This MCQ module is based on: Music – Walter De la Mare
TOPIC 18 OF 24
Music – Walter De la Mare
🎓 Class 9
English
CBSE
Theory
Ch 6 — Twin Melodies
⏱ ~30 min
🌐 Language: [gtranslate]
🧠 AI-Powered MCQ Assessment
▲
📝 Worksheet / Assessment
▲
This assessment will be based on: Music – Walter De la Mare
Upload images, PDFs, or Word documents to include their content in assessment generation.
Learning Beyond the Text — Approaching "Music"
Walter De la Mare's "Music" is a more complex, visionary poem than the previous two texts. It describes what happens to the poet's inner world when music sounds.
1. Have you ever listened to music and felt transported to another world — as if reality changed around you? Describe the experience.
This poem describes exactly that experience — a visionary state in which the familiar world dissolves and becomes more beautiful, more alive, and more magical when music sounds. De la Mare uses nature imagery (forests, flowers, water, time) to describe these transformations.
2. Vocabulary Warm-up: These words appear in the poem — ecstasy, enchanted, solemn, haunt, brooding, ere, rapt, dim. Can you guess their meanings?
Ecstasy: overwhelming joy or delight. Enchanted: placed under a magical spell. Solemn: serious, grave, and dignified. Haunt: a place one frequently visits; also, something that lingers in the mind. Brooding: thinking deeply about something troubled; dark and threatening. Ere: an archaic word meaning "before." Rapt: completely absorbed or entranced. Dim: to make less bright; to make less clear.
3. Who were the Naiads of classical mythology? Why might a poet writing about music invoke them?
Naiads were water nymphs in Greek mythology — beautiful female spirits believed to inhabit rivers, springs, lakes, and waterfalls. They were associated with the beauty and mystery of water. De la Mare invokes them to suggest that music conjures visions of supernatural beauty — as if the poet's inner eye sees mythological beings rising from water when music plays.
Music
Stanza 1
1When music sounds, gone is the earth I know, Imagery
2And all her lovely things even lovelier grow; Imagery
3Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees
4Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies. Personification Imagery
Stanza 1 — Paraphrase and Analysis
When music begins, the poet's familiar world disappears — replaced by a heightened, more beautiful version of reality. The flowers appear to burst into flame with brilliant colour (a vivid metaphor for intensified vision). Forest trees seem to raise their heavy branches as if in a state of spiritual ecstasy — personification that gives the natural world a human capacity for overwhelming joy. Music transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Stanza 2
5When music sounds, out of the water rise Imagery
6Naiads* whose beauty dims my waking eyes,
7Rapt in strange dreams burns each enchanted face, Imagery Alliteration
8With solemn echoing stirs their dwelling-place. Imagery
Stanza 2 — Paraphrase and Analysis
In this visionary stanza, music conjures mythological water nymphs (Naiads) rising from water — their beauty so overwhelming that it makes the poet's physical sight seem dim and inadequate (the metaphor "dims my waking eyes" suggests that ordinary sight cannot compete with this inner vision). Each enchanted face is absorbed ("rapt") in dreams, glowing with an inner fire ("burns"). Their dwelling — the water — echoes solemnly with this mysterious stirring. Music here opens a doorway to a mythological, supernatural world.
Stanza 3
9When music sounds, all that I was I am Symbolism
10Ere to this haunt of brooding dust I came;
11And from Time's woods break into distant song Personification
12The swift-winged hours, as I hasten along.
Stanza 3 — Paraphrase and Analysis
This deeply philosophical stanza moves inward. When music sounds, the poet rediscovers the person he was before birth — before he came to this world of "brooding dust" (a metaphor for mortality and earthly existence, where "dust" echoes the Biblical "dust to dust"). Time itself, personified as woods, releases the hours as if they burst into swift-winged song — time itself becomes musical, fluid, and alive. Music, in this stanza, is a portal to eternity: it reconnects the poet with a self that exists beyond time. The tone is profoundly spiritual.
Theme Web — "Music" by De la Mare
Three Dimensions of Music's Power
Click each node to explore how De la Mare develops the theme of music across stanzas.
Literary Device Analysis
Identify and Analyse Literary Devices
1. "Her flowers in vision flame" — name the literary device and explain its effect.
Metaphor: Flowers are compared to flames — they don't literally burn, but music causes them to appear so intensely colourful and vivid that they seem to radiate light like fire. The effect is to convey the overwhelming intensity of beauty perceived through music.
2. "Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies" — what device is used and what does it suggest?
Personification: The trees are given a human capacity — to be "stilled with ecstasies" (overwhelmed by joy to the point of immobility). This suggests that music's power extends beyond human beings into the natural world. Even inanimate trees are transformed into feeling beings under music's influence.
