‘A Mid-Summer Noon in the Australian Forest ‘ by Charles Harper

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About Author

Charles Harper (1842-1912), agriculturist, legislator and newspaper proprietor, was born on 15 July 1842 near Toodyay, Western Australia, only son of Charles Harper and his wife Julia Gretchen, née Lukin. He was educated by his father, a barrister of Gray’s Inn who became a colonial farmer and later an Anglican clergyman. A Mid-Summer Noon in the Australian Forest is a poem by Australian poet Charles Harper. In this poem, the poet describes how quietness ruled the forest and its creatures. It evokes the feeling opposite to a noisy and crowded world.

Summary

The poem ‘A Mid-Summer Noon in the Australian Forest’ is composed by the poet Charles Harper . It shows the peaceful and silent atmosphere in the Australian forest at the noon of a day of miner, The poet as the speaker in the poem observes the atmosphere and describes his feeling on it. He observes that the birds in the forest which are not disturbing the air , they are not flying here and there. There is complete peace in the plains and in the forest as well. The silence in the forest is so great that it is available everywhere. Even grasshoppers are seen sleeping under the coolest shadows to keep themselves from the extreme heat of the sun at the noon. Even busy and hardworking ants are found taking rest in their pebbled heap. The locusts are seen clinging to the branches of the trees in the complete silence: they are neither moving nor crying. so, complete peacefulness rules over the hills and the plains.

Despite the whole peace ruling the whole atmosphere, the poet feels some poor movements and sounds of some natural things. But they are not disturbing the peace over there. The post hears some drowsy humming’s from the warm rivulets which is flowing gently. The poet sees the dragon-hornet sticking and shining brightly with yellow colour on a yellowish-brown ground. The poet feels that the spot is in heart shape. The poet also observes the unclear and hasty scene of the vermil-covered seal (fish) which is dusted over there. The beetle is seen rising in the suite higher and higher flaming out its shards like gems on fire.

Except some natural things, everything is still and silent The poet sees the small waterfalls whose cool murmur throws a cooler comfort round the relax or rest. He also observes small waves in the sea under the leafy branches of the tree. These small waves seem moving slowly The sea pulls back its small wave and sleeps peacefully. The writer feels that it is easy to be in the grassy cool ground hiding from the boiling sun and thinking of the peace over there.

In this way, he poet has described the natural beauty of the Australian forest in the noon of mid-summer.

सरांश नेपालीमा

यो Charles Harper द्वारा रचित कविताले मध्य ग्रीष्मकालीन मध्य दिनको अस्ट्रेलियाको एक जङ्गलको शान्त र स्थिर परिस्थितिलाई देखाएको छ । कविले उक्त परिस्थितिलाई अध्ययन गरी उनको आफ्नो वुझाइ र भावनालाई यी कवितामा प्रस्तुत गरेका छन्। उनले अवलोकन गरेको जङ्गलका चराहरूले त्यहाँ हावालाई अवरोध पुयाएका छैनन् । यसको अर्थ चराहरू यतातत्र उडिरहेका छैनन् । समथर जमिन र जगल दुबै ठाउँमा पूर्ण रूपमा शान्ति छ । त्यहाँको स्थिरता यति बलवान छ की सबैतिर शान्तिमय छ । त्यहाँ फट्याङ्ग्राहरू पनि आफूलाई मध्य दिनको धामको तापबाट बचाउन सबैभन्दा चिसो छहारीमा सुतिरहेका हुन्छन् । सबै व्यस्त रूपले काम गरिरहने कमिलाहरूसमेत आफ्नो घरमा आराम गरिरहेका हुन्छन् । सलहहरू पनि रूसका हाँगामा टाँसिएका हुन्छन् । उनीहरू घुमिरहेका र कराइरहेका हुँदैनन् । यसरी त्यहाँ सर्वत्र शान्तिले राज्य गरिरहेको कविलाई महशुस हुन्छ ।
शान्ति सर्वत्र भए पनि केही भद्र प्राकतिक गतिविधिहरू र ध्वनिहरू त्यहाँ अवस्थित रहेको कविलाई महशुस हुन्छ । तर तिनीहरूले त्यहाँ अवस्थित शान्तिलाई कुनै पनि अवरोध पुयाएका हुँदैनन् । कविले त्यहाँ साना–साना पानीको खोल्साहरू बिस्तारै अघि बढेको देख्छन् र उनीहरूको भद्र कलकल आवाज पनि सुन्छन् । एक प्रकारका बारुलाहरु चम्किरहेका हुन्छन् । उनीहरूको वस्ने ठाउँ मुटु आकारको भएको करा कविलाई महसुस हुन्छ । यसका अतिरिक्त कविले हिलो वा धुलो छोपिएको शिल सुनौला माछाहरू अवस्थित रहेको पाउँछन् । त्यसैगरी कविले गोब्रे किराहरू पनि हावामा चम्किदै गरेका देख्छन् । उक्त गोबे्र किरामाथि सूर्यको प्रकाशमा आगोका झिल्को जस्तै चम्किी उडिरहेको हुन्छ । तिनीहरूको अतिरिक्त कविले चिसो पानीका मसिना झरनाहरू पनि देख्छन् । सागरमा रुखको छहारीमुनि साना–साना तरङ्गहरू पनि चलिरहेकोे कविले महसुस गर्छन् । तर ती छालहरू बिस्तारै पछि फर्किरहेका हुन्छन् र सागर पनि उसका सबै छालहरूलाई शान्त पारी पूर्ण रूपले शान्ति कायम गरिरहेको कविले महसुस गर्छन् । कविलाई यस्तो अनुभव हुन्छ कि त्यहाँको चिसो घाँसे जमिनमा सूर्यको प्रकाशवाट जोगिदै त्यहाँको शान्तिको बारेमा सोच्नु हामीलाई सजिलो महशुस हुने गर्दछ ।
यसरी कविले मध्य ग्रीष्मकालीन मध्य दिनको अस्ट्रेलियाको एक जङ्गलको शान्त र स्थिर परिस्थितिको प्राकृतिक सुन्दरतालाई देखाउन खोजेका छन् ।

Answer the following questions.

a) Draw a list of the insects, birds and animals that the poet sees in the Australian forest.

= Insects: grasshoppers, beetle, ants, locust, dragon-hornet, Animals; seal, Bird; No bird is given in the poem.

b) What impression does the poet try to give through such a line ‘what mighty stillness broods?’

= The poet tries to reflect a very peaceful environment in mid-day to the reader. It is very enchanting and cannot be changed easily.

c) Explain:

And over hills and over plains

Quiet, vast and slumberous, reigns.

= The entire places seem to be sleeping. The situation is peaceful and calm. The environment is charming in the hills and the plains.

d) What objects of nature does the poet quote here?

= The objects of nature the poet quotes here are plains, woods, mound, bought, ground, air, light, rill, sea, etc.

e) What is the overall impression of the poem?

= The overall impression of the poem is that it provides the real pleasure of natural beauty and quietness of forest even in mid-day by the sea in the Australian forest.

f) Compare this poem with Wordsworth’s Composed upon Westminster Bridge.

= Both the poems are related to the natural beauty. However, Harper describes about the silence of forest in mid-day whereas Wordsworth describes the green fields in the morning at sunrise. Wordsworth describes man-made entities along with natural ones but Harper describes only natural ones.

g) Describe the landscape of the Australian forest.

= The forest extends upto the hills and plains and the sea shore having grassy lands.