(i) How does the poet describe the moon: (a) at the beginning of the third stanza, and (b) at its end? What causes this change? (ii) What happens to the house when the trees move out of it? (iii) Why do you think the poet does not mention "the departure of the forest from the house" in her letters?
(a) At the beginning of the third stanza, the poet describes the moon as whole, shining in a sky still open. (b) At its end, the moon is described as broken like a mirror, with its pieces flashing in the crown of the tallest oak. This change is caused by the trees moving out of the house. As they stumble forward into the night, their branches and leaves obscure the clear view of the sky, making the moon appear fragmented.
When the trees move out of the house, the glass breaks as they stumble forward into the night. The roots work to disengage themselves from the cracks in the veranda floor. Although the physical trees leave, the smell of leaves and lichen still reaches like a voice into the rooms.
Why do you think the poet does not mention "the departure of the forest from the house" in her letters? (Could it be that we are often silent about important happenings that are so unexpected that they embarrass us? Think about this again when you answer the next set of questions.)
The poet does not mention the departure of the forest in her letters because such important happenings are often so unexpected that they leave us silent or embarrass us. The sudden, profound movement of the trees breaking free is an overwhelming event that she scarcely knows how to articulate in ordinary correspondence.
Explanation
The question tests the student's understanding of the poem's imagery, the literal and symbolic events occurring within it, and the poet's underlying message. In part (i), students must identify the shift in the moon's imagery from 'whole' to 'broken like a mirror' and connect this visual change to the trees moving outside and blocking the sky. Part (ii) requires noting the physical impact on the house—the breaking glass and the lingering smell. Part (iii) addresses the psychological aspect: the poet's silence in her letters reflects the human tendency to be left speechless or embarrassed by unexpectedly profound or unnatural events, as hinted by the textbook's prompt.