A Slumber did my spirit seal

 1. “A slumber did my spirit seal”, says the poet. That is, a deep sleep ‘closed off’ his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel deep sense of grief? Or does he feel a great peace? 

 In "A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal," the poet’s reaction to his loved one’s death is characterized by a profound sense of numbness and shock rather than an outburst of typical grief. Initially, he describes his spirit as being "sealed" by a slumber, suggesting that he was in a state of deep denial or a trance-like state where he was blind to the reality of mortality. This "slumber" acted as a protective layer that kept him away from "human fears." However, as the poem progresses, his reaction shifts toward a great, solemn peace. Instead of mourning her loss with traditional sorrow, he finds a philosophical consolation in the fact that she has become an immortal part of the universe. By imagining her rolled round in "earth’s diurnal course" along with "rocks, and stones, and trees," he accepts that while she is lost as a human being, she has achieved a permanent, peaceful existence within the eternal cycle of nature.

2. The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this? 

 “She seemed a thing that could not feel 

 the touch of earthly years”.

3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a ‘heaven’)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer? 

 The poet imagines her not as living in a happy “heaven” but as having become a part of nature itself. This is clear in the final lines: "Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course, With rocks, and stones, and trees." Here, she is merged with the earth, moving daily with the planet’s rotation, no longer an individual but united with non-living natural elements—rocks, stones, and trees. Thus, the poet envisions her after death as beyond human joy or sorrow, simply existing in the eternal cycle of nature.

Kathmandu

Answer these questions in one or two words or in short phrases. 

 1. Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.

 Pashupatinath and Baudhnath Stupa. 

 2. The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca Cola.” What does ‘all this’ refer to? 

 Corn-on-the-cob and marzipan. 

 3. What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine? 

 The flutes tied on the top of the flute seller’s pole. 

 4. Name five kinds of flutes. 

 The reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri, the breathy flutes of South America, the high pitched Chinese f lutes. 

Answer each question in a short paragraph. 

 1. What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers? 

 The author notes that, unlike the other hawkers who loudly shout to attract customers, the flute seller remains calm and quiet, simply playing his flute slowly and thoughtfully without any noisy display. 

 2. What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug? 

 At Pashupatinath, people believe that there is a small shrine in the Bagmati river which is only partly visible, and when this shrine emerges fully, the goddess inside it will escape and the evil period of Kaliyug on earth will come to an end.

3. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of 

 i. the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the temple of Pashupatinath (for example: some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside…)

ii. the things he sees

iii. the sounds he hears

i. Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs all roam about the temple grounds, creating a crowded, restless scene. Some worshippers trying to catch the priest’s attention are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front. A party of saffron-clad Westerners struggles for permission to enter the temple through the main gate, adding to the sense of tension and disorder.

ii. The immense white dome of the Baudhnath Stupa ringed by a road with small shops selling felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery. Fruit sellers, flute sellers, postcard hawkers and shops selling cosmetics, f ilm rolls, chocolates, copper utensils and Nepalese antiques on the crowded streets of Kathmandu. A flute seller holding a long pole with about fifty or sixty flutes of different kinds stuck into it like the branches of a tree.

iii. Film songs blaring from the radios in the shops. The honking of car horns and the continuous ringing of bicycle bells in the busy streets. Vendors shouting out their wares, along with the soft, continuous music of the f lute seller’s many flutes.

Answer the following questions in not more than 100-150 words each. 

1. Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with the Pashupatinath temple.

 In and around the Pashupatinath temple, the atmosphere is chaotic and restless, marked by what the author calls “febrile confusion.” Crowds of priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, and even animals push and jostle, creating noise, disorder and constant movement. People elbow one another to get closer to the priest, monkeys fight, and funeral pyres burn on the Bagmati’s banks, adding to the disturbing bustle. In contrast, the Baudhnath shrine has a calm, spiritual and still atmosphere. The huge white dome stands in serene silence, with only a few people moving quietly around it, and small Tibetan shops lining the outer circle without breaking the sense of peace. The author experiences Baudhnath as a “haven of quietness” amid Kathmandu’s busy streets.

2. How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets? 

 The author describes Kathmandu’s busiest streets as narrow, crowded and full of life, calling them “vivid, mercenary and religious.” They are lined with small shrines and flower decked deities, and packed with fruit sellers, f lute sellers, postcard hawkers and shops selling chocolates, film rolls, Western cosmetics, copper utensils and Nepalese antiques. Film songs blare from radios, car horns honk, bicycle bells ring and vendors shout out their wares, while stray cows bellow at the sound of motorcycles, creating a deafening confusion of sounds.

3. “To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say this? 

 The author says this because the flute is a universal instrument that exists in almost every culture, though in different forms and names. Whether it is the Indian bansuri, the Japanese shakuhachi or the Western flute, all are simple hollow pipes that produce music through human breath, just like the human voice. This shared principle makes their music feel natural and intimate. The sound of any flute expresses basic human emotions such as sorrow, longing, peace and joy, which are common to all people irrespective of country, religion or language. By listening to a flute, one is reminded that human experiences and feelings are fundamentally the same everywhere, and this draws us into a sense of kinship with the whole of mankind.