explanation
Poem
“When God at first made Man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by;
Let us (said He) “pour on him all we can:”
Let the worlds riches, which dispersed lie,
Contract into a span.”
Word Meaning
Riches: wealth bounties
Dispersed: Scattered or spread out in various places.
Contract: To bring together or condense something.
Span: A small space
Explanation: These lines describe the moment God created humans. Imagine God has a giant glass overflowing with amazing things, like strength, beauty, wisdom, and all the good stuff in the world. God decides to give humans all these wonderful things. He tells angels to pour on him all we can. God wants to take all the good scattered around the world and give it to humanity.
Poem
“So strength first made a way;
Then beauty flow’d, then wisdom, honour, pleasure:
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that alone of all His treasures
Rest in the bottom lay.”
Word Meaning
Strength: The physical and mental power to perform feats or endure hardship.
Made a way: Created an opening, established a path.
Flowed: Moved smoothly and continuously, like a stream.
Wisdom: Knowledge gained through experience or study; the ability to make good judgments.
Honour: High respect and esteem.
Pleasure: A feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction.
Made a stay: Paused, stopped for a moment.
Perceiving: Recognizing, becoming aware of something.
Treasures: Valuable possessions.
Rest: In this context, it signifies true contentment and inner peace.
Lay: Was situated or positioned.
Explanation: When God is filling the glass with all the wonderful things he wants to give humanity. He starts with essential qualities like strength, which helps humans to build and survive. Then, he adds beauty to appreciate the world, wisdom to make good choices, honor to live with integrity, and pleasure to enjoy life.
Just as the glass is almost full, God pauses. He realizes there’s one more important gift, but it is different. This gift is called “rest” – a sense of complete peace and satisfaction. He decides to hold onto rest for a bit.
Poem
“For if I should (said He)
Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts instead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature.
So both should losers be.”
Word Meaning
Bestow: To give something as a gift or favor.
Jewel: A precious stone, used metaphorically here to represent a valuable gift.
Creature: In this context, it refers to humanity, God’s creation.
Adore: To love and admire someone or something intensely.
Explanation: The God worries that if humans get everything, including perfect peace, they might only love and appreciate the gifts instead of loving God who gave them those gifts. They might get so focused on enjoying life on Earth that they forget about God who created it all.
In this scenario, both God and humans would lose. God wouldn’t receive the love and appreciation he deserves, and humans wouldn’t experience the deeper connection with their creator. So, God decides to hold onto rest for now.
Poem
“Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness:
Let him be rich and weary, that at last,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to my breast.”
Word Meaning
Repining: a feeling of discontent, dissatisfaction, or longing for something.
Restlessness: a lack of peace, agitation, or a constant desire for something more.
Weary: feeling tired, worn out, or lacking energy.
toss: (here) bring, throw close
Explanation: God gives humanity all the other gifts but not rest. This way, humans will never be completely satisfied. They’ll always have a little feeling of wanting more. This feeling of restlessness might make them keep searching for something deeper, something that truly fulfills them. In the end, God hopes that either their good choices or even the tiring struggles of life itself will make them realize that true happiness comes from the God himself, and humanity eventually turns back to him(God).
Figures of Speech and Rhyme Scheme
Rhyme Scheme – The rhyme scheme of “The Pulley” by George Herbert is ababa for the first three stanzas and then changes to abcba in the final stanza.
Stanza 1
When God at first made Man, (a)
Having a glass of blessings standing by; (b)
Let us (said He) “pour on him all we can:” (a)
Let the worlds riches, which dispersed lie, (b)
Contract into a span. (a)
Stanza 4
Yet let him keep the rest, (a)
But keep them with repining restlessness: (b)
Let him be rich and weary, that at last, (c)
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness (b)
May toss him to my breast. (a)
Poetic Devices-
- Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
For example-
“Repining restlessness” (repetition of “r” for emphasis).
- Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two things without using “like” or “as.” It suggests that one thing actually is another, creating a deeper meaning or image.
For example-
- The Pulley: The central metaphor compares God to someone using a pulley (a lifting mechanism) to draw humanity closer to him. Restlessness acts as the rope that eventually pulls humans towards God.
- Inversion
Inversion is a figure of speech where the normal grammatical order of a sentence is rearranged for emphasis or stylistic effect.
For example-
“So both should losers be” – The words have been arranged in an inverse manner to add a poetic effect. Correct Order: “So both should be losers”
- Imagery
Imagery is a poetic device which creates a vivid picture in the minds of the readers.
For example-
- The Glass of Blessings
This image helps us visualize God having a tangible storehouse of good things.
- Paradox
A statement that seems contradictory on the surface but may contain a deeper truth.
For example- rich and weary
- Repetition
Repeating words or phrases over and over again for emphasis.
For example- Here, the word Nature is repeated.
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature.