WHEN AUTUMN CAME BY FAIZ AHMED FAIZ | EXPLANATION,FULL SUMMARY WITH QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR BOARD EXAM

   

SUMMARY OF THE POEM "WHEN AUTUMN CAME"

“When Autumn Came” is a multi thematic poem written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz- a revolution of 

Urdu lyrics poet whose poems has been translated into many languages of the world. 

The poem deals with the tyranny let loose by Autumn on the major constituent of nature 

namely trees and also on birds dwelling in them. The poet has made an extensive use of 

certain poetic techniques like personification, symbolism, similes, and metaphors to lay bare 

the deadening and malignant influence of Autumn on trees and birds. 

The Autumn itself is personified as a tyrant, unleashing its wrath on, deaf seemingly and 

dumb animate constituent of Nature i.e., trees and birds stripping the former of their skins and 

rendering the later homeless as well as speechless. Besides, it makes the entire atmosphere 

seem forlorn and devoid of glee, joyfulness and glamour