During Wind and Rain Launch Audio in a New Window

 

BY THOMAS HARDY

 

 

They sing their dearest songs— 

      He, she, all of them—yea, 

      Treble and tenor and bass, 

            And one to play; 

      With the candles mooning each face. . . . 

            Ah, no; the years O! 

How the sick leaves reel down in throngs! 

 

      They clear the creeping moss— 

      Elders and juniors—aye, 

      Making the pathways neat 

            And the garden gay; 

      And they build a shady seat. . . . 

            Ah, no; the years, the years, 

See, the white storm-birds wing across. 

 

      They are blithely breakfasting all— 

      Men and maidens—yea, 

      Under the summer tree, 

            With a glimpse of the bay, 

      While pet fowl come to the knee. . . . 

            Ah, no; the years O! 

And the rotten rose is ript from the wall. 

 

      They change to a high new house, 

      He, she, all of them—aye, 

      Clocks and carpets and chairs 

         On the lawn all day, 

      And brightest things that are theirs. . . . 

         Ah, no; the years, the years; 

Down their carved names the rain-drop ploughs.

 

 

1. Name the 4 scenes or snapshots of family life we see in the 4 stanzas.

 

 

2. The first 5 lines of each stanza present a snapshot of life, inside of Time. The last two lines of each stanza are spoken by someone who can view the family's lives from a larger perspective, outside of Time. Explain.