Autumn Song by William Brighty Rands

                      

AUTUMN SONG

The ash-berry clusters are darkly red;
The leaves of the limes are almost shed;
The passion-flower hangs out her yellow fruit;
The sycamore puts on her brownest suit.

After a silence, the wind complains,
Like a creature longing to burst its chains.
The swallows are gone, I saw them gather;
I heard them murmuring of the weather.

The clouds move fast, the south is blowing;
The sun is slanting; the year is going;
I love to walk where the leaves lie dead,
And hear them rustle beneath my tread.

VOCABULARY:

ashberry- serbal
sycamore- sicomoro
swallow- golondrina (also "tragar")
slant- inclinarse
rustle- crujir
tread- pisada (verb: tread- trod- trodden)

A POISON TREE by Willialm Blake

 A Poison Tree

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

I was angry with my friend; 

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe: 

I told it not, my wrath did grow. 

And I waterd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears: 

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles. 

And it grew both day and night. 

Till it bore an apple bright. 

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine. 

And into my garden stole, 

When the night had veild the pole; 

In the morning glad I see; 

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

wrath- ira

foe-enemigo

To sun- poner al sol 

deceitful- engañoso

wiles- artimañas

To bear-bore-born- dar fruto

To behold- beheld- beheld-  contemplar

To veil- cubrir con un velo

outstretched- extendido

POEM ANALYISIS

The speaker describes how when they were angry with a friend, they talked to their friend about the issue which helped them to overcome their anger. However, the speaker was unable to do the same with an enemy and this leads to developing resentment and an even stronger degree of hatred. An 

Eventually the anger blossoms into a poisoned fruit, the enemy eats the fruit and dies and the speaker seems to be glad of this. However, there is also a sense that they see the destructiveness of what has occurred. As the first lines acknowledge, we can easily overcome our anger if we communicate it properly.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zg4rg82/revision/1

MY FAVOURITE THINGS

 

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
My favorite things

Cream-colored ponies and crisp apple strudel
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into spring
Theses are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad, so bad

VOCABULARY:

Raindrops: gotas de lluvia

kittens-gatitos

Whiskers: bigotes (gatos)

copper kettles- teteras de cobre

woolen mittens- manoplas de lana

tied up with strings- atados con cuerdas

Doorbells- timbres

sleigh- trineo

 schnitzel- filete empanado

Wild geese- gansos silvestres

wings- alas

satin sashes- fajines de satén

Snowflakes- copos de nieve

eyelashes- pestañas

the bee stings- la abeja pica

MY FAVOURITE THINGS

SHALL I COMPARE THEE TO A SUMMER´S DAY (By William Shakespeare)

 

Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm'd;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;

Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st:

   So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,

   So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

VOCABULARY

   thee (pronoun): you (old English)
thou (pronoun): you (old English)
art (verb): are (old English - verb 'to be')
temperate (adjective): mild; pleasant; warm
do shake: note use of auxiliary 'do' in present simple positive. This is unusual but perfectly normal for stress, politeness or poetic effect.
bud (noun): first growth on a plant or flower
lease (noun): period, time, duration

   dim (verb)  (make something) become less bright )atenuar

    untrimmed (adj)- not having been trimmed (= made tidier)  (desaliñado)

hath (verb): has (old English - verb 'to have')
eye of heaven: Shakespeare is referring to the sun
complexion (noun): colour; appearance
fair (adjective): attractive; beautiful; handsome; lovely
decline (verb): to become less; to decrease
thy (adjective): your (old English)
eternal (adjective): endless; everlasting; infinite; permanent
fade (verb): to decrease; to decline; to dissolve
brag (verb): to boast; to tell everybody triumphantly
wand'rest (verb): old English - verb 'to wander': to walk without direction; to roam
shade (noun): shadow; darkness; gloom; obscurity
growst (verb): old English - verb 'to grow'
so long: as long

POEM ANALYSIS

• • 
    

"If I can stop one heart from breaking"

 

“If I can stop one heart from breaking”

By: Emily Dickinson

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

Emily Dickinson

IF by Rudyard Kipling

 

IF

Bilingual version

Holidays by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Christmas poem

                            

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old, familiar carols play,

And wild and sweet

The words repeat

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

LET´S BE KIND (Poet: unknown)

 Let's Be Kind

Poet: Unknown

As we journey down the road,
Let us share each other's load,
Let's be kind.

