Now we will count to twelve and we will all keep still.
The poets tells us to count up to twelve and to remain calm and silent while we count twelve. There are twelve months in a year. There are twelve zodiac signs. A watch indicates twelve hours in a day. So the poet is telling person of every zodiac sign to remain calm throughout the day and throughout the year. Thus the request is to everybody to always remain calm. 1. Name the poem and the poet. Ans. The name of the poem is ‘Keeping Quiet’ and the name of the poet is Pablo Neruda 2. Why does the poet ask us to count to twelve? Ans. There are only twelve signs on the clock to measure hours. Therefore, the poet asks us to count till the clock measures these hours. 3.Why does the poet ask us to keep still? Ans. Too much activity and rush has only brought misfortunes to mankind. Hence the poet asks us to keep still only to avid these undesirable things.
For once on the face of the Earth let’s not speak in any language,
The poet says that only for one time and as an exception, let us not speak any language on this earth. The language creates differences. It does so through many ways. If we speak in different types of language, we are not able to understand each other. Second, if we speak in bad language, ill feeling is created. So the poet suggests that let us not speak any language for once. Thus, barriers created by language shall be overcome. Everybody will be a friend to each other. 1. “Let’s not speak in any language” says the poet. Why. Ans. According to the poet the language creates difference and leads mankind to reasoning, disputes and quarrels. So I order to ensure peace, the poet ask no to speak in any language. 2. What do you understand by ‘the face of the Earth’? Ans. ‘The face of the Earth’ refers to the various countries on the surface of the earth.
let’s stop for one second, and not move our arms so much.
Let us stop for some time. Let us not move our arms / hands to damage others and the earth. The destruction in the world is caused showing our strength over somebody or something. We destroy environment. We hurt our fellow beings. When we do not move our arms we start protecting environment and brotherhood is spread. 1. What should we not do for a second? Ans. We should stop all our activities for a second to save the earth and the environment that man has damaged and destroyed.
It would be an exotic moment without rush, without engines,
This will be an unusual and strange moment. Because we are not used to it. There will not be any hurry to do anything. The world will be without the noise of factory and vehicles. Poet says that we will be far away from the everyday running. We would have some time to think about ourselves. There will be lesser noise in the world. The pollution will be less and environment would become better. 1. What ill happen if there is no rush or running of engines? Ans. There will be peace all around if there is no rush or running of engines. 2. What sort of moment will it be? Ans. It would be a exotic moment.
we would all be together in a sudden strangeness.
We all will be living together. Nobody will be killing or harming another. This would be an unusual sudden change in the world. The belongingness to one another would be very strange to us. Because we have never felt attached to each other. Everyone would care for another one. Every human being will care another human being. They will also care about other living beings. This would be a welcome change for all of us. 1. How would all of us feel at that moment? Ans. All of us will enjoy the unusualness and sudden strangeness of that moment.
Fishermen in the cold sea would not harm whales
Fisherman would not unnecessarily kill whales in sea. Poet wants to say that nobody would kill any other living beings for pleasure or for material gains. There will be sense of satisfaction among population. 1. What do fishermen usually do in the cold sea? Ans. Fishermen usually catch fish in the cold sea. 2. What does the poet ask the fishermen not to do? Ans. The fishermen should not hurt or injure the whales in the sea.
and the man gathering salt would look at his hurt hands.
The man preparing the salt will become aware of wounds of his hands. The poet wants to say that destruction of environment is harmful to us. Presently we do not care about it. But now we shall understand that damage to environment is a damage to human beings also. The phrases ‘man gathering salt’ and ‘hurt hands’ have been symbolically used. 1. What has happened to the men gathering salt? Ans. The men gathering salt have injured their hands. 2. What should the men gathering salt should do? Ans. They must take care of their hurt hands.
Those who prepare green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire, victory with no survivors,
Some persons destroy the greenery of earth. Some activities pollute the atmosphere with hazardous gases. Some activities result into global warming. Now such activities will stop. Those people or countries who fight with each other will not do so. They will understand that by doing such activities survival of human kind is not possible.
“Green wars’ is used to indicate greenery of earth.
‘Wars with gas’ is used to indicated emission of polluting gases.
‘Wars with fire’ is used to indicate global warming.
‘Victory’ is used to indicate wars among countries or people.
1. What sort of wars are mentioned in the above lines?
Ans. Green wars, wars with gas, wars with fire, are mentioned in the above lines.
2. What kind of victory will it be?
Ans. It will be a victory where no survivors will be left to celebrate it.
would put on clean clothes and walk about with their brothers in the shade, doing nothing.
All people would stop doing activities that pollute environment and harm human beings. They will live like brothers. They will remain calm and do nothing.
‘Clean cloths’ represents clean environment.
