GOING DOWNHILL ON A BICYCLE

POEM

GOING DOWNHILL ON A BICYCLE

--HENRY CHARLES BEECHING--

With lifted feet, hands still ,

I am poised, and down the hill

Dart, with heedful mind ;

The air goes by in a wind.


Swifter and yet more swift,

Till the heart with a mighty lift

Makes the lungs laugh, the throat cry : ---

‘O bird, see: see, bird, I fly.


‘Is this, is this your joy?

O bird, then I, though a boy

For a golden, moments share , your feathery life in air!’

POEM EXPLANATION

The poet describes the thrill of going downhill on a bicycle. The poet describes how he stands ready at the top of a hill, his feet lifted and hands steady. Then he starts rolling down and the wind rushes by. As the bicycle picks up speed, it seems to the speaker that he is actually flying this is a thrilling and joyous moment and the poet feels that this gives him the freedom of bird. It helps him understand the joy and freedom of flying. He wonders if there is any experience that comes close to the feeling of complete happiness that he is experiencing.

LINE EXPLANATION

1. I am poised, and down the hill

   Dart, with heedful mind ;

   The poet rides very quickly with a careful mind down the hill.

2. Till the heart with a mighty lift

   The poet’s heart is full of excitement and joy.

  

3. What is ‘a golden moment’?

   ‘A golden moment’ refers to the moment when the cyclist    

    feels that he is as free as a bird and is able to participate in  

    the joy a bird experiences when it flies.

4. Tick the correct option.

    The bicycle is compared to an airy boat because

   (a) it is rocking   (b) it is floating  (c) When it goes slow, it  

   seems to sink.

   Ans. It is floating