📘 BOSEM Class 6 English Chapter 1 – Cradle Song
If you are looking for BOSEM Class 6 English Chapter 1 Cradle Song notes and question answers, this page provides a clear summary, explanations, and improved answers for exam preparation.
Table of Contents
📖 About the Poet
Sarojini Naidu was a famous Indian poet, often called the “Nightingale of India.” She wrote many beautiful poems expressing emotions, love, patriotism, and nature. Cradle Song is one of her gentle and emotional poems.
📖 About the Poem
Cradle Song by Sarojini Naidu is a lullaby in which a mother sings lovingly to her child. She imagines a beautiful, magical dream world filled with natural beauty, such as groves of spices, rice fields, fairy neems, wild fireflies, golden light, and stars.
The poem expresses a mother’s deep affection and her desire to give her child peaceful and sweet dreams.
📝 Summary of Cradle Song
The poem describes a mother gently putting her child to sleep. She lovingly watches over the child and imagines a bright future for him. She hopes that when he grows up, he will become strong and courageous.
In the second stanza, the mother wishes that her child would grow up to be a brave soldier. She dreams of him wearing shining armour and riding proudly. However, her wish also shows her fear and concern, because soldiers must face danger.
In the final stanza, the mother softly sings to her child, promising to protect him while he sleeps. She expresses her endless love and care. The poem beautifully shows a mother’s affection and hopes for her child’s future.
📖 Explanation of the Poem – Cradle Song
The poem Cradle Song is divided into three stanzas, each consisting of six lines. It is a lullaby in which a mother lovingly sings to her child, preparing him for sleep by creating a beautiful, magical dream world.
🌸 Stanza – 1
In the first stanza, the mother prepares her child to have a lovely dream by describing beautiful natural scenes. She says that she has brought a “little lovely dream” filled with glittering dew from gardens of spice, fields of rice, and streams full of lotus flowers. These pleasant, colourful images create a peaceful, enchanting atmosphere. The mother uses nature to make the dream attractive and soothing for her child.
🌟 Stanza – 2
In the second stanza, the mother imagines an enchanted world where wild fireflies fly among the neem trees in the dark night. She says that she has stolen a lovely dream for her child from the poppybole, which has a sleep-inducing effect. The mention of poppybole symbolises sleep and calmness. Through these magical and dreamy images, the mother continues to create a soothing world that helps the child fall asleep peacefully.
🌙 Stanza – 3
In the last stanza, the child finally falls asleep. The mother gently bids him good night under the golden light of the shining stars around him. She softly presses him with loving care and wishes him sweet dreams. This stanza shows the deep affection, tenderness, and protective nature of the mother.
📝 Answer the following questions:
I. Who are the “I” and “You” in the poem?
Ans: “I” refers to the mother, and “You” refers to her child. The poem is written as a loving lullaby spoken by the mother to her baby.
II. Why is the dream described as “A little lovely dream”?
Ans: The dream is described as “a little lovely dream” because the mother wants her child to have a gentle, pleasant, and beautiful dream while sleeping peacefully. The word “little” shows tenderness, and “lovely” shows its sweetness and beauty.
III. What is the meaning of “fairy neem”?
Ans: “Fairy neem” refers to the magical and enchanting appearance of neem trees glowing in the night with wild fireflies. It creates an image of a dreamlike and fairy-tale atmosphere.
IV. What are the beautiful things that the poet names to make the dream lovely?
Ans: The poet names many beautiful things to make the dream lovely, such as groves of spice, fields of rice, lotus flowers, a stream, dew, wild fireflies, fairy neem trees, poppybole, golden light, stars, and soft touch. These natural images create a magical and peaceful dream world.
V. Describe how the poet builds up an enchanted world of dreams.
Ans: – The poet builds up an enchanted world of dreams in her poem by her magical description of a beautiful, imaginary scene with groves of spice, fields of rice, and a stream of lotus. Bright dew on the plants and trees, wild fireflies among the neem trees, and the poppy plants make it even more attractive. The glittering stars of the night again make it a complete dream world
✏️ 2. Explain what the poet means by:
From the poppybole
For you I stole
A little lovely dream.
Ans: The poet means that the mother has lovingly brought a beautiful dream for her child from the poppy flower. The poppy is known for its sleep-inducing quality, so it symbolises peaceful sleep and sweet dreams.
On you I press
With soft caress
A little lovely dream
Ans: These lines mean that the mother gently touches and caresses her child while wishing him a sweet dream. Her soft touch expresses deep love, affection, and care.
📖 Difficult Word Meanings – Cradle Song
Cradle
A small bed for a baby that can be gently rocked.
Lullaby
A soft and gentle song sung to make a child sleep.
Groves
Small groups of trees growing close together.
Spice
A fragrant plant used for flavouring food.
Fields of Rice
Large areas of land where rice is grown.
Stream
A small flowing river.
Lotus
A beautiful water flower that grows in ponds.
Glittering
Shining brightly with small flashes of light.
Dew
Small drops of water seen on grass and leaves in the morning.
Wild Fireflies
Small insects that glow with light at night.
Neem
A common Indian tree known for its medicinal value.
Fairy Neem
Neem trees glowing magically in the night like in a fairy tale.
Poppybole
A poppy flower which is known to bring sleep.
Stole
Took secretly.
Caress
A gentle and loving touch.
Golden Light
Soft yellow light that looks warm and beautiful.
Enchanted
Magical and full of charm.
🌟 Additional Important Questions
Q1. What is the central theme of the poem Cradle Song?
Ans: The central theme of the poem is motherly love and affection. It also highlights the beauty of nature and the magical world of dreams.
Q2. Why does the poet use natural images in the poem?
Ans: The poet uses natural imagery to create a peaceful, enchanting dream world for the child. These images make the poem more beautiful and vivid.
Q3. Why is the poem called a lullaby?
Ans: The poem is called a lullaby because it is a gentle song a mother sings to help her child fall asleep peacefully.
🔎 FAQ
Who wrote Cradle Song in Class 6 English?
Cradle Song was written by Sarojini Naidu.
What does “poppybole” symbolise?
It symbolises sleep and sweet dreams.
What is the main message of the poem?
The poem expresses a mother’s deep love and her desire to give her child peaceful dreams.