Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 40

Living in the Environment Canadian 3rd

Edition Miller Test Bank


Go to download the full and correct content document:
https://testbankfan.com/product/living-in-the-environment-canadian-3rd-edition-miller-t
est-bank/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Living in the Environment Canadian 4th Edition Miller


Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/living-in-the-environment-
canadian-4th-edition-miller-test-bank/

Living in the Environment 17th Edition Miller Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/living-in-the-environment-17th-
edition-miller-test-bank/

Living in the Environment 18th Edition Miller Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/living-in-the-environment-18th-
edition-miller-test-bank/

Living in the Environment 17th Edition Miller Solutions


Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/living-in-the-environment-17th-
edition-miller-solutions-manual/
Living in the Environment 19th Edition Miller Solutions
Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/living-in-the-environment-19th-
edition-miller-solutions-manual/

Living in the Environment 18th Edition Miller Solutions


Manual

https://testbankfan.com/product/living-in-the-environment-18th-
edition-miller-solutions-manual/

Environment The Science Behind The Stories Canadian 3rd


Edition Whitgott Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/environment-the-science-behind-
the-stories-canadian-3rd-edition-whitgott-test-bank/

Economics Canada in the Global Environment Canadian 8th


Edition Parkin Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-canada-in-the-global-
environment-canadian-8th-edition-parkin-test-bank/

Economics Canada in the Global Environment Canadian 9th


Edition Parkin Test Bank

https://testbankfan.com/product/economics-canada-in-the-global-
environment-canadian-9th-edition-parkin-test-bank/
CHAPTER 7-AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. What is required for a coral reef to thrive?


a. cold water
b. dissolved oxygen and nutrients
c. cloudy water
d. salinity that fluctuates with the tides
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 139 | 145-146
BLM: Remember

2. What threatens the survival of coral reefs?


a. predation by sharks
b. daily fluctuation in tides
c. deep-sea fisheries
d. eroded soil from deforestation and poor land management
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 139 | 145-146
BLM: Higher Order

3. What is the most likely classification for a new species of algae found floating on the surface of a
coastal zone?
a. zooplankton
b. benthos
c. nekton
d. phytoplankton
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 141
TOP: 7-1-AQUATIC ENVIRONMENTS BLM: Higher Order

4. What is the most likely classification for a bacteria sample obtained from the mud at the bottom of the
abyssal zone?
a. benthos
b. a decomposer
c. zooplankton
d. nekton
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 141 | 148 BLM: Higher Order

5. What is the most likely classification for a swordfish caught from a deep-sea fishing boat?
a. zooplankton
b. phytoplankton
c. benthos
d. nekton
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 141 BLM: Higher Order

6. What is a disadvantage for populations of organisms living in water?


a. less exposure to UV radiation
b. exposure to dissolved pollutants
c. physical support from water buoyancy
d. fairly constant temperature
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 141, Fig 7-53
BLM: Remember

7. What is an advantage for populations of organisms living in water?


a. less fluctuations in temperatures
b. fewer predators
c. fluctuating population sizes
d. physical support from water buoyancy
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 131, Fig 7-3 BLM: Remember

8. What best describes most food chains and webs in aquatic life zones when compared to those in
terrestrial biomes?
a. they are simpler and longer
b. they are more complex and longer
c. they are simpler and shorter
d. they are more complex and shorter
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 141 BLM: Remember

9. What is characteristic of the euphotic zone?


a. low levels of phosphate and nitrates
b. high levels of dissolved oxygen (O2)
c. high levels of carbon dioxide (CO2)
d. a low amount of sunlight
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 142 BLM: Higher Order

10. What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by oceans?


a. about 50%
b. about 60%
c. about 70%
d. about 80%
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 142
TOP: 7-2-SALTWATER LIFE ZONES BLM: Remember

11. What is considered an ecological service of the marine ecosystem?


a. offshore oil
b. harbours
c. recreation
d. nutrient cycling
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 142, Fig 7-5 BLM: Remember

