Who is the poet?

He was Robert Louis Stevenson who was born on 13 November 1850 and on 3
December 1894. He was a Scottish novelist and poet.

What is the main idea of the poem?

It shows that the weather in England causes some problems to the children. The sun
rises late in winter and sets late in summer. The poet wants to tell us that he can’t enjoy
the beauty of nature because of the weather conditions and he thinks it’s not unfair to
get up too early and go to bed early.

Paraphrase the first stanza.

The poet describes the weather in England. In winter the sun shines late so he gets up
early when it’s still dark. He also uses the candle light to get dressed.

What are the figures of speech in the second stanza?

Alliteration -> “Still – Street” to give music in the lines.
Personification -> The poet personifies the birds as if they were children jumping on one
leg.

Paraphrase the second stanza.

The poet has to go to bed early in summer while it’s still day light. He sees birds
jumping on one leg and hears the footsteps of people in the street.

Whose point of view is this? What does “I have to go” signify?

The poet. The sentence refers to that the poet has to go to bed early in summer not a
place to go.
Paraphrase the third stanza.
The poet complains about going to bed early in summer because the sky is still clear
and blue.

What is the importance of the rhetorical question in the last stanza?

The poet shows how unfair the life is by asking a question to the readers to grab their
attention to be sympathetic with the poet.

What is the rhyme scheme of the whole poem?

A-A-B-B-C-C-D-D-E-E-B-B