3. "Rapt in strange dreams burns each enchanted face" — identify the alliteration.
The alliteration is in "burns…enchanted…each" — but more specifically in "burns each enchanted" (the "e" sounds of each/enchanted) and the broader sonic richness of the line. The repetition of consonantal sounds creates a musical quality within the poetry itself — the form mirrors the content.
4. "This haunt of brooding dust" — what does "brooding dust" symbolise?
Symbolism / Metaphor: "Brooding dust" symbolises the mortal, earthly world — the human body and earthly existence which is temporary (we return to dust). "Brooding" (dark, heavy, threatening) suggests that everyday life is shadowed by mortality. Music, for De la Mare, is a temporary escape from this brooding reality into something timeless.
5. "The swift-winged hours" — what device is this and why is it effective?
Metaphor + Personification: Hours are given "wings" — they are imagined as swift birds breaking free from "Time's woods" into song. This suggests that when music plays, time itself becomes liberated, swift, and beautiful. The hours are no longer a burden or constraint — they become part of the music. The image is both beautiful and philosophically resonant.
Grammar Workshop — Connected to the Texts
Reported Speech and Exclamatory Sentences
The exercises below are drawn from the language sections of Unit 6 and connected to the play "Twin Melodies."
Rule: Exclamatory to Declarative
Exclamatory sentences express strong emotion. When converting to declarative (statement) form: remove the exclamatory mark, remove interjections (Oh! Wow! Wah!), use "exclaimed" or "exclaimed with (feeling)" as the reporting verb, and report in third person.
Original (Exclamatory):
"Wah, how soulful! You all have done a wonderful job!" — Nabin
"Wah, how soulful! You all have done a wonderful job!" — Nabin
→
Declarative / Reported:
Nabin exclaimed with delight that they had all done a wonderful job and that it was truly soulful.
Nabin exclaimed with delight that they had all done a wonderful job and that it was truly soulful.
Original (Exclamatory):
"Oh, how much I enjoy performing this piece!" — Shruti (aside)
"Oh, how much I enjoy performing this piece!" — Shruti (aside)
→
Declarative / Reported:
Shruti exclaimed with joy that she greatly enjoyed performing that piece.
Shruti exclaimed with joy that she greatly enjoyed performing that piece.
Practice Exercises — Write Reported Speech
1.
"Wow Shruti! You're a sensation!" — Avinash
Avinash exclaimed with wonder that Shruti was a great sensation.
2.
"What an incredible achievement! I can't believe we pulled it off!" — Iqbal
Iqbal exclaimed that it was an incredible achievement and that he could not believe they had pulled it off.
3.
"Bravo! Each note was executed perfectly, and the performance was flawless!" — Shruti's mother
Shruti's mother applauded that each note had been executed perfectly and that the performance had been flawless.
4.
"I basically have a little bit of scolding for breakfast every day!" — Iqbal
Iqbal exclaimed with humour that he basically had a little bit of scolding for breakfast every single day.
5.
"Sorry Mummy, won't hide from you again. I promise!" — Shruti
Shruti apologised to her mother and promised that she would not hide anything from her again.
6.
"You are a sensation now! The least you can do is throw a party!" — Avinash
Avinash exclaimed that Shruti was a sensation and suggested that the least she could do was throw a party.
Reporting the Dialogue — Extended Practice
Report the following dialogue between Asma and Deepa in indirect speech.
Asma: Wow! What a unique experience I had at the art studio today!
Deepa: Tell me! I'm eager to hear!
Asma: I accidentally spilled paint all over my canvas.
Deepa: Oh, my goodness! What a pity!
Asma: No worries! The painting now looks better than my original plan!
Deepa: That's incredible!
Asma exclaimed excitedly that she had had a unique experience at the art studio that day. Deepa urged her to tell her as she was eager to hear. Asma said that she had accidentally spilled paint all over her canvas. Deepa pitied Asma. However, Asma replied to her not to worry as the painting now looked better than her original plan. Deepa exclaimed that it was incredible.
Dramatic Devices — Understanding the Play Format
Aside — Theatrical Device
An "aside" is when a character speaks directly to the audience, conveying thoughts that other characters on stage cannot hear. It reveals inner feelings without the character speaking to another character.
Example: "Shruti (Aside): Oh, how much I enjoy performing this piece. Perhaps I can practise one last time and soon after that I will tell them that I can't join them for the performance."
Aside — Comprehension Questions
1. What is an "aside" used for? Select the best answer: (i) enables characters to talk about the story (ii) shows what a character thinks or feels (iii) makes a direct link between the audience and the character (iv) All of the above.
(iv) All of the above — an aside serves all three functions simultaneously: it reveals inner thought, creates audience-character intimacy, and can advance understanding of the plot.