12. What is considered an economic service of the marine ecosystem?


a. nursery areas for marine species
b. nutrient cycling
c. recreation
d. CO2 absorption
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 142, Fig 7-5 BLM: Remember

13. Which term refers to the ocean zone that extends from the shoreline to the edge of the continental
shelf?
a. abyssal zone
b. benthic zone
c. coastal zone
d. littoral zone
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 143 BLM: Remember

14. In which aquatic zone are ecosystems with the world’s highest net primary productivities per unit area
found?
a. the benthic zone
b. the bathyal zone
c. the abyssal zone
d. the coastal zone
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 143 BLM: Remember

15. Which characteristics do estuaries exhibit?


a. constant temperature and variable salinity
b. constant temperature and salinity
c. variable temperature and salinity
d. variable temperature and constant salinity
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 144 BLM: Remember

16. Which statement does NOT explain why coastal wetlands are important?
a. They filter out waterborne pollutants from swimming and wildlife areas.
b. They reduce storm damage from large waves.
c. They provide coral for limestone production and the tourist trade.
d. They provide spawning and nursery grounds for marine fish and shellfish.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 144 BLM: Remember

17. Which trees are characteristic of a tropical coastal wetland?


a. cypress trees
b. coconut trees
c. mangrove trees
d. pine trees
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 144 BLM: Remember

18. Which ecosystem is most likely to be found in a temperate coastal wetland?


a. a fen
b. a salt marsh
c. a bog
d. a mangrove swamp
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 144 | 153-154
BLM: Higher Order

19. What is one function of a mangrove swamp?


a. It provides sites for shrimp production.
b. It provides sites for coral reefs to develop.
c. It collects salt for salt mining.
d. It traps sediments.
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 144 BLM: Higher Order
20. Which characteristic would a marine organism that lives in the intertidal zone on a barrier beach
possess?
a. intolerant to changes in salinity
b. tolerance to changes in acidity
c. intolerant to changes in temperature
d. tolerance to being exposed to air
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 144-145 BLM: Higher Order

21. Which characteristic would a marine organism that lives in the intertidal zone on a steep rocky shore
possess?
a. intolerant to changes in temperature
b. tolerance to being exposed to air
c. intolerant to changes in salinity
d. tolerance to changes in acidity
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 144-145 BLM: Higher Order

22. Which marine ecosystem is the equivalent to a tropical rain forest ecosystem in terms of biodiversity?
a. the abyssal zone
b. the bathyal zone
c. a coral reef
d. an estuary
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 139 | 144-146
BLM: Higher Order

23. What percentage of the world’s coral reefs do marine biologists estimate has been destroyed by human
activities?
a. about 5%
b. about 10%
c. about 15%
d. about 20%
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 148, Fig 7-12
BLM: Remember

24. What is the deepest part of the ocean?


a. the intertidal zone
b. the abyssal zone
c. the euphotic zone
d. the estuary zone
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 148 BLM: Remember

25. In which zone does most of the photosynthesis in the open sea occur?
a. in the coastal zone
b. in the bathyal zone
c. in the abyssal zone
d. in the euphotic zone
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 148 BLM: Remember

26. In what zone are hydrothermal vents with chemosynthetic-based communities found?
a. in the euphotic zone
b. in the abyssal zone
c. in the coastal zone
d. in the estuary zone
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 148 BLM: Remember

27. Which zone is the dimly lit (twilight) zone of the sea?
a. the bathyal zone
b. the coastal zone
c. the abyssal zone
d. the euphotic zone
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 148 BLM: Remember

28. What percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by fresh water?


a. about 1%
b. about 5%
c. about 10%
d. about 15%
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 149
TOP: 7-3-FRESHWATER LIFE ZONES BLM: Remember

29. What is considered an ecological service of freshwater systems?


a. recreation
b. hydroelectricity
c. nutrient cycling
d. irrigation
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 149, Fig 7-13
BLM: Remember

30. What is considered an economic service of freshwater systems?


a. nutrient cycling
b. habitat for aquatic species
c. groundwater recharge
d. drinking water
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 149, Fig 7-13
BLM: Remember

