Beauty

By

E - Yeh - Shure

Beauty

Beauty is seen

In the sunlight,

The trees, the birds,

Corn growing and people working

Or dancing for their harvest.

Beauty is heard

In the night,

Wind sighing, rain falling,

Or a singer chanting

Anything in earnest.

Good deeds, happy thoughts

That repeat themselves

In your dreams,

In your work,

And even in your rest.

About the Poem

The poet expresses the idea that we are surrounded by beauty from all sides. Every creature in nature exhibits beauty. The sun, the trees, the birds, the farmers, and the workers in the fields are all working hard in unison with nature.

Summary

The poem, "Beauty" is written by, E - Yeh - Shure. The poet is trying to say that beauty is in everything. All the small things we do or the environment around us, everything has beauty in it. Everything has its own importance. All things are beautiful in their own unique way. Sunlight has its own beauty. Beauty can be seen in the growing corns, people who are working and dancing for getting good harvest. Beauty is not only seen but can also be heard or felt. For instance, when night falls, wind blows slowly, the sound of rainfall, or when a singer sings. They all give pleasure to the mind and make it feel happy.Beauty is not just outside, it is within. Beautiful is the self. Our good deeds, happy thoughts please everyone are all beautiful.Our dreams are also beautiful as they give us reason to advance and work with zeal. Beauty is in your style of work, the way you take rest and sleep.Beauty is everywhere. It is in attitude, the way we look at things. Actually, everything is beautiful in its own unique manner, the need is to feel it.

Working With The Poem

1. The poet says, “Beauty is heard in …”

Can you hear beauty? Add a sound that you think is beautiful to the sounds the poet thinks are beautiful.

The poet, Keats, said:

Heard melodies are sweet,

But those unheard are sweeter.

What do you think this means? Have you ever ‘heard’ a song in your head long after the song was sung or played?

Answer: We do hear beautiful sounds. For instance, when a guitarist plays the guitar, when a cuckoo sings, when the raindrops fall on the ground, when a soft breeze flows, etc.

“Heard melodies are sweet,

But those unheard are sweeter.”

This means that our imagination can go beyond and be even more beautiful than reality. Heard melodies are the ones which are actually being played around. But the unheard are the ones that our mind plays in our hearts, and such sounds are sweeter and closer to our hearts.

Yes, I have heard songs in my head long after the song was sung or played. Those are my favourite songs.

2. Read the first and second stanzas of the poem again. Note the following phrases.

corn growing, people working or dancing, wind sighing, rain falling, a singer chanting

These could be written as

• corn that is growing

• people who are working or dancing

Can you rewrite the other phrases like this? Why do you think the poet uses the shorter phrases?

Answer: Here are some more examples of such short phrases: stream flowing, wind blowing, children laughing, mob shouting, etc. They can be rewritten as follows: stream that is flowing, wind that is blowing, children who are laughing, and mob that is shouting.

I think the poet uses the shorter phrases to give a musical rhythm to the poetic lines.

3. Find pictures of beautiful things you have seen or heard of.

Answer: I see many beautiful things all around, but the most beautyful thing I like most is the Kokernag Botanical garden. It is not too far from my home. There are may types of flowers, trees etc. around this big garden. Some pictures of the garden are under:  

Kokernag Botanical garden image courtesy Outlook India

Kokernag Botanical garden image courtesy TripAdvisor 

4. Write a paragraph about beauty. Use your own ideas along with the ideas in the poem. (You may discuss your ideas with your partner.)

Answer: “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.”

The statement is true to its core. Beauty is how you perceive things. Everything in nature is beautiful. Every insect, tree, plant, human, mountain, river, rain, and soil is beautiful in its own way. It depends on the person who sees it, whether he/she considers it to be full of beauty or not.