The Lonely Land by A.J.M. Smith
Cedar and jagged fir
uplift sharp barbs
against the gray
and cloud-piled sky;
and in the bay
blown spume and windrift by the wind
and thin, bitter spray
snap
at the whirling sky;
and the pine trees
lean one way.
A wild duck calls
to her mate,
and the ragged
and passionate tones
stagger and fall,
and recover,
and stagger and fall,
on these stones -
are lost
in the lapping of water
on smooth, flat stones.
This is a beauty
of dissonance,
this resonance
of stony strand
this smoky cry
curled over a black pine
like a broken
and wind-battered branch
when the wind
bends the tops of the pines
and curdles the sky
from the north
This is the beauty
of strength
broken by strength
and still strong.
1. What types of imagery can you identify in this poem? (2 marks)
In this poem, there a few types of imagery:
"Cedar and jagged fir
uplift sharp barbs
against the gray
and cloud-piled sky;"
There is also:
on these stones -
are lost
in the lapping of water
on smooth, flat stones.
2. What forms of life inhabit the lonely land? (2 marks)
There are trees and ducks on the island.
3. Which three adjectives used by Smith do you think best portray the strength and beauty of the land he describes? Give your reasons for selecting each one. (6 marks)
The three adjectives that best portray the strength and beauty of the land would be passionate, dissonance, and broken. I picked these words because they are the most strong-looking words in the poem. The author uses the word broken a lot so it must have meant something to him.
4. Embed two images on your blog that illustrate lines of the poem. Caption each image with the lines represented from the poem. (4 marks)
"on these stones -
in the lapping of water
on smooth, flat stones."
Cedar and jagged fir
uplift sharp barbs
against the gray
and cloud-piled sky;
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