31. In which lake zone are large numbers of decomposers found?


a. the littoral zone
b. the limnetic zone
c. the benthic zone
d. the profundal zone
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 149 BLM: Remember

32. Which lake zone includes the nutrient-rich water near the shore?
a. the benthic zone
b. the littoral zone
c. the limnetic zone
d. the profundal zone
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 149 BLM: Remember
33. Which lake zone refers to the open-water surface layer?
a. the benthic zone
b. the profundal zone
c. the littoral zone
d. the limnetic zone
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 149 BLM: Remember

34. In which lake zone are fish that are adapted to cool, dark water found?
a. the benthic zone
b. the littoral zone
c. the limnetic zone
d. the profundal zone
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 149 BLM: Remember

35. Which term refers to lakes that have few minerals and low productivity?
a. eutrophic
b. mesotrophic
c. autotrophic
d. oligotrophic
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 151 BLM: Remember

36. What is a characteristic of an oligotrophic lake?


a. It has low net primary productivity.
b. It has murky brown or green water.
c. It has a dense fish population.
d. It has an abundance of phytoplankton.
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 151 BLM: Remember

37. During which season is a temperate lake most likely to show thermal stratification and restriction on
mixing of surface and deeper waters?
a. in the summer
b. in the winter
c. in the fall
d. in the spring
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 150-151, Fig 7-15
BLM: Remember

38. During which season would an ecologist expect a temperate lake to demonstrate overturns?
a. in the spring and summer
b. in the spring and fall
c. in the fall and winter
d. in the fall and summer
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 150 BLM: Remember

39. During which season would an ecologist expect to find a thermocline in a temperate lake?
a. in the fall
b. in the summer
c. in the spring and summer
d. in the spring
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 150 BLM: Remember

40. What is the result of a lake overturn?


a. It brings oxygen to the surface and nutrients to the lake bottom.
b. It brings oxygen and nutrients to the lake bottom.
c. It brings oxygen to the lake bottom and nutrients to the surface.
d. It brings oxygen and nutrients to the surface.
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 150 BLM: Higher Order

41. What percentage of the world’s freshwater supply is located in Canada?


a. about 20%
b. about 25%
c. about 30%
d. about 35%
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 149 BLM: Remember

42. In which river zone are plants that are adapted to attach to rocks mostly found?
a. in the source zone
b. in the transition zone
c. in the limetic zone
d. in the floodplain zone
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 152-153 BLM: Remember

43. In which river zone would an ecologist look for a deep meandering stream?
a. in the floodplain zone
b. in the benthic zone
c. in the source zone
d. in the transition zone
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 152-153 BLM: Remember

44. What is responsible for the formation of prairie potholes?


a. meteor impacts
b. earthquakes
c. retreating glaciers
d. volcanic craters
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 154 BLM: Remember

45. In which areas of Canada are freshwater inland wetlands at greatest risk of being lost due to
human-related activities?
a. the boreal forest
b. the rocky mountains
c. the prairies
d. the high arctic
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 154, Fig 7-19
BLM: Higher Order

46. Which of the following is NOT a type of inland freshwater wetland?


a. a marsh
b. an estuary
c. a bog
d. a fen
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 153-154 BLM: Remember

47. What is a characteristic of the floodplain zone of a river?


a. it interacts with the saltwater aquatic zone
b. it is a poor place to fish
c. it has clear, cold water
d. it has low net primary production
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 152-153 BLM: Remember

48. What would be a result of building a dam in the transition zone of a river?
a. increased amount of sediment reaching the floodplain zone
b. decreased amount of water in the watershed
c. decreased water flow downstream
d. increased amount of water in the source zone
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 154 BLM: Higher Order

TRUE/FALSE

1. Biomes are affected by ocean currents and water flow.

ANS: T PTS: 1

2. The two types of aquatic life zones on the Earth are freshwater life zones and coastal life zones.

ANS: F PTS: 1

3. The euphotic zone is that region of the ocean just below the limit of light absorption.

ANS: F PTS: 1

4. Phytoplankton flourish most abundantly in the bathyal zone on the ocean.

ANS: F PTS: 1

5. An estuary is important because it is a partially enclosed area where seawater mixes with freshwater
and nutrients from rivers, streams, and runoff from land.