We are comrades on the way,
Going whither none can say,
Long the night, but while it's day,
Let's be kind.

At its best the road is steep,
And a little cheer is cheap;
Pass it out, it helps a heap;
Let's be kind.

journey-  viajar       load- carga        comrades- camaradas      whither-adónde

steep- empinado     cheer- alegría     a heap- un montón

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN by Robert Frost

 

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN by  Robert Frost

VOCABULARY:

Undergrowth- maleza

Grassy- cubierto de hierba

Trodden_  (Verb: To tread- treaded/trod- trodden)-  pisar

Sigh- suspiro

Hence- (formal) de ahí....

Translation into Spanish

WHAT IS PINK?

 

What is Pink?

What is pink? A rose is pink
By the fountain’s brink. 
What is red? A poppy’s red
In its barley bed.

What is blue? The sky is blue
Where the clouds float through.
What is white? A swan is white
Sailing in the light.

What is yellow? Pears are yellow,
Rich and ripe and mellow.
What is green? The grass is green,
With small flowers between.

What is violet? Clouds are violet
In the summer twilight.
What is orange? Why, an orange,
Just an orange!

— Christina Rossetti

VOCABULARY 

 brink- borde-   barley- cebada-   swan- cisne-   ripe- maduro

mellow-suave-   twilight.crepúsculo

THERE IS NO FRIGATE LIKE A BOOK

 THERE IS NO FRIGATE LIKE A BOOK by Emily Dickinson

AUDIO

VOCABULARY:

"Courser": corcel (poetic word for "horse")

"Prancing": "To prance" - Brincar, dar saltos

"Frugal"  "inexpensive"

“Chariot” is a  mode of transportation (carro). 

"Toll": peaje, precio a pagar por un recorrido 

The poet writes only eight lines to express that reading is vital . Dickinson mainly compares reading to modes of transportation; 

-A page of poetry  is just like riding a horse. It can prance across the page and carry people to wider places. 

-The chariot in the poem is the chariot that holds, not just a person, as a chariot holds, but the person’s entire soul . It is the action of reading. 

Essentially, these three comparisons (the ones about the frigate, the chariot and the one about the horse) show that books are able to carry people to distant places just like boats, chariots and horses do but more in a mental rather than a physical way.

When people engage in reading they can be taken to distant places . "Without opress of toll" means without having to pay for travelling. In conclusion, if you like reading, you will have the privilege to visit distant places easily

------------------------------------------------

Matilda" is the story of an extraordinary girl who is brilliant. Unfortunately, though, Matilda has grown up with parents who do not give her any attention or love. But rather than feel hopeless she reads and reads, and ....

“The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She travelled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.”

c) Answer this question:

Can you see any connection between the quote (cita)  above and the message in Emily Dickinson´s poem? . Explain

CLAY JUG

 This Clay Jug, by Kabir

Inside this clay jug

There are canyons

And pine mountains

And the maker of canyons and pine mountains

All seven oceans are there and hundreds of millions of stars

The acid that tests gold is there

And the one who judges jewels

And the music from the strings no one touches

And the source of all water

If you want to know the truth, friend

I will tell you the truth

The god whom I love is inside

Listen to the poem

THE ROSE THAT GREW FROM CONCRETE

 

Tupac Shakur- The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong

It learned to walk with out having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.

Analysis (ai): This poem is a metaphor for resilience and determination. It compares the cracked concrete of an urban environment to the challenges faced by marginalized individuals. The rose represents hope and beauty emerging from adversity, defying limitations and societal expectations.

Like other works by Tupac Shakur, the poem explores themes of social injustice, poverty, and the power of personal agency. It reflects the harsh realities of life in marginalized communities during the 1990s, where violence and oppression were prevalent. However, the poem also offers a message of hope and resilience, encouraging individuals to persevere despite the challenges they face.