POETRY

UNDER GROUND by James Reeves

In the deep kingdom under ground

There is no light and little sound
Down below the earth’s green floor
The rabbit and the mole explore.
The quarrying ants run to and fro
To make their populous empires grow.
Do they, as I pass overhead,
Stop in their work to hear my tread?
Some creatures sleep an do not toil,
Secure and warm beneath the soil
Sometimes a fork or spade intrudes
Upon their earthy solitudes,
Downward the branching tree-roots spread
Into the country of the dead.
Deep down, the buried rocks and stones
Are like the earth’s gigantic bones.
In the dark kingdom under ground
How many marvellous things are found!

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Dictation words

Kingdom, mole, quarrying, populous, overhead, tread, creatures, beneath, intrudes,

solitudes, gigantic, marvellous.

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Word-Meaning-Sentences

1) Under ground – another way of saying underground (below the surface of earth)
Sentence 1: There is an underground room in the old house.
Sentence 2: Recently, they laid an underground pipeline.

2) Mole – a small mammal that is nearly blind and digs passages beneath the ground and
lives there
Sentence 1: The mole burrowed a hole in the ground.
Sentence 2: The mole bored its way underground.

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3) Quarrying – here, digging into the ground
Sentence 1: In particular locations, mining and quarrying can be a major source of
employment.
Sentence 2: There are caves all over the place left over from people quarrying stones.

4) Populous – crowded
Sentence 1: China is the world’s most populous country.
Sentence 2: Hong Kong is one of the most populous areas in the world.

5) Tread – footsteps, walk in a specified way

Sentence 1: Careful, you don’t tread in that puddle.
Sentence 2: Be careful not to tread on the flowers.

6) Toil – to work hard

Sentence 1: If you want knowledge, you must toil for it.
Sentence 2: Linda has achieved her comfortable life only after years of hard toil.

7) Secure – safe
Sentence 1: It’s important to keep your documents secure.
Sentence 2: You have made me feel secure.
Sentence 3: I don’t feel secure when I am alone in the house.

8) Intrudes – disturbs; invading someone’s privacy

Sentence 1: Employers should not intrude into the private lives of their employees
Sentence 2: I don’t intend to intrude on your life.

9) Earthy – of the earth

Sentence 1: Michael has an earthy sense of humour; he likes rude jokes.
Sentence 2: The air is full of an earthy smell after the rain.

10) Solitude – state of being alone

Sentence 1: After months of solitude at the sea, it felt strange to be in company.
Sentence 2: He shut himself away to pray in solitude.

11) Gigantic – very big

Sentence 1: He has a gigantic appetite and eats gigantic meals.
Sentence 2: The cost of the operation has been gigantic.

12) Marvellous – amazing; fantastic

Sentence 1: He has done a marvellous job of decorating the room.
Sentence 2: This painting is a marvellous example of her work.
Sentence 3: I warmly congratulated him on the marvellous achievement.

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Short Summary

The poem ‘Under Ground’ was written by James Reeves. He was a British writer known
for his poetry, plays and contributions to children’s literature.

The poem is about the dark, quiet and busy world underground. It explores and beautifully
describes the busy lives of various animals that live below the ground.

Rabbits and moles dig burrows for themselves. Ants dig colonies together and let their
brood flourish in a kingdom of their own. While at it, they dislike noise and maintain complete
silence. The poet wonders if the ants pause their work when they hear him walking above
the ground.

Also, the poem speaks about hibernating animals spending the winter in a dormant state.
After finding a secure and warm spot, they do not work and remain motionless for most of
their stay below. However, they do get disturbed if a fork or spade, used by humans to dig,
hits them by mistake.

Then there are big rocks and stones deep below the surface. The poet calls them earth’s
gigantic bones because they render a tough layer deep under the surface. The poet has
intelligently used imagery and metaphors as poetic devices.

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Stanza-wise explanation

Stanza 1: ‘In the deep kingdom under ground............. the mole explore.’

Meaning- In this stanza, the poet introduces the reader to the marvellous world below the
surface. It does not have any light or sound because it is deep under the ground. This world,
below the ground, resembles a kingdom of animals and insects. It is equally busy, populated
and everyone has their work to do. For example, rabbits and moles* busily dig burrows
underground and explore their world in their way.

[* a mole is a small mammal, nearly blind and digs passages beneath the ground and lives
there.]
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Stanza 2: ‘The quarrying ants run.........their populous empires grow.’