ANS: T PTS: 1

6. Coral bleaching occurs when corals become stressed and expel their zooxanthellae.

ANS: T PTS: 1

7. A cause of coral bleaching is increased water temperature.

ANS: T PTS: 1

8. Sea stars, anemones, hermit crabs, and periwinkles all can be found in the rocky shore zone.
ANS: T PTS: 1

9. The euphotic zone would include such animals as sharks and zooplankton.

ANS: T PTS: 1

10. Coral reefs are sensitive biological indicators of environmental conditions.

ANS: T PTS: 1

11. The aquatic equivalent of terrestrial biomes are called aquatic life zones.

ANS: T PTS: 1

12. A major group of marine organisms that live on the bottom of the ocean are called nekton.

ANS: F PTS: 1

13. Organisms that live in the oceanic zone between 200–1000 metres in depth live in the mesopelagic
zone.

ANS: T PTS: 1

14. One of the ecological services that marine ecosystems provide is nutrient cycling.

ANS: T PTS: 1

15. A highly productive zone in a coastal zone is an estuary.

ANS: T PTS: 1

16. The area of shoreline between the low and high tides is called the intertidal zone.

ANS: F PTS: 1

17. Food chains and webs in aquatic systems are usually simpler and shorter than those in terrestrial
biomes.

ANS: F PTS: 1

COMPLETION

1. Wetlands that are dominated by sphagnum moss are referred to as ____________________.

ANS: bogs

PTS: 1

2. ____________________________ have a low supply of nutrients.

ANS: Oligotrophic lakes

PTS: 1
3. The ____________________________ extends from the high-tide mark to the edge of the continental
shelf.

ANS: coastal zone

PTS: 1

4. The ______________________________ are highly productive marshes located in western Canada.

ANS: prairie potholes

PTS: 1

5. Precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evaporate is _________________________.

ANS: surface water

PTS: 1

6. Classification of the vertical zones of the open sea (euphotic, bathyal, and abyssal) is based primarily
on ___________________________________.

ANS: penetration of sunlight

PTS: 1

7. The land area that provides runoff, sediments, and dissolved substances via small streams to a major
stream or river is known as a ___________________________________.

ANS: watershed

PTS: 1

8. Toxic ____________________ will first affect the limnetic zone of a lake.

ANS: runoff

PTS: 1

9. ______________________________ is determined by environmental factors, including temperature,


sunlight, dissolved oxygen, and available nutrients.

ANS: Aquatic biodiversity

PTS: 1

10. The area of shoreline between low and high tides is called the ____________________ zone.

ANS: intertidal

PTS: 1

11. You would find crabs and periwinkles in the ____________________ zone.
ANS: intertidal

PTS: 1

12. Coral reefs involve a __________________________ relationship between the coral polyps and
zooxanthellae that live in the tissues of the polyps.

ANS:
mutually beneficial
mutualistic
symbiotic

PTS: 1

13. Currently, about _________________________ of the world’s population live along coasts or within
100 kilometres of a coast.

ANS:
40%
40 percent
forty percent

PTS: 1

14. About _________________________ of the world’s beaches are eroding because of coastline
development and rising sea levels.

ANS:
10%
10 percent
ten percent

PTS: 1

15. The top layer of a lake near the shoreline is called the ____________________ zone.

ANS: littoral

PTS: 1

16. The bottom layer of a lake is called the ____________________ zone.

ANS: benthic

PTS: 1

17. In the summer in many temperate lakes, the ________________________ separates the epilimnion
from the hypolimnion.

ANS: thermocline

PTS: 1
SHORT ANSWER

NARRATIVE ZONES

1. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone in which most organisms are blind or have poor
eyesight?

ANS:
E

PTS: 1

2. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone that contains the majority of all marine species?

ANS:
A

PTS: 1

3. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the photic or epipelagic?


