Poem: The Way Through the Woods by Rudyard Kipling.

 

Poem: The Way Through the Woods by Rudyard Kipling. They shut the road through the woods Seventy years ago. Weather and rain have undone it again, And now you would never know There was once a road through the woods Before they planted the trees. It is underneath the coppice and heath, And the thin anemones. Only the keeper sees That, where the ring-dove broods, And the badgers roll at ease, There was once a road through the woods. Yet, if you enter the woods Of a summer evening late, When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools Where the otter whistles his mate, (They fear not men in the woods, Because they see so few.) You will hear the beat of a horse's feet, And the swish of a skirt in the dew, Steadily cantering through The misty solitudes, As though they perfectly knew The old lost road through the woods... But there is no road through the woods. Difficult Words & Meanings Undone: reversed. Coppice: a small group of trees or shrubs that grow close together. Heath: open uncultivated land with grass, shrubs, or wild plants. Anemones: delicate wildflowers with colorful petals. Keeper: here, it means a forest ranger or gamekeeper (a person who looks after the woods and animals). Ring-dove – a type of wood pigeon (a bird that coos softly and nests in trees). Broods: to sit on eggs to hatch them; here it means nesting. Badgers: small burrowing animals with black-and-white stripes on their heads. At ease: resting comfortably, without worry. Trout-ringed pools: ponds or pools where trout (a type of fish) swim, making ripples like rings. Otter: a semi-aquatic animal that lives in rivers and lakes, playful and sleek. Whistles his mate: the otter makes a whistling sound to call its partner. Cantering: the smooth, easy running pace of a horse (faster than a trot, slower than a gallop). Solitudes: lonely or quiet places, free from disturbance. Mist / Misty: light fog or thin cloud close to the ground. Swish: A soft, rustling sound made by something moving quickly through air or water. Stanza 1 They shut the road through the woods Seventy years ago. Weather and rain have undone it again, And now you would never know There was once a road through the woods Before they planted the trees. It is underneath the coppice and heath, And the thin anemones. Only the keeper sees That, where the ring-dove broods, And the badgers roll at ease, There was once a road through the woods. Paraphrase: The road through the woods was closed seventy years ago. Since then, weather and rain have erased all signs of it. Now no one could guess that a road once existed before the trees were planted. The path lies hidden beneath bushes, heath, and delicate flowers. Only the forest keeper knows that where doves nest and badgers play peacefully, a road once ran through the woods. Stanza 2 Yet, if you enter the woods Of a summer evening late, When the night-air cools on the trout-ringed pools Where the otter whistles his mate, (They fear not men in the woods, Because they see so few.) You will hear the beat of a horse's feet, And the swish of a skirt in the dew, Steadily cantering through The misty solitudes, As though they perfectly knew The old lost road through the woods... But there is no road through the woods. Paraphrase: However, if you walk into the woods on a late summer evening, when the air cools near pools where trout swim and otters call to their mates, you might sense something strange. Because so few humans visit, the animals have no fear of people. In the silence, you may hear the sound of a horse’s hooves and the gentle sound of the cloth brushing against the wet grass, as though they are confidently riding along the forgotten road. Yet in reality, the road no longer exists. Summary: The poem describes an old road that was closed seventy years ago and has now been completely covered by trees and plants. Only the forest keeper remembers where it once was. On quiet summer evenings, the woods seem haunted by the sounds of a horse and rider, showing how nature has reclaimed the road while memories of the past still linger. Central Idea Time erases human works, but nature reclaims and restores itself. While the physical road is gone, memories and echoes of the past linger mysteriously in the woods. Theme: The poem’s main theme is the power of nature and the passage of time. It shows how nature reclaims what humans abandon and how memories of the past can live on in mysterious ways. It also reflects on the transience of human activity and the eternal, mystical beauty of nature. Major Literary Devices in the Poem Imagery: Creates vivid sensory pictures: “coppice and heath,” “swish of a skirt in the dew,” “trout-ringed pools.” Symbolism: The “road” symbolizes human presence and its fading; the woods represent nature’s endurance. Alliteration: “swish of a skirt.” Adds musicality. Personification: “the otter whistles his mate.” Gives nature human qualities. Onomatopoeia: “beat of a horse’s feet,” “swish” "Whistles his mate" sound effects make the imagery lifelike. Contrast: Between past (road) and present (woods). Mystical Tone: The ghostly suggestion of horse and rider adds an air of mystery.