Mending Wall -By Robert Frost
Mending Wall
-By Robert Frost
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun;
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows? But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offense.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me,
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’
Bengali Translation:
মেনডিং ওয়াল
সেখানে আছে একটা কিছু, যা দেয়ালটাকে বাসে না ভালো
যা এনেছে বরফ, জমে নীচের জমিটা হয়েছে প্রসারিত
আর দেয়াল শীর্ষের শিলাখণ্ড থেকে বিচ্ছুরিত হচ্ছে রৌদ্রালোক,
তৈরি হয়েছে ফাটল দুজনে পাশাপাশি চলার মতন
এটা হয়ত কোনো শিকারি কিংবা অন্য কারো কাজ
এবার আমি এগিয়ে এলাম এটা করতে সংস্কার
যেখানের পাথর সেখানে রাখেনি ওরা
ওরা রেখেছে খরগোশের লুকানোর জায়গা
আর ফাকাটা তৈরি করেছে ঘেউ ঘেউ করা কুকুরের তরে
কেউ দেখেনি আর কেউ শুনেনি এ কর্মটা করতে
বসন্তকালে সংস্কারের কালে এটা নজরে আসে মোর
প্রতীক্ষায় ছিলাম মোর প্রতিবেশীর, বাস করে যে দূর পাহাড়ে;
একদিন দুজনে মিলিত হয়ে একমত হলাম
আবার তুললাম দেয়াল দুজনের মাঝে একদা যা তুলেছিলাম।
তুললাম দুজনের মাঝে বাধার দেয়াল,
তুলে দিলাম ফের পাথরগুলো সঠিক জায়গায়,
কিছুটা লাগালাম ঢেলাপিণ্ডের মতো কিছুটা শীর্ষদেশের মতো
কর্ম সমাপন করলাম মোরা মনোযোগসহ পালা করে
স্থির রইলে সেখানে তুমি, যতক্ষণ না মোরা পিছু ফিরলাম
অবিরত মোরা ঘষলাম আঙুল করতে এটা মসৃণ
এটা যেন এক ধরনের বহিরাঙ্গনের খেলা,
দেয়ালের অপর পাশের জন এপাশে খুব কমই আসে
দেয়ালের মোটেই প্রয়োজন ছিল না মোদের এই স্থানে
ওপাশে তার পাইনের বন আমার এ পাশে আপেল বাগিচা।
আমার আপেল গাছ দেয়াল পেরিয়ে যাবে না, ওপাশে।
আর খাবে না কখনো পাইন গাছের খোসা, বললাম তাকে
সে শুধু বলে সুন্দর বেড়া তৈরি করে সুন্দর প্রতিবেশী।
এটাই আমার জন্য হবে অমঙ্গলকর, অবাক আমি
যদি এ ধারণাটা স্থাপন করতে পারি তার মস্তিষ্কে
তাহলে কেমন করে সে তৈরি করবে সুন্দর প্রতিবেশী, তাই নয় কি?
সেখানে গরুর পাল কোথায়? এখানে সেখানে কোথাও নেই।
দেয়াল তৈরির আগে তাকে তো কিছুই বলিনি আমি
কেন আমি দেয়াল ভাঙি আর দেয়াল গড়ি
আর কাদের জন্য আমি বেছে নিয়েছিলাম সীমালঙ্ঘনের অপরাধ
দেয়ালটাকে না পছন্দ করার সেখানে কিছু তো আছে,
আমি চাতুর্যের সাথে বলি এটার পতন ঘটুক এটাই চাই,
আসলে এটা আমার মোটেই চাতুরি নয়
সে বলে এটা তার নিজেরই জন্য অথচ সেখানে দেখি
পাথর টুকরোগুলো একের পর এক সাজানো হয়েছে ওপরে।
প্রতিটি হাত যেন প্রস্তর যুগের আদিম হস্তযুগল।
মনে হল আমার, সে ঘুরছে অন্ধকারে
শুধু বনবীথিতেই নয়, বৃক্ষদের ছায়ার আড়ালেও।
তাঁর বাবার কথার বিরুদ্ধাচারন সে কখনো করবে না আর
এবং সে ভাবতে পসন্দ করে তাঁর চিন্তাগুলোকেই সবচেয়ে সেরা
সে আবার বলে ওঠে, উত্তম দেয়ালই গড়ে তোলে উত্তম প্রতিবেশী।
a) Answer the following questions. 2×5=10
i. What does “old stone savage” represent in the poem “Mending Wall”?
ii. What does “Elves” symbolize in “Mending Wall”?
iii. What does the phrase “Good fences make good neighbours” mean?
iv. What two forces, according to “Mending Wall’s” speaker, cause the stone wall’s deterioration?
v. What do the yelping dogs and rabbits symbolize in lines 8 and 9 of “Mending Wall”?
Answer:
(i) In “Mending Wall,” the “old stone savage” represents the neighbour’s out dated and rigid mind-set. The neighbour, described as primitive and stuck in his ways, clings to the belief that “good fences make good neighbours,” a tradition passed down from his father. Despite the speaker’s differing opinion, the neighbour, likened to an ancient, armed man, remains stubbornly attached to the practice of annually repairing the wall between their properties.
(ii) “Elves” in the poem “Mending Wall” figuratively represent the forces that work against the wall’s integrity.
