Time, You Old Gipsy Man -by Ralph Hodgson

Time, You Old Gypsy Man,

                                                                                                                  -by Ralph Hodgson. 

Answer these questions: 

Q1. Why do you think the poet calls time the ‘old gipsy man’?

Ans The poet calls time the old gipsy man’ because the gipsy man keeps on travelling in caravans Time also keeps on passing and does not stop anywhere.

Q2. What request does the poet make to time?

Ans. Poet requests time to stop his caravan for one day for him as a guest so that he could give him special gifts

Q3. What will happen if time becomes the poet’s guest?

Ans. If time becomes the poet’s guest, the poet will honour him with many things. He will give him bells of silver for his horse, the goldsmith will make a golden ring, peacocks shall bow with honour, little boys will sing and sweet girls will decorate him with flowers of the hawthorn tree.

Q4. The poet is not the only one who honours time. There are others also who honour it. Who are they? What will they gift to time?

Ans. Goldsmith will honour him with a golden ring, peacocks will bow with honour, little boys will sing and sweet girls will festoon him with many flowers.

Q5.Why do you think the poet calls time the ‘old gipsy man’?

Ans. The poet calls time the ‘old gipsy man’ because the gipsy man keeps on travelling in caravans.

Q6. What request does the poet make to time?

Ans: Time, you old gipsy man, Will you not stay, Put up your caravan Just for one day? All things I’ll give you, Will you be my guest? Bells for your jennet Of silver the best.

Theme: Time, You Old Gipsy Man” is written by Ralph Hodgson with reference to time. Here the poet has used metaphor by comparing Time to Old Gipsy Man. The poet says that time never stays just like Gipsys. He offers many things to stop time just for one day like bells of the best silver for his horse, a big golden ring etc.

Theme:

The central idea of Time ,You Old Gipsy Man of Ralph Hodson is that time waits for none. This poem has been written to make the readers realize the importance of time. A person can only be successful in life if he/she will value time. The substance of the poem Time You Old Gypsy Man relates to how time is always moving. This is compared to Gypsies who are nomadic and always moving.

Summary: The poet addresses Time as an old gipsy man. Gipsies never stay in one place- they are always moving from one place to another. Similarly, time waits for no one and keeps moving on. The poet asks Time if he will not stay and put up his caravan just for one day. Gipsies travel in caravans, and stop them temporarily at certain places to stay for a few days. The poet says he will give everything to Time if he becomes his guest and stays with him. He offers Time  the best gifts if he chooses to be the poet’s guest. Time can have all these pleasures and yet it refuses to stay. So, the poet once again asks Time, the old gipsy, why he hurries away.

Summary: In this poem, ‘Time, You Old Gipsy Man’, the poet Ralph Hodgson told about time. He said that time never stays. It always runs and runs. For this, he names the time “Old gipsy man”. To stop the time, he offered the time things such as belts for its jennet of the best silver, a big golden ring etc. He told time that peacocks will bow, little boys will sing songs, sweet girls will festoon the time with may. He requested the time to put up its caravan just for one day, but the time never stays.  It passes and passes. Nobody can stop its ever-busy frigate even for a second. We know how precious thing is time for us. If we don’t use it properly, it will run away and never come back. So, we need to use the time properly.