ANS:
C

PTS: 1

4. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the first zone where there isn’t enough sunlight penetrating
to allow photosynthesis to occur?

ANS:
D

PTS: 1

5. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone that is dominated by the process of
decomposition?

ANS:
E

PTS: 1

NARRATIVE LIGHT

6. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone close to shore in which light penetrates all the way
to the bottom of the waterbody?

ANS:
D

PTS: 1

7. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone primarily inhabited by invertebrates such as
decomposers that can live in low oxygen?

ANS:
C
PTS: 1

8. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone of open water where photosynthesis can occur?

ANS:
A

PTS: 1

9. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone that is usually cold and barely penetrated by
sunlight?

ANS:
B

PTS: 1

NARRATIVE LAND ZONES

10. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone containing wider, lower elevation streams?

ANS:
B

PTS: 1

11. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone containing rivers that have the largest population
of primary producers?

ANS:
C

PTS: 1
12. Which letter in the diagram corresponds to the zone containing headwater streams?

ANS:
A

PTS: 1

13. What are some limiting factors of the surface layer of the open sea?

ANS:
nitrates, phosphates, iron, and other nutrients are often in short supply and limit net primary
productivity

PTS: 1

14. Ecologically speaking, why should people care about the oceans?

ANS:
because oceans help moderate the climate; they assist with nutrient cycling and carbon dioxide
absorption; they facilitate biodiversity and provide natural resources, are habitats and nursery areas for
terrestrial and marine species.

PTS: 2

15. Identify two ecological and/or economic services that are provided by estuaries, coastal wetlands, and
mangrove swamps.

ANS:
These systems filter toxic pollutants, excess plant nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants. They
reduce storm damage by absorbing waves and storing excess water produced by storms. They provide
food, habitats, and nursery sites for a wide variety of aquatic species.

PTS: 2

16. Name the three major types of plankton. Which of these is responsible for the majority of the primary
productivity near the ocean surface?

ANS:
Phytoplankton, zooplankton, ultraplankton. Ultraplankton is responsible for the majority of the
primary productivity near the ocean surface.

PTS: 4

17. What is the difference between an eutrophic lake and an oligotrophic lake?

ANS:
An eutrophic lake is a lake with a large or excessive supply of plant nutrients, whereas an oligotrophic
lake is one with a low supply of plant nutrients.

PTS: 2

18. In temperate lakes, there is thermal stratification and spring and fall turnovers. What is the importance
of the spring and fall turnovers to aquatic organisms living in these temperate lakes?
ANS:
The spring and fall turnovers cause a mixing of nutrients and oxygen throughout the entire lake that
were otherwise separated by the thermal stratification and, as a result, unavailable to aquatic organisms
that inhabit the different parts of the lake.

PTS: 2
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
“WHY.”

I’m sad, for, loving thee, I know full well


That this world’s talk, with its calumnious spell,
Will never spare thy fresh youth’s opening flower.
For every happy day and sunny hour,
Fate will exact in grief and tears his pay.
I’m sad because I see my loved one gay!
MOSCOW.

Moscow, I love thee with a filial love,


Strong, burning, tender, which a Russian knows!
I love the holy gleam thy brows above,
Thy battled Kremlin in its calm repose.
In vain the foreign Potentate[6] essayed,
Great Russian giant of a thousand years,
To cope with thee, and, by deceit betrayed,
To make thee bow thy soul to craven fears.
In vain the Stranger spurred; you reared; he fell!
The world grew silent ’neath his mighty spell;
Whilst thou alone didst live, my stately one,
Thou heir to glories ours, and ours alone!
Thou livest still, and every stone of thine
Doth tell of generations tales divine.

FOOTNOTES:
[6] Napoleon.
FROM PUSHKIN.

I wander down the noisy streets,


I enter crowded fanes,
I join in youthful revelries,
I give my fancy reins.

I say, “The years are flying fast,


And seen we scarce are here,
Before we reach eternal tombs;
For each the hour is near.”

I glance upon the lonely oak,


The patriarch of the wood,
And think, “He’ll live through my brief day,
He through my father’s stood.”

