Wind Poem Stanza Wise Line by Line Explanation Class 9 English

Poem “Wind” by Subramania Bharti with stanza wise and line by line explanation. The poem “Wind” is a part of Class 9 CBSE syllabus. The poem is published in the textbook ‘Beehive’ of class 9 English. Click here for more on Class 9 English study materials.

Poem: Wind

Wind, come softly.
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.
There, look what you did — you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
crumbling hearts —
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.
He won’t do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.
Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.
The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.

An Overview of the Poem “Wind”

The poem “Wind” explores the dual power and impact of the wind while conveying deeper meanings and connotations. Wind can be foe in destructive way as well as can be constructive as a friend. Let’s analyse the poem stanza by stanza:

The poet pleads with the wind not to damage the shutters of the windows, scatter papers, topple books from the shelf, or tear the pages of the books. In doing so, the wind mocks the feeble things, ridiculing frail and deteriorating houses, doors, forests, and hearts. Furthermore, it shatters them all, as the wind god sifts and crushes them.

The poet extracts a valuable lesson from the power of the wind. He asserts that the wind will not bring harm to sturdy homes, doors, or bodies. This implies that if we possess strength, even formidable adversaries cannot harm us. The wind extinguishes feeble fires, while causing robust fires to roar. Thus, its friendship proves beneficial if we are strong in foundations by body and mind.

Line by Line Explanation

Wind, come softly.

Wind, come softly – The poet is addressing the wind, requesting it to come gently.

Literary Explanation: The poet is personifying the wind, treating it as a living entity. By asking the wind to come softly, the poet is expressing a desire for a calm and peaceful breeze, without any destructive force.

Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.

Don’t break the shutters of the windows – The poet is urging the wind not to damage the shutters of the windows.

Don’t scatter the papers – The poet is requesting the wind not to scatter loose papers.

Don’t throw down the books on the shelf – The poet is asking the wind not to topple the books placed on the shelf.

Literary Explanation: Here, the poet emphasizes the fragility of man-made objects like shutters, papers, and books. The wind is portrayed as a powerful force that can easily disrupt and destroy these delicate things. The poet’s plea reflects a desire for preservation and protection against the destructive nature of the wind.

There, look what you did — you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.

• There, look what you did — you threw them all down – The poet is expressing disappointment as the wind has thrown down the objects mentioned earlier.
• You tore the pages of the books – The poet accuses the wind of tearing the pages of the books.
• You brought rain again – The poet attributes the arrival of rain to the wind.
• You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings – The poet suggests that the wind enjoys mocking and tormenting those who are vulnerable.

Literary Explanation: In this stanza, the poet continues to highlight the destructive power of the wind. The wind is portrayed as a mischievous entity that takes pleasure in causing chaos and discomfort. The use of the term “weaklings” implies that the wind targets and ridicules those who are already vulnerable or in a weakened state.

Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
crumbling hearts —

• Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters, – The poet describes various elements of decay and deterioration, such as weak houses, doors, and rafters.
• Crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives, – The poet extends the imagery of decay to include wood, bodies, and lives.
• Crumbling hearts — The poet adds “hearts” to the list of things that are falling apart.

Literary Explanation: The poet uses a series of vivid metaphors to depict various forms of decline and vulnerability. The imagery of crumbling houses, doors, and rafters symbolizes physical structures on the verge of collapse. By including “wood,” “bodies,” and “lives,” the poet expands the scope of decay to encompass human existence. The mention of “crumbling hearts” suggests emotional vulnerability and the fragility of relationships.

the wind god winnows and crushes them all.
He won’t do what you tell him.

• The wind god winnows and crushes them all. – The poet states that the wind god sifts and crushes all the crumbling elements mentioned earlier.
• He won’t do what you tell him. – The poet asserts that the wind god does not obey commands.

Literary Explanation: In this stanza, the poet presents the wind as a divine force, referring to it as a god. The wind god is depicted as an unstoppable and indifferent power that brings destruction. The statement that the wind god does not follow orders implies that humans have no control over the wind’s actions.

So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.