2. Why are brackets used in play scripts? Why are there no inverted commas for dialogue?
Brackets (parentheses) convey the manner of delivery to the actor — equivalent to reporting verbs (e.g., "he said loudly" becomes "(loudly)" in brackets). Play scripts do not use inverted commas because the format itself (Speaker: words) makes it clear that speech is being delivered. Colons after the speaker's name introduce the spoken words.
3. What are non-lexical fillers? Give examples from the play.
Non-lexical fillers are sounds or words used to fill pauses while a speaker organises their thoughts — for example: "uh," "um," "er," "ahem." In the play: Shruti uses "I… er… was finding the right words" and "an… an… Indo-Western fusion concert" — the ellipses (…) and fillers show her anxiety and hesitation vividly.
Vocabulary Engine — Music Terms
Music-Related Words from the Unit
rhythm
noun
The pattern of beats or time intervals in music.
The tabla sets the rhythm for the entire ensemble.
tempo
noun
The speed or pace at which a piece of music is played.
The conductor increased the tempo in the final movement.
bass
noun
The lowest tone or part in music.
The bass guitar provides the foundation for the melody.
baritone
noun
A male voice that falls between the higher tenor and the lower bass range.
His warm baritone voice filled the concert hall.
cacophony
noun
A mixture of loud, unpleasant, and discordant sounds.
The street market was a cacophony of horns and vendor calls.
pitch
noun
The perceived frequency of a sound — how high or low a sound is.
She raised the pitch of her voice to reach the highest note.
scale
noun
A series of musical notes moving upward or downward in a fixed pattern.
Every beginner practices scales before attempting a melody.
notes
noun (music)
A single sound at a specific pitch, shown as a symbol on a music sheet.
Nabin praised Shruti for never losing the notes of the raga.
Phrasal Verbs — "Move" Family
The poem uses the verb "moves me to the core." Explore other phrasal verbs built with "move."
Phrasal Verb Rule
A phrasal verb combines a base verb with a preposition or adverb to create an entirely new meaning. For example: "move" (change position) + "out" = "move out" (leave a home permanently).
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| move out | To leave a home where one has been living | He's planning to move out of his parents' house next month. |
| move in | To begin living in a new home or place | Our new neighbours moved in yesterday. |
| move on | To start doing or discussing something new; to leave the past behind | I've been in this job long enough — it's time I moved on. |
| move over | To go to a new position to make room for others | Can you move over a bit so I can sit down? |
| move along | To continue moving; to shift position to make space | The officer told the crowd to move along. |
| move off | To start moving; to leave a place or position | The bus moved off as soon as all passengers were seated. |
Create Your Own:
Create phrasal verbs from put, get, look, break. Find their meanings and write example sentences.
put: put off (postpone), put up with (tolerate), put through (connect by phone), put across (communicate clearly).
get: get over (recover), get along (have a friendly relationship), get away with (escape punishment), get through (survive).
look: look up (search for; improve), look after (take care of), look into (investigate), look forward to (anticipate).
break: break down (stop functioning; become emotionally overwhelmed), break out (escape; start suddenly), break in (interrupt; train), break up (end a relationship; split apart).
get: get over (recover), get along (have a friendly relationship), get away with (escape punishment), get through (survive).
look: look up (search for; improve), look after (take care of), look into (investigate), look forward to (anticipate).
break: break down (stop functioning; become emotionally overwhelmed), break out (escape; start suddenly), break in (interrupt; train), break up (end a relationship; split apart).
Literature CBQ — "Music" by Walter De la Mare
Extract — Stanza 1
When music sounds, gone is the earth I know,
And all her lovely things even lovelier grow;
Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees
Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies.
And all her lovely things even lovelier grow;
Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees
Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies.
L2 Understand
(i) What happens to the earth when music sounds, according to the poet?
When music sounds, the familiar, everyday earth disappears. In its place, the poet perceives a heightened, more beautiful reality: flowers appear to blaze with light, trees seem to raise their branches in spiritual rapture. Music transforms ordinary perception into a visionary experience.
L4 Analyse
(ii) Analyse the effectiveness of "Her flowers in vision flame" as a metaphor.
"In vision flame" is a compact, powerful metaphor: "in vision" establishes that this is an inner, imaginative perception, not a physical one; "flame" suggests that the flowers blaze with colour and light beyond their ordinary appearance. The metaphor conveys the intense, almost overwhelming visual richness that music unlocks in the poet's inner eye. It also suggests warmth and passionate aliveness — music ignites the world.
L4 Analyse
(iii) How does De la Mare use personification in line 4?
Trees are given human emotion — they "lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies." Burdened branches suggest both the physical weight of foliage and a kind of spiritual heaviness. "Stilled with ecstasies" means paralysed by overwhelming joy — the same way a human being might be rendered motionless by a moment of transcendent emotion. The personification extends music's power to the entire natural world.
