Here we have provided NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 10 Poem For Anne Gregory by William Butler Yeats. This poem is a conversation between a young man and a young woman.
Poem: For Anne Gregory
“Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
“But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.”
“I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.”
WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Honey- coloured | Golden |
| Hair-dye | Hair colour |
| Set | Apply |
| Yesternight | Last Night |
| Declare | State |
| Text | Topic |
| Ramparts | The high, wide walls around a castle or fort, for example, the ramparts of the Red Fort |
Thinking About the Poem:
1. What does the young man mean by “great honey-coloured /Ramparts at your ear?” Why does he say that young men are “thrown into despair” by them?
Ans: The “great honey-coloured/Ramparts at your ear” refers to the beautiful yellow coloured hair that falls at the woman’s ear and cover it like a wall around a fort. He says that the young men are “thrown into despair” by them because they look so beautiful on the woman that her beauty gets thoroughly enhanced. The young men fall in love with her and feel despair. He says that it is not possible that someone would love her alone and not her yellow hair.
2. What colour is the young woman’s hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?
Ans: The colour of the young woman’s hair is yellow. She says that she could get her hair dyed to brown, black or carrot colour. She would change the colour of her hair so that the young men in despair would love her only and not her yellow hair. She wanted them to love her for what she was and not for her appearance such as her hair colour.
3. Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. Can you think of some objects (a car, a phone, a dress…) and say what qualities make one object more desirable than another? Imagine you were trying to sell an object: what qualities would you emphasise?
Ans: People desire objects as per their needs because of their qualities. In the things we consume or the goods we use such as a car, a phone, a dress, etc. physical qualities matter the most. Before buying anything, it is always considered that the object is durable and looks pretty.
If I were to sell a dress, I would like to select the one that is appealing to the eyes and comfortable for the body. I would also emphasise on the durability of the dress so that customers may feel that their hard earned money is being spent at the right place and on the right thing.
4. What about people? Do we love others because we like their qualities, whetherphysical or mental? Or is it possible to love someone “for themselves alone”? Are some people ‘more lovable’ than others? Discuss this question in pairs
or in groups, considering points like the following.
(i) a parent or caregiver’s love for a newborn baby, for a mentally or physically challenged child, for a clever child or a prodigy
(ii) the public’s love for a film star, a sportsperson, a politician, or a social worker
(iii) your love for a friend, or brother or sister
(iv) your love for a pet, and the pet’s love for you.
Ans: Students should attempt this question on their own.
5. You have perhaps concluded that people are not objects to be valued for their qualities or riches rather than for themselves. But elsewhere Yeats asks the question: How can we separate the dancer from the dance? Is it possible to separate ‘the person himself or herself’ from how the person looks, sounds, walks, and so on? Think of how you or a friend or member of your family has changed over the years. Has your relationship also changed? In what way?
Ans: Students should attempt this question on their own.
I hope that you would have enjoyed NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 10 Poem For Anne Gregory by William Butler Yeats. If you have any query regarding this chapter, please feel free to get in touch with me through comment box or social media and I assure you to resolve all your queries related to the topic as soon as possible.
————-