• So, come, let’s build strong homes, – The poet suggests constructing sturdy houses.
• Let’s join the doors firmly. – The poet advises to secure the doors firmly.
• Practise to firm the body. – The poet encourages strengthening one’s physical body.
• Make the heart steadfast. – The poet advises cultivating a strong and resilient heart.

Literary Explanation: In this stanza, the poet proposes a solution to counter the destructive force of the wind. The poet suggests building strong physical structures and fortifying one’s body and heart. By emphasizing the importance of resilience and strength, the poet implies that by preparing ourselves, we can withstand the challenges posed by the wind and other adversities.

Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.
The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.

• Do this, and the wind will be friends with us. – The poet suggests that by following the aforementioned advice, we can befriend the wind.
• The wind blows out weak fires. – The poet states that the wind extinguishes feeble fires.
• He makes strong fires roar and flourish. – The poet suggests that the wind intensifies and enlivens strong fires.
• His friendship is good. – The poet expresses appreciation for the friendship of the wind.
• His friendship is good. – The poet expresses appreciation for the friendship of the wind.

Literary Explanation: The poet concludes the poem by highlighting the contrasting effects of the wind. Weak fires symbolize feeble or vulnerable elements, while strong fires represent robust and vigorous aspects. The wind’s ability to extinguish weak fires and enhance strong ones underscores its power to distinguish between the weak and the strong. By praising the wind’s friendship, the poet acknowledges its role in testing and strengthening individuals and objects.

Stanza Wise Explanation

Stanza 1

Wind, come softly.
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.
There, look what you did — you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.

The speaker addresses the wind, requesting it to come softly without causing any damage. They ask the wind not to break the shutters of the windows, scatter the papers, or throw down the books on the shelf. The speaker expresses surprise and disappointment because the wind did exactly what they asked it not to do. It threw down the books and tore their pages, and it also brought rain.

Literary meaning: In this stanza, the wind symbolizes a force of nature that is unpredictable and uncontrollable. The speaker personifies the wind, attributing human-like qualities to it. The wind’s actions of breaking shutters, scattering papers, and tearing book pages reflect its disruptive and destructive nature. The wind is depicted as mischievous, enjoying making fun of weaker things.

Stanza 2

Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
crumbling hearts —
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.

The poet describes the wind’s impact on various things. The wind god causes houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives, and hearts to crumble. The wind sifts and crushes everything, disregarding any commands given to it.

In this stanza, the wind is depicted as a powerful deity who possesses the ability to destroy and break apart various elements. The poet emphasizes the wind’s relentless nature by using the imagery of crumbling houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives, and hearts. These images symbolize vulnerability, decay, fragility and the transitory nature of existence in the face of wind’s power. The wind’s indifference to commands represents its uncontrollable and unpredictable nature. The wind is portrayed as a relentless force that crushes everything in its path.

Stanza 3

He won’t do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.
Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.

The speaker acknowledges that the wind does not obey commands or follow instructions. Instead of trying to control the wind, the speaker suggests building strong homes and firmly joining the doors. They encourage practicing physical strength and making the heart steadfast or strong. By doing these things, the speaker believes that the wind will become friendly and less destructive.

Literary meaning: In this stanza, the speaker recognizes the futility of trying to control or command the wind. Instead, they propose a different approach, focusing on building resilience and strength. The act of building strong homes and firmly joining doors symbolizes creating a solid foundation and structure to withstand the wind’s force. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of personal strength and resilience by practicing physical exercises and strengthening the heart metaphorically. The wind represents challenges and adversity in life, and by developing inner strength, one can overcome those challenges and befriend the wind.

Stanza 4

The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.

The speaker states that the wind extinguishes weak fires but makes strong fires roar and flourish. They describe the wind’s friendship as beneficial and deserving of praise every day.

Literary meaning: In this stanza, the speaker highlights the contrasting effects of the wind. Weak fires represent feeble or fragile things that the wind can easily extinguish. On the other hand, strong fires symbolize resilient and powerful elements that the wind cannot overpower but instead enhances. The wind’s friendship is portrayed as valuable because it helps strengthen and invigorate what is already strong. The speaker suggests that acknowledging and appreciating the wind’s power and influence is important.