The Kite

About the Poem

The poem "The Kite", is written by Harry Behn in which the poet explains the flying of a new kite in the sky. The poet compares the kite with various things to explain its beauty and motion. Its flight in the sky depends on the wind. Hence it flies high only when the wind blows. And when it gets tangled in the branches of a tree, it loses its shine and beauty.

Summary

How bright on the blue
Is a kite when it's new!
With a dive and a dip
It snaps its tail
Then soars like a ship
With only a sail

In the these lines the poet says that a kite looks bright in the blue sky when it is new. It snaps (i.e. waves with enthusiasm) its tail with a dive and a dip. The kite soars (flies) in the air like a ship floats in the sea with the help of a sail.

As over tides
Of wind it rides,
Climbs to the crest
Of a gust and pulls,
Then seems to rest 
As wind falls

In this stanza, the poet explains how exactly the kite flies in the sky. According to him, the kite rides over the tides of wind. It climbs to the crest i.e. it moves to heights when a gust (strong wind) blows and the kite runner pulls the thread. And when the wind falls i.e. becomes slow, the kite appears be taking rest.

When string goes slack
You wind it back
And run until
A new breeze blows
And its wings fill
And up it goes!

When the kite runner loses the string (attached to the kite), he winds (pulls) it back and runs until a new breeze blows i.e. wind starts blowing again. And when the wind starts blowing, the kite’s wings (i.e. its whole surface) are pushed by the air and it starts going up again.
So, in this stanza, the poet explains how exactly we fly a kite. After successfully taking the kite to some height, the kite runner loses the string and pulls the kite back and waits for the wind to blow again. When the wind blows, the kite is pushed by air and it again starts going up.

How bright on the blue
Is a kite when it's new!
But a raggeder thing
You never will see
When it flaps on a string
In the top of a tree.

The kite appears bright and beautiful in the blue sky when it is new. However when its string tangles in the top branch of a tree, it will never appears to be bright and beautiful. Rather it will look a raggeder thing i.e. a torn clothes. It loses its beauty and brightness.

Exercise 

Working with the Poem
Q. 1. List out the action words in the poem.
dive, dip, snaps, ——————, ——————, ———————, ——————, ——————
Find out the meanings of these words.
Answer:
Dive – to enter into water intentionally, especially with the headfirst
Dip – to enter into water momentarily
Snaps – to make a sharp or crackling sound
Soars – to fly aloft
Rides – to sit and travel on the back of an animal
Flaps – to toss sharply
Pulls – to exert force upon to cause or tend to cause motion toward the force
Q. 2. Read these lines from the poem:
Then soars like a ship
With only a sail
The movement of the tailless kite is compared to a ship with a sail. This is called a simile. Can you suggest what or who the following actions may be compared to?
He runs like —————————————––———
He eats like ——————————————–—–—
She sings like ————————————––—— –—
It shines like ————————————–––———
It flies like ——————————————––———–
Answer:
He runs like a deer.
He eats like a horse.
She sings like a nightingale.
It shines like a glowworm.
It flies like a kite.
Q. 3. Try to make a kite with your friends. Collect the things required such as color paper/newspaper, thread, glue, a thin stick that can be bent. After making the kite see if you can fly it.
Answer: Do it yourself.