L5 Evaluate
(iv) Compare De la Mare's vision of music (Stanza 1) with Perkins's in "A Friend Found in Music." Which is more effective and why?
De la Mare's vision is cosmic and visual — music transforms the entire perceived world, including nature. Perkins's is personal and emotional — music is a comforting, therapeutic friend. De la Mare's imagery is richer and more complex: "flowers in vision flame" and "trees stilled with ecstasies" are more original than Perkins's ocean and therapy metaphors. However, Perkins's poem is more immediately relatable. The most effective poem depends on the reader's context: for emotional comfort, Perkins; for imaginative grandeur, De la Mare.
L6 Create
(v) Write a short paragraph (40–50 words) describing what you see or feel when music sounds, in the style of De la Mare.
When music sounds, the grey walls of my room dissolve into mist, and in their place shimmer forests of silver where no wind stirs. The ceiling opens to a sky of impossible stars, each one pulsing with the rhythm of the strings. I am not here. I am everywhere at once.
Writing Task — Play Script
Write a Play Script
Read the following story beginning and, in groups of four, create a play script based on it. Use the structure and techniques from "Twin Melodies" as your model.
Anuradha, a teenager, has been learning tabla at school since her primary years and is an extraordinary tabla player. Her father, a vocalist, is a music teacher in a school. He has never been supportive of her learning the tabla and rather feels she should focus on becoming a vocalist. She has been invited to perform at a prestigious event, and decides to participate in it, despite her father's disapproval. However, Anuradha's mother and brother have always rooted for her. Anuradha sat wondering…
Tips for Writing a Play Script:
- Write a rough draft first, then refine
- Include a setting description and character list
- Use a colon (:) after the speaker's name to introduce their words
- Use brackets () for stage directions — manner of delivery, actions
- Include "asides" where a character reveals inner thoughts to the audience
- Use non-lexical fillers (Ahem! Er… Um…) to show hesitation
- Use ellipsis (…) to show pauses or incomplete thoughts
Criterion
Excellent (4)
Good (3)
Developing (2)
Content
Script faithfully develops the story with original, vivid scenes and convincing conflict
Story is developed with some original scenes; conflict is present
Basic retelling; limited development of conflict or character
Format
Correct use of colon, brackets, asides, stage directions throughout
Mostly correct format with minor errors
Some format elements used but inconsistently
Dialogue
Dialogue is natural, reveals character, uses fillers and ellipsis effectively
Dialogue is adequate; characters are distinct
Dialogue is functional but flat; characters sound similar
Language
Varied vocabulary, correct grammar, effective dramatic techniques
Generally correct with some variety
Simple vocabulary; some grammatical errors
Learning Beyond the Text
Music, Culture, and Wellbeing
Raga Chikitsa
An ancient Indian text elaborating on the healing properties of different ragas. India's musical heritage has long understood music as medicine for body and mind.
Sangita Sudha
A 17th-century work describing the effects of music on human emotions — one of the earliest systematic accounts of music therapy in India.
Recycled Orchestra of Cateura
An orchestra from Paraguay formed in 2012 where children play instruments made from scrap materials collected from landfills — proving that music transcends material conditions.
Indigenous Instruments
Instruments crafted from bamboo, gourds, animal hides, and shells — reflecting deep connections between culture, environment, and musical identity. India has a rich tradition of such instruments.
The Seven Swaras
Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni — the seven notes of Indian classical music. According to tradition, each swara originates from the sound of a different animal or natural phenomenon.
The Yazh
An ancient Indian harp-like stringed instrument used in early Tamil music. Its resonator was shaped like a peacock or other animal, with a stem tip resembling a mythological creature's head.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Music – Walter De la Mare about in NCERT Class 9 Kaveri?
Music – Walter De la Mare is from NCERT Class 9 English Kaveri (NEP 2020 textbook) covering literary and language concepts with vocabulary, devices, and CBSE-aligned exercises.
What vocabulary is in Music – Walter De la Mare?
Key words from Music – Walter De la Mare are highlighted with contextual meanings, parts of speech, and usage examples in interactive vocabulary modals.
What literary devices are used in Music – Walter De la Mare?
Music – Walter De la Mare uses imagery, symbolism, metaphor, and figurative language identified with coloured tags throughout the lesson.
What exercises are included for Music – Walter De la Mare?
Exercises include extract-based comprehension questions, grammar workshops, vocabulary activities, and writing tasks with model answers.
How does Music – Walter De la Mare help CBSE Class 9 exam preparation?
Music – Walter De la Mare includes CBSE-format extract questions, 100-120 word long answer practice, and grammar exercises following Bloom's L1-L6.
AI Tutor
English Class 9 — Kaveri
Ready