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Question
Explain with reference to the context the following line.
....you and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Solution
- Reference: These lines are from the poem ‘Ulysses” written by Alfred Tennyson.
- Context and Explanation: Poet, in this part of the monologue describes the address made by Ulysses to his compatriots who were with him during “thunders and sunshine”. He admits the fact that they are growing old. But he does not want to retire like ordinary mortals. He accepts gratefully the honor befitting old age as a result of varied cultural experiences. Yet, he does not want old people to bow out of the field of action. He sincerely believes there is more work to be done, lands to be explored and newer knowledge to be acquired in old age before death.
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All through that summer at ease we lay,
And daily from the turret wall
We watched the mowers in the hay
And the enemy half a mile away
They seemed no threat to us at all.
For what, we thought, had we to fear
With our arms and provender, load on load,
Our towering battlements, tier on tier,
And friendly allies drawing near
On every leafy summer road.
Our gates were strong, our walls were thick,
So smooth and high, no man could win
A foothold there, no clever trick
Could take us dead or quick,
Only a bird could have got in.
What could they offer us for bait?
Our captain was brave and we were true…
There was a little private gate,
A little wicked wicket gate.
The wizened warder let them through.
Oh then our maze of tunneled stone
Grew thin and treacherous as air.
The cause was lost without a groan,
The famous citadel overthrown,
And all its secret galleries bare.
How can this shameful tale be told?
I will maintain until my death
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Our only enemy was gold,
And we had no arms to fight it with.
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