I fondly kiss the little child,


And, kissing, think, “Good-bye!
I’m giving up my place to you.
You bloom; ’tis mine to die.”

Thus every day, thus every hour,


I’m wont with thought to spend,
And strive to guess the birthday-date
Of my approaching end.

Ah! where will Fate send Death to me?


Abroad? in war? on deep?
Or will a neighbouring valley hold
My cold dust in its keep?
Yet, though I know my lifeless form
Must rot where’er I die,
I’d fondly wish near my loved home,
In my own land, to lie.

There, round the entrance to the grave,


Let young life freely play,
And careless Nature calmly smile
With ageless beauty gay!
ANACREONTIC.

We know the steed of mettle


By the breed-marks branded on it;
We know the haughty Highlander
By his plumed and towering bonnet;
And I know the happy lovers
By the love-light in their eyes,
Where, its tale of joyance telling,
The languid flame doth rise.
(TO HIS WIFE.)

No! not for me the wild tumultuous gladness,


The rapturous rush, the transports, and the madness,
The moans, the cries, the young Bacchante makes,
When, clinging close in coilings like a snake’s,
With wounding kiss, and gush of hot caresses,
For the last moments’ thrills she quiveringly presses.

Far dearer thou, my gentle one, to me,


And happy I—distracted more by thee—
When yielding to long prayers with gentle grace,
You press me softly in your meek embrace;
Modestly cold, to love with passion fraught
You scarce respond; you conscience seem of naught;
Yet warm and warmer glowing, till at last,
As ’twere against your will, you share my blast.

Let me not lose my senses, God;


Better the pilgrim’s scrip and rod,
Or toil and hunger sad.
Not that I prize this mind of mine,
Or that my reason to resign
I should not be right glad,
If only then they’d set me free.
At large! How sportively I’d flee
To where the dark wood gleams!
I’d sing in raving ecstasies,
Forgetting self in fantasies
Of changeful wondrous dreams.
To the wild waves I’d lend an ear,
And glancing upward, full of cheer,
Would scan the open sky;
And strong and free I’d rush amain,
A whirlwind sweeping o’er the plain,
Crashing through woods I’d fly.
But there’s the rub! You lose your sense—
Are dreaded like a pestilence,
And clapped in prison drear.
They chain you to the idiot’s yoke,
And, through the cage-bars, to provoke
The wild beast they draw near.
No more the nightingale to hear
At midnight singing sweet and clear,
Nor greenwood’s rustling strains,
But only brother-madmen’s cries,
The nightly keeper’s blasphemies,
And shrieks, and clang of chains.

I’ve overlived aspirings,


My fancies I disdain;
The fruits of hollow-heartedness,
Sufferings alone remain.

’Neath cruel storms of Fate,


Withers my crown of bay,
A sad and lonely life I lead,
Waiting my latest day.

Thus, struck by latter cold,


While howls the wintry wind,
Trembles upon the naked bough
The last leaf left behind.
PETER THE GREAT.

With autocratic hand


He boldly sowed the light;
He did not scorn his native land—
He knew her destined might.
A carpenter, a seaman,
A scholar, hero, he,
With mighty genius on the throne,
A labourer was incessantly.
THE PROPHET.

By spiritual thirst opprest,


I hied me to the desert dim,
When lo! upon my path appeared
The holy six-winged seraphim.
My brow his fingers lightly pressed,
Soothing my eyelids into rest:
Open my inward vision flies,
As ope a startled eaglet’s eyes.
He touched my ears, and they were filled
With sounds that all my being thrilled.
I felt a trembling fill the skies,
I heard the sweep of angels’ wings,
Beneath the sea saw creeping things,
And in the valleys vines arise.
Over my lips awhile he hung,
And tore from me my sinful tongue—
The babbling tongue of vanity.
The sting of serpent’s subtlety
Within my lips, as chilled I stood,
He placed, with right hand red with blood.
Then with a sword my bosom cut,
And forth my quivering heart he drew;
A glowing coal of fire he put
Within my breast laid bare to view.
As corpse-like on the waste I lay,
Thus unto me God’s voice did say—
“Prophet, arise! confess My Name;
Fulfil My will; submit to Me!
Arise! go forth o’er land and sea,
And with high words men’s hearts inflame!”

