Bihar Board Class 10 English Martha Summary, Lesson Explanation with difficult word meanings from Panorama-II Book

 

Martha– Are you looking for Summary and Lesson Explanation for Bihar Board Class 10 English Poem 8 Martha from Panorama-II Book. Get notes, summary of the Lesson followed by line by line explanation of the lesson along with the meanings of difficult words.

 

Martha Bihar Board Class 10 English 

Walter de la Mare 

 

 

 

 

Martha Introduction

The poem “Martha” by Walter de la Mare tells us about a woman named Martha who tells beautiful stories in a quiet, natural setting called the hazel glen. She often starts her stories with “Once… Once upon a time…” Martha’s clear gray eyes and gentle voice make her stories even more captivating. She sits with her hands around her knees while her listeners relax and enjoy her tales. As Martha talks about fairies and gnomes, her voice makes everything around them seem to disappear. The listeners feel like they are taken back in time to a magical and peaceful place. The poem describes how everything around them, including the hazel and summer sun, disappears as they become fully immersed in Martha’s tales. Walter de la Mare’s poem uses simple, descriptive language to show how Martha’s storytelling creates a dreamy and nostalgic atmosphere, making her listeners feel completely enchanted.


 

Theme of the Lesson Martha  

The theme of “Martha” by Walter de la Mare revolves around the enchanting power of storytelling and its ability to transport listeners to a magical, dream-like world. The poem highlights how a storyteller, Martha, captivates her audience with her tales, creating a sense of nostalgia and timelessness. Her stories, filled with fairies and gnomes, create a sense of wonder and take the listeners back to an age gone by. The physical and emotional presence of Martha adds depth to the stories, making the experience deeply immersive. 


 

Martha Summary

The poem “Martha” by Walter de la Mare talks about a woman named Martha who is a wonderful storyteller. She often gathers her listeners in a quiet, beautiful place called the hazel glen. Martha begins her stories with the classic opening, “Once… Once upon a time…”, which immediately sets a magical and nostalgic tone. Martha has clear gray eyes that seem to tell part of the story on their own. Her eyes are described as tranquil and beautiful, making the listeners feel calm and dreamy. She sits with her two slim hands clasped around her knees while telling her stories. Her audience, lying on their elbows and feeling relaxed, are fully engaged and comfortable as they listen to her. Martha’s voice, along with her narrow chin and lovely, serious face, adds to the charm of her storytelling. It’s almost as if her appearance and voice make the stories even more meaningful. As she talks, she describes fantastical scenes filled with fairies and gnomes that come to life in a leaf-green light. While Martha continues to speak, her physical beauty seems to fade away, and all that remains is the power of her voice and the vividness of her tales. The natural surroundings, like the hazel trees and the summer sun, also seem to disappear, leaving the listeners completely absorbed in the story. By the end of the poem, everything around them feels forgotten, and the listeners’ hearts feel like they are suspended in time, as if they have been transported back to a distant, forgotten age. 


 

Martha Summary in Hindi

वाल्टर डे ला मारे की कविता “मार्था” मार्था नाम की एक महिला के बारे में बात करती है जो एक अद्भुत कहानीकार है। वह अक्सर अपने श्रोताओं को हेज़ल ग्लेन नामक एक शांत, खूबसूरत जगह पर इकट्ठा करती है। मार्था ने अपनी कहानियों की शुरुआत क्लासिक शुरुआत, ” वन्स अपॉन ए टाइम…” से की है, जो तुरंत एक जादुई और उदासीन स्वर सेट कर देती है। मार्था की स्पष्ट भूरी आँखें हैं जो कहानी का कुछ हिस्सा अपने आप ही बता देती हैं। उनकी आंखों को शांत और सुंदर बताया गया है, जिससे सुनने वालों को शांत और स्वप्निल महसूस होता है। वह अपनी कहानियाँ सुनाते समय अपने दो पतले हाथों को घुटनों के चारों ओर लपेटकर बैठती है। उसके श्रोता, अपनी कोहनियों के बल लेटे हुए और आराम महसूस करते हुए, उसे सुनते समय पूरी तरह से व्यस्त और सहज महसूस करते हैं। मार्था की आवाज़, उसकी संकीर्ण ठोड़ी और सुंदर, गंभीर चेहरे के साथ, उसकी कहानी कहने का आकर्षण बढ़ाती है। यह लगभग ऐसा है मानो उसकी उपस्थिति और आवाज़ कहानियों को और भी अधिक सार्थक बना देती है। जैसे ही वह बात करती है, वह परियों और बौनों से भरे काल्पनिक दृश्यों का वर्णन करती है जो हरी पत्ती की रोशनी में जीवंत हो उठते हैं। जब मार्था बोलना जारी रखती है, तो उसकी शारीरिक सुंदरता फीकी पड़ने लगती है, और जो कुछ बचता है वह उसकी आवाज़ की ताकत और उसकी कहानियों की जीवंतता है। हेज़ेल के पेड़ और गर्मियों के सूरज जैसे प्राकृतिक परिवेश भी गायब होते दिख रहे हैं, जिससे श्रोता पूरी तरह से कहानी में डूबे हुए हैं। कविता के अंत तक, उनके आस-पास की हर चीज़ भूली हुई महसूस होती है, और श्रोताओं के दिल ऐसा महसूस करते हैं जैसे वे समय में निलंबित हो गए हैं, जैसे कि उन्हें किसी दूर, भूले हुए युग में वापस ले जाया गया हो।


 

Martha Poem Explanation

 

Poem: 

“Once… Once upon a time…”

Over and over again,

Martha would tell us her stories

In the hazel glen.

