Charles Kingsley
"O Mary, go and call the cattle home,
And call the cattle home,
And call the cattle home
Across the sands of Dee!"
The western wind was wild and dank with foam,
And all alone went she.
The western tide crept up along the sand,
And o’er and o'er the sand,
And round and round the sand,
As far as eye could see.
The rolling mist came down and hid the land
And never home came she.
"Oh! Is it weed, or fish, or floating hair,
A tress of golden hair,
A drowned maiden's hair
Above the nets at sea?
Was never salmon yet that shone so fair
Among the stakes of Dee?
They rowed her in across the rolling foam,
The cruel crawling foam,
The cruel hungry foam,
To her grave beside the sea:
But still the boatman hear her call the cattle home
Across the sands of Dee.
1. What was the weather like when Mary went to bring the cattle home?
When Mary went to bring the cattle home, the weather was very adverse, for example there were wild western wind, foam in the sea, mist in the air and above all a tide in the sea.
2. Look at some words, phrases and sentences that have been repeated several times. Explain why the poet has done that.
In the first stanza, the sentence, ‘and call the cattle home’ has been repeated to give us the idea that Mary was frequently told to bring the cattle home. In the second stanza, the words ‘o’er’ and ‘round’ have been repeated to make us visualize how the tide was coming on the ground slowly and slowly. In the fourth stanza the word ‘cruel’ has been repeated to express the destructive nature of the sea. The sentence, ‘Across the sands of Dee’ is used both in the first and last stanza to highlight the subject matter of the poem and to maintain the balance of rhythm.
3. How has the poet described the sea?
To describe the sea, the poet has personified it. He has used words like ‘cruel’, ‘crawling foam’, ‘hungry’ etc. to express the movement of the sea.
4. Narrate the story of Mary in your own words.
Mary was a girl who lived beside the sea. One day her parents told her to bring the cattle home, from the sands of Dee. Unfortunately, the weather was very adverse at that time. So, the sea tide came and took away Mary to the deep sea. Next day some local boatman saw something in the net. They thought it was sea weed, or salmon fish. But finally, they found that it was the trees of golden hair of a maiden. Thus, Mary faced a tragic death being drowned in the sea. Still the boatmen hear Mary calling the cattle home across the sands of Dee.
5. Suppose you were walking on the shore with a couple of your friends while Mary was drowning. Describe what you would have done.
Some of us who knew how to swim could rush to the sea to help her from drowning. Besides, we could shout, ‘help help’ to gather local people and boatmen to assist us. Finally, we could have saved her from drowning.
6. Why does the boatman still hear Mary call the cattle home?
The existence of Mary still persists in the subconscious mind of the boatmen. It was he who found the dead-body of Mary. He was used to hearing Mary call the cattle home every evening. I think this is why the boatmen can still hear her call the cattle home.
7. What is the setting of the poem "The Sands of Dee"?
The poem happens by the sea near a place called Dee. The area is very empty and wild. The wind is cold and strong, and there is mist. It feels like a lonely, scary place. This setting makes it seem like something sad could happen here.
8. How is Mary’s hair described in "The Sands of Dee"?
Mary’s hair is described as golden, and it is imagined to be floating in the sea, tangled in the nets. This golden hair makes her seem even more beautiful and innocent, and it contrasts with the tragedy of her death. The description of her hair being golden emphasizes how lovely she was, and it makes her loss even sadder. Her hair, which once shone brightly, now floats in the dark and cruel sea.
9. What happens to Mary’s body in "The Sands of Dee"?
Mary’s body is found later, after she drowns in the sea. She was brought in by the fishermen, but it was too late to save her. The cruel sea has taken her life, and her body is now a sad and final reminder of her tragic fate. This event is described with a sense of finality, as Mary is lost to the sea, and her body is returned only after her life has been claimed.
10. What does the rolling mist symbolize in "The Sands of Dee"?
The mist symbolizes mystery and the unknown. It hides what happened to Mary and makes her death even more tragic and unclear to all.