Play, my Kathleen;
No sorrow know.
The Graces flowers
Around thee throw.
Thy little cot
They softly swing,
And bright for thee
Dawns life’s fresh spring.
For all delights
Thou hast been born;
Catch, catch wild joys,
In life’s young morn!
Thy tender years
To love devote;
While hums the world,
Love my pipe’s note.
A MONUMENT.[7]

I’ve raised myself no statue made with hands;


The People’s path to it no weeds will hide.
Rising with no submissive head, it stands
Above the pillar of Napoleon’s pride.
No! I shall never die; in sacred strains
My soul survives my dust, and flies decay—
And famous shall I be, while there remains
A single Poet ’neath the light of day.
Through all great Russia will go forth my fame,
And every tongue in it will name my name;
And by the nation long shall I be loved,
Because my lyre their nobler feelings moved;
Because I strove to serve them with my song,
And called forth mercy for the fallen throng.
Hear God’s command, O Muse, obediently,
Nor dread reproach, nor claim the Poet’s bay;
To praise and blame alike indifferent be,
And let fools say their say!

FOOTNOTES:
[7] Like our Shakespeare, Pushkin knew his own merits.
THE POET.

Until Apollo calls the Bard


To share the holy sacrifice,
Plunged in the petty cares of life
The Poet’s spirit lies.

Silent and still his sacred lyre,


His soul to sleep a prey,
Amongst earth’s worthless sons he seems
More worthless, p’raps, than they.

But once the sacred summons rings


And strikes his eager ears,
The Poet’s soul, like eagle roused,
On upward pinion steers.

Then earthly pleasures cease to charm;


He scorns the babbling crowd;
No more beneath their Idol’s feet
His haughty head is bowed.

He flies—and wild and stern his moods,


His notes, now grave, now gay—
To shores where lonely billows play,
To depths of whispering woods.
FROM NADSON.

Pity the stately cypress trees;


How freshly green they spring!
Ah! why amidst their branches, child,
Have you put up your swing?
Break not a single fragrant bough.
Oh, take thy swing away
To heights where thick acacias bloom;
Mid dusty olives play!
Thence you can see the Ocean,
And, as your swing ascends,
Through greening boughs a sunny glimpse
The sea in laughter sends
Of white sails in the distance dim,
Of white gulls far away,
Of white flakes foaming on the sands,
A fringe of snowy spray.
FROM NEKRASOF.
TE DEUM.

In our village there’s cold and there’s hunger;


Through the mist the sad morn rises chill;
Tolls the bell—the parishioners calling
From afar to the church on the hill;
Austere and severe and commanding
Pealed that dull tone thro’ the air.
I spent in the church that wet morning;
I can never forget the scene there.
For there knelt the village hamlet,
Young and old in a weeping crowd;
To be saved from the grievous famine
The people prayed aloud.
Such woe I had seldom witnessed,
Such agony of prayer,
And unconsciously I murmured,
“O God, the people spare!”

“Spare their friends, too, in Thy mercy!


Oh, hear our heartfelt cry!
For those who strove to free the serf
We lift the prayer on high;
For those who bore the battle’s brunt
And lived to win the day,
For those who’ve heard the serf’s last song,
To Thee, O God, we pray.”
THE PROPHET.

Ah! tell me not he prudence quite forgot;


That he himself for his own fate’s to blame.
Clearer than we, he saw that man cannot
Both serve the good and save himself from flame.

But men he loved with higher, broader glow;


His soul for worldly honours did not sigh;
For self alone he could not live below,
But for the sake of others he could die.

Thus thought he—and to die, for him, was gain.


He will not say that “life to him was dear;”
He will not say that “death was useless pain;”
To him, long since, his destiny was clear.

Offer my Muse a friendly hand,


For I can sing no other song.
Who feels no woe, nor flames at wrong,
Loves not his Fatherland.

You might also like