The poet apologizes for walking alone in the grove and glen, saying he does so to visit the God of the wood to bring a message to men. Clouds write letters in the poet's book as he stands by the brook, and flowers carry thoughts home. Birds reveal secret histories in the bowers, and mysteries are depicted in flowers. While oxen bring one harvest from the fields, the poet brings a second harvest in the form of a song.

3. THE APOLOGY

4. Think me not unkind and rude
That I walk alone in grove and glen;
I go to the God of the wood
To fetch his word to men.
Tax not my sloth that I
Fold my arms beside the brook;
Each cloud that floated in the sky
Writes a letter in my book.
Chide me not, laborious band,
For the idle flowers I brought;
Every aster in my hand
Goes home loaded with a thought.
There was never mystery
But ‘tis figured in the flowers:
Was never secret history
But birds tell it in the bowers.
One harvest from thy field
Homeward brought the oxen strong;
A second crop thine acres yield,
Which I gather in a song.

5. Think me not unkind and rude
That I walk alone in grove and glen;
I go to the God of the wood
To fetch his word to men. unkind and rude
grove and glen
God of the wood

6. Chide me not, laborious band,
For the idle flowers I brought;
Every aster in my hand
Goes home loaded with a thought.
chiding
labourious band
Aster flower

7. Tax not my sloth that I
Fold my arms beside the brook;
Each cloud that floated in the sky
Writes a letter in my book.
sloth
fold the arms

8. There was never mystery
But ‘tis figured in the flowers:
Was never secret history
But birds tell it in the bowers.
mystery in the flowers birds tell the secret history

9. One harvest from thy field
Homeward brought the oxen strong;
A second crop thine acres yield,
Which I gather in a song.
harvest
Homeward brought the oxen
Gather in a song

10. The poet apologizes to the farmers saying
that he is not cruel or rude. He walks in the
grove and glen and goes to the wood God to
bring men His message. The cloud floating in
the sky writes a letter in his book and the
aster flowers in the poet’s hand goes home
loaded with thoughts. The birds tell secret
histories in the bowers and the flowers
reveal the mystery. The oxen takes the
harvest from the fields while the poet takes
back a song.

11. Rude - Wood Band - Hand
Field - Yield Glen - Men
Brought - Thought Strong - Song
I - Sky Mystery - History
Brook - Book Flowers - Bowes

13. That I walk alone in grove and glen
Grove Glen
I go to the God of the wood
Go God
Fold my arms besides the brook
Besides Brook
But birds tell it in the bowers
Birds Bowers

14. Each cloud that floated in the sky
Writes a letter in my book.
PERSONIFICATION
Every aster in my hand
Goes home loaded with a thought.
PERSONIFICATION
(Personification – Attributing
human qualities to inanimate
objects)

15. Think me not unkind and rude
That I walk alone in grove and glen;
I go to the God of the wood
To fetch his word to men.
1. Who is the speaker ?
The poet is the speaker.
2. How shouldn’t we think of the poet?
We shouldn’t think him unkind and rude.
3. What is glen?
Glen is a narrow valley.
4. Where does the poet walk?
The poet walks through grove and glen.

16. Tax not my sloth that I
Fold my arms beside the brook;
Each cloud that floated in the sky
Writes a letter in my book.
1. What is meant by ‘brook’?
A brook is a narrow stream.
2. What floats in the sky?
Clouds float in the sky.
3. Who writes a letter in the poet’s book?
The cloud writes a letter in the poet’s book.
4. What does the poet do beside the brook?
He stands with folded arms beside the brook.

17. Chide me not, laborious band,
For the idle flowers I brought;
Every aster in my hand
Goes home loaded with a thought.
1. What does chide mean?
Chide means to scold.
2. What does ‘labourious band’ refer to?
It refers to hardworking people.
3. What is an aster?
It is a type of flower.
4. What goes home loaded with thought?
The flower goes home loaded with thought.

18. There was never mystery
But ‘tis figured in the flowers:
Was never secret history
But birds tell it in the bowers.
1. Where is the mystery?
The mystery is in the flowers.
2. What do the birds tell?
The birds tell the secret history.
3. Where is the secret history told?
It is told in the bowers.

19. One harvest from thy field
Homeward brought the oxen strong;
A second crop thine acres yield,
Which I gather in a song.
1. Who does ‘thy’ refer to?
Thy refers to the owner of the field.
2. Who brings the harvest home?
The oxen brings the harvest home.
3. Who gathers the second harvest?
The poet gathers the second harvest.
4. What is the second harvest according to the poet?
The second harvest is a song.

20. THE END