‘In the shade’ means remaining calm
1. How should the lovers of wars behave?
Ans. They should put on clean clothes and walk with their brothers under the trees leisurely doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused with total inactivity. Life is what it is about; I want no truck with death.
The wishes of poet does not mean that we should stop doing everything. We should not become idle. But we should take from Mother Nature only to the extent we need. We should not exploit nature. Poet does not want people to die in wars.
The poet wants to say that because of our ambitions and selfish nature we have been destroying environment. We are taking from earth more than we need. We should protect the Mother Nature to the extent we can.
When there is war soldiers and civilians die. Poet wants to say that war causes death and destruction. We must avoid wars.
‘truck with death’ represents dead bodies of soldiers and civilians.
1. What does the poet want? What should it not be confused with?
Ans. The poet is advocating for silence or stillness. The poet says that this stillness should not be confused with death.
2. Explain: ‘I want no truck with death’.
Ns. Total inactivity brings death. The poet refuses to associate with death.
If we were not so single-minded about keeping our lives moving, and for once could do nothing,
If we stop thinking only about ourselves and our comfort, we can stop causing these damages.
Poet wants to say that all the destruction is caused because of our selfish interests. We are always thinking about our selfish interest. If we stop being selfish, many problems of this day can be solved.
1. What do people pursue single-mindedly? Which is the better course the poet suggests?
Ans. People pursue single-mindedly on keeping their lives moving. The poet suggests that it would be better if they give themselves rest for some time.
perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness of never understanding ourselves and of threatening ourselves with death.
Probably a long break from the present way of living can remove our sadness. Presently we are not able to understand ourselves. Our present ways are a threat to human beings.
The poet wants us to move away from our present style of living. Our fast paced life and our selfish attitude for comfort has made our life sad. We need to change our ways. That will take us from sadness to happiness. In our mad rush, we have failed to understand ourselves. It is threatening our own survival.
1. When can a huge silence do us good?
Ans. A huge silence can do us good when we are disappointed at not understanding ourselves or threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the Earth can teach us as when everything seems dead and later proves to be alive.
Probably earth can teach how to make this change. Even in the pieces of land where all the trees and crops have been cut, new trees and crops can be grown. Thus the earth again becomes green.
Poet wants to say that it is possible to change our ways. He quotes the example of earth. New saplings can be planted on a barren piece of land. And soon the piece of land becomes green. Same way we can also adopt new methods.
1. What can Earth teach us?
Ans. The Earth can teach us how to live on it?
2. What remains alive when everything seems dead?
Ans. Only the earth remains alive when everything seems dead.
Now I’ll count up to twelve and you keep quiet and I will go.
Now poet says that he will count up to twelve. We should remain calm. And he shall go. Poets thinks that we all have understood his message. So there is no need for him to repeat his thoughts. 1. Who is the poet of the above lines? What does he want us to do? Ans. The poet of the above lines is Pablo Neruda. He wants us to keep quiet count upto twelve.
Summary In the poem ‘Keeping Quiet the poet, Pablo Neruda, emphasizes on the need of quiet introspection for creating a feeling of mutual understanding among human beings. According to the poet, the man of modern world is busy in monetary gains sacrificing the feelings of affection, love and brotherhood. It has created an environment of gloom, bitterness, enmity and skepticism in the world. To regain the lost healthy and friendly environment, the poet wants the humanity to indulge itself in quiet introspection as it will provide us an opportunity to come across our ability and disabilities. Through this introspection we can put an end on all the differences, aggression and wars. Thus, man can have his activities positively channelized and try to change destructive actions into constructive ones. The poet wants us to learn from the earth. Apparently, the earth appears to be inactive and dead but it is not only alive but also a source of living for the creatures exiting on it. If the mankind bears the example of the earth and learns to execute its activities silently with a positive and constructive approach, all its worries leading it to gloom will be checked at once. Textual Questions 1. What will counting upto twelve and keeping still help us achieve? Answer: We shall be able to overcome the routine running and rush of every day. We shall remain calm. So there will be no violence. Peace and brotherhood will prevail. We will have time to introspect ourselves. We shall be able to protect our environment. 2. Do you think the poet advocates total inactivity and death? Answer: No, poet does not advocate total inactivity. Poet is requesting us to take from nature only to the extent it is required for our living. We must protect environment and foster brotherhood among ourselves. 3. What is the ‘sadness’ that the poet refers to in the poem? Answer: In our daily running and rush we are not understanding ourselves. In pursuit of our worldly comfort and selfishness we have forgotten that we are threatening our own existence. These are the two aspects of sadness poet is referring to. 4. What symbol from Nature does the poet invoke to say that there can be life under apparent stillness? Answer: The poet invokes symbol of earth to drive home his point. He says that even after the greenery is destroyed, plants again grow to protect the environment. Even after a crop is cut, earth continues to give us another crop.
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