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Meaning- Ants are very disciplined and hardworking. They work together for hours without
rest. They dig colonies below the ground and quickly grow in numbers. The poet refers to
their large numbers as ‘populous empires’. The above lines help the reader imagine busy ants
working together, digging tracks below the ground, and expanding their ‘empire’ in size and
numbers.

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Stanza 3: ‘Do they, as I pass overhead...... upon their earthy solitudes.’

Meaning- Ants prefer to remain busy and quiet. As a result, the poet wonders if the busy ants
below the ground would stop their work when they hear his footsteps from the ground. It is
because the silence-loving ants would consider the sound of the poet’s footsteps as
approaching danger. Hence, they might want to stop their work, stay silent and let the poet
walk away while ants remain unnoticed.

Also, the poet describes hibernating animals spending their winter in a dormant state. They
find a secure and warm spot deep below the ground and sleep all day, motionless. However,
these hibernating animals might be disturbed when a fork or a spade hits them while
someone digs the earth.

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Stanza 4: ‘Downward the branching....... country of the dead.’

Meaning- The poet says that the roots of the trees are ever spreading and branching deep
below the ground. It is a natural phenomenon noticed by the poet. Also, in some religions,
the dead people are buried in graves underground. Hence, the poet has used the metaphor
– ‘country of the dead’ to refer to the territory below the ground.

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Stanza 5: ‘Deep down, the buried rocks ........ gigantic bones.’

Meaning- Deep beneath the ground, enormous rocks and stones create a hard layer. This
layer provides stability to the earth like bones provide human body firmness and strength.
Hence, the poet has drawn a comparison between rocks and bones.

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Stanza 6: ‘In the dark kingdom.......... things are found.’

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Meaning- It is the concluding stanza. It conveys the poet’s sense of wonder about the
unexplored world beneath the ground. The poet finds life underground very fascinating and
believes that it is home to many marvellous things.

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Comprehension

Part A: Answer these questions:-

Q1.) Name some living creatures that are found underground.

Ans:-) Some of the creatures that live underground are given below:-
a) Rabbits
b) Moles
c) Ants
d) Ground Squirrels
e) Wolf Spiders

Q2.) ‘To make their populous empires grow.’

(a) What does the speaker mean by ‘populous empires’?
Ans:-) Populous means densely populated. The phrase ‘populous empires’ refers to the
collection of ants and their brood. They live and work together in the same colonies. The poet
calls the territory occupied by them their ‘empire’ because it’s well organized.

(b) Who is building the empires?

Ans:-) Ants are building these empires by living and working together.

Q3.) Who does the speaker think will stop their work? Why will they stop?
Ans:-) The poet wonders if the busy ants below the ground would stop their work when they
hear his footsteps from the ground. It is because the silence-loving ants would consider the
sound of the poet’s footsteps as approaching danger. Hence, they might want to stop their
work, stay silent and let the poet walk away while ants remain unnoticed.

Q4.) Whom do the fork and spade disturb? What have they been doing underground?
Ans:-)The fork and spade, if used to dig the ground, would disturb the hibernating creatures.
Hibernating animals spend their winter in a dormant state. They find a secure and warm spot
deep below the ground and sleep all day, motionless.

Q5.) Why does the speaker call the underground as ‘the country of the dead’?
Ans:-) In some religions, the dead people are buried in graves underground. Hence, the poet
has used the metaphor – ‘country of the dead’ to refer to the territory below the ground.

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Part B:- Think and Answer:-

Q1.) In the poem, the speaker describes the underground as a quiet yet busy place. Using
examples from the poem show how this contrast has been brought about.
Ans:-) The following two examples show the speaker drawing comparison between
underground being a quiet yet busy place:

1) As per the poem, there is no light or sound beneath the ground. It shows that it is a
quiet place. However, since rabbits and moles are always digging burrows to explore
the world below, it shows that it is a busy place.
2) Ants dig tracts in the ground and run to and fro. It shows that it is a busy place.
However, when the poet walks on the surface, he wonders if the ants below would
hear his footsteps and stop their work. It shows that it is a silent place indeed.

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Going Further

Imagine that there is a similar world under water. What colours would you associate with
that world? (To be completed by the student)

The colours and textures underwater are so beautiful that it’s hard to remember it’s a
picture and not a painting. I would mostly associate the colours ________, ________,
________, ________and__________ to the beautiful world underwater.

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The End

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