 

Word Meanings:

hazel (adj): greenish brown

glen (n): deep narrow valley in mountains

 

Explanation: In the poem, the lines “Once… Once upon a time… Over and over again, Martha would tell us her stories In the hazel glen,” describe how a woman named Martha frequently shares her stories with a group of listeners. She always starts her tales with the familiar phrase “Once upon a time,” which sets a magical and timeless tone. This storytelling happens regularly, as suggested by “over and over again,” and takes place in a peaceful and beautiful setting known as the hazel glen, a quiet wooded area. This creates an image of a peaceful and enchanting routine where Martha captivates her audience with her repeated but loved stories.

 

Poem: 

Hers were those clear grey eyes

You watch, and the story seems

Told by their beautifulness

Tranquil as dreams. 

 

Word Meanings:

tranquil (adj): calm and peaceful

 

Explanation: The poet talks about Martha’s eyes. He says that Martha has beautiful clear gray eyes. When people look at her eyes while she’s telling a story, it feels like the story itself is coming from the beauty of her eyes. This makes the story feel very calm and peaceful, like a dream. It shows how Martha’s eyes make her storytelling even more magical and enchanting for those who listen.

 

Poem

She’d sit with her two slim hands

Clasped round her bended knees;

While we on our elbows lolled, 

And stared at ease.

 

Word Meanings:

slim (adj): attractively thin and well shaped

clasped (v): to hold tightly in arms or hands

stared (v): to look at someone for long time

 

Explanation: Martha sits with her two slim hands clasped around her bent knees, indicating that she is sitting in a relaxed and comfortable manner. Meanwhile, the listeners are lying on their elbows, lounging in a relaxed and casual way, as they listen to Martha’s stories. A picture of a cozy and informal setting is shown here, where everyone is at ease, enjoying the storytelling session in a relaxed posture.

 

Poem

Her voice and her narrow chin, 

Her grave small lovely head,

Seemed half the meaning

Of the words she said.

 

Word Meanings:

grave (adj): person is quite serious in appearance or behavior

 

Explanation: Martha’s voice and her slender chin, along with her serious but lovely face, seemed to convey half of the meaning of the words she spoke. This means that Martha’s voice and the way she looked added a lot of depth and emotion to her storytelling. They were as important as the actual words she said, making her stories even more meaningful and captivating for the listeners.

 

Poem

“Once… Once upon a time…”

Like a dream you dream in the night,

Fairies and gnomes stole out

In the leaf-green light.

 

Word Meanings:

fairies (n): imaginary creature with magical power

Gnomes (n): dwarflike beings, supposed to dwell in the earth and guard its treasures

 

Explanation: The poet starts the story with the familiar phrase “Once upon a time,” setting a fairy tale-like tone. He then compares Martha’s storytelling to a dream that you have at night, suggesting that her stories do not feel real and are unusual. The poet mentions fairies and gnomes, mythical creatures that appear in Martha’s tales, coming out in the soft, green light of the forest. This creates a sense of enchantment and transports the listeners into a magical world where anything is possible.

 

Poem

And her beauty far away

Would fade, as her voice ran on, 

Till hazel and summer sun

And all were gone: –

 

Word Meanings:

Fade (v): to lose freshness or youth

 

Explanation: As Martha keeps telling her stories, her physical beauty begins to fade into the background. It is as if her appearance becomes less important compared to the power of her storytelling. The mention of the hazel trees and the summer sun disappearing suggests that Martha’s stories have such a strong effect that they make everything else fade away. The listeners become completely absorbed in her tales, losing awareness of their surroundings until everything else seems to vanish, leaving only Martha’s captivating voice and the magical world of her stories.

 

Poem

All fordone and forgot;

And like clouds in the height of the sky,

Our hearts stood still in the hush

Of an age gone by.

 

Word Meanings:

Fordone (v): to destroy or exhaust

hush (n): place where things are quiet and peaceful or suddenly becomes quite and peaceful

 

Explanation: After Martha finishes telling her stories, everything else seems to be forgotten and undone. It’s as if the outside world fades away, much like clouds disappearing in the vast sky. The listeners’ hearts are filled with a sense of stillness and quietness, as if they have been transported back to a distant time in the past. This suggests that Martha’s storytelling has an effect on the listeners, leaving them in a state of reflection on oneself and nostalgia for times long gone.

 

BSEB Class 10 English Poem 8 Martha Figures of Speech

 

  1. Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature.
  • “Her grave small lovely head, / Seemed half the meaning / Of the words she said.” – This metaphor suggests that Martha’s physical presence and expressions convey as much meaning as her words.

 

  1. Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. 
  • “In the hazel glen.”
  • “Fairies and gnomes stole out / In the leaf-green light.” 

These lines create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind, enhancing the magical and serene atmosphere of the poem. 

 

  1. Repetition: Repetition is a literary device in which a word or phrase is used multiple times to create rhythm or emphasize a word or phrase.
  • “Once… Once upon a time…” – The repetition of this phrase at the beginning of the poem and within the poem emphasizes the traditional opening of fairy tales, creating a sense of timelessness and enchantment.

 

  1. Simile: It is a literary device that compares two unlike or different things. 
  • “Tranquil as dreams.” – Comparing the tranquility of Martha’s eyes to dreams highlights the peaceful and soothing nature of her storytelling.
  • “Like a dream you dream in the night,” – This simile emphasizes the surreal and enchanting quality of Martha’s stories.
  • “And like clouds in the height of the sky,” – This simile conveys the feeling of the listeners being lifted into a different, almost ethereal, state of mind.

 

  1. Personification: Personification is the representation of an abstract quality or idea in the form of a person, creature, etc., as in art and literature.
  • “You watch, and the story seems / Told by their beautifulness” – Martha’s eyes are personified as if they are telling the story themselves, indicating how expressive and captivating they are.