(iii) The phrase “Good fences make good neighbours” means that establishing clear boundaries helps maintain peaceful and respectful relationships. In Robert Frost’s poem “Mending Wall,” the speaker questions the need for a wall, but the neighbour insists on its importance. The act of rebuilding the fence together actually strengthens their relationship. Practical examples include keeping livestock contained or preventing children and pets from straying onto neighbouring properties.
(iv) The two forces causing the stone wall’s deterioration in “Mending Wall” are natural causes and human activities. Natural forces, such as the frozen ground swelling and causing cracks, lead to stones falling off. Additionally, hunters disrupt the wall to flush out rabbits for their dogs. The speaker uses these observations to argue against the necessity of the wall, despite his neighbour’s belief that “good fences make good neighbours.”
(v) In “Mending Wall,” the yelping dogs and rabbits symbolize the forces of “neighbourliness.” The hunters and their dogs damage the wall while pursuing rabbits, showing disregard for the property and efforts of the farmers. The rabbits, in contrast, symbolize peaceful coexistence, as they do not harm the wall and live in harmony with the farmers.
Extra:
1.Why is spring considered mischievous in “Mending Wall”?
Answer: Spring is considered mischievous in “Mending Wall” because it reveals the gaps in the wall. The combination of winter erosion, melting snow, and growing plants causes the wall to deteriorate, necessitating annual repairs. The speaker finds this ritual unnecessary, but his neighbour believes maintaining the wall is important for their relationship, symbolizing the idea that “good fences make good neighbours.”
2. Interpretation of the poet’s assertion that “something does not love a wall” in “Mending Wall.”
Summary: The poet’s assertion that “something does not love a wall” in “Mending Wall” suggests a natural tendency against barriers and separation. It reflects the idea that nature and possibly human instinct resist artificial divisions, emphasizing the futility of maintaining boundaries that go against inherent forces seeking to break them down.
3.Does “Mending Wall” agree or disagree with the statement “We are the slaves of our customs?”
Answer: “Mending Wall” agrees with the statement “We are the slaves of our customs” as it highlights how people follow traditions without questioning their purpose. The speaker questions the need for the wall, noting it serves no practical purpose, yet his neighbour insists on repairing it because “good fences make good neighbours.” Additionally, the neighbour continues this practice simply because it was his father’s tradition.
4.What is the literal meaning of the line, “We have to use a spell to make them balance,” in “The Mending Wall”?
Answer: The literal meaning of this line is that it seems to require an unnatural amount of effort to get the stones to stay in place as part of the wall. Many are shaped like rounded “loaves” or even “balls,” making it quite difficult to stack them atop one another, as though nature does not want them to be stacked. The metaphor of the unnatural magic “spell” contrasts with the natural shape of the rocks, suggesting that nature is anti-wall.
5. In “Mending Wall,” how does Robert Frost portray the hunters?
Answer: In “Mending Wall,” Robert Frost portrays hunters as careless and cruel. They destroy the wall in their pursuit of prey, indifferent to the speaker’s hard work in maintaining it. The speaker notes that the hunters “would have the rabbit out of hiding,/To please the yelping dogs,” highlighting their disregard for the wall and suggesting they represent humanity’s destructive tendencies.
6.What other types of darkness is the poem “Mending Wall” referring to?
Answer: In “Mending Wall,” the poem refers to the darkness of maintaining out dated traditions and emotional-psychological darkness. The narrator questions the necessity of the wall, representing the darkness of clinging to irrelevant customs. Additionally, the neighbour’s insistence on the wall symbolizes a primitive, emotional distance, indicating a refusal to connect with others.
7.In “Mending Wall,” does the wall between the farms serve a practical purpose?
Answer: In “Mending Wall,” the wall between the farms does not serve a practical purpose in the traditional sense, as neither farmer has livestock to contain. However, it provides a reason for the neighbours to interact annually when they repair it, fulfilling the neighbour’s belief that “good fences make good neighbours.” Thus, the wall serves a relational and emotional purpose rather than a practical one.
8.The symbolic and literal significance of the wall in “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost
Summary: The wall in “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost symbolizes both physical and emotional barriers between people. Literally, it represents the boundary that divides the properties of the speaker and his neighbour. Symbolically, it highlights the human tendency to create divisions and the paradox of maintaining relationships through separation.
9. Causes and nature of wall damage in “Mending Wall”
Summary: The wall in “Mending Wall” is damaged by natural forces and human activities. Nature’s causes include the ground swelling and freezing, creating gaps, while hunters also contribute by dismantling parts of the wall to find game. These repeated damages necessitate the annual ritual of mending the wall, symbolizing the on-going effort to maintain boundaries.
10. How is the activity of mending the wall described by the narrator?
Answer: In “Mending Wall,” the speaker describes the activity of mending the wall as being a sort of “out-door game” which he plays with his neighbour. The speaker doubts the importance of maintaining the wall, but his neighbour resolutely feels that it is necessary.
11. Do the speaker’s actions in Mending Wall match his words? Why or why not?
Answer: No, the speaker’s actions do not match his words. In “Mending Wall,” he helps his neighbour repair the wall despite inwardly questioning its necessity. The speaker humorously contemplates the pointlessness of the wall, given their different crops, but never voices these thoughts to his neighbor. This contrast highlights his internal conflict and difficulty in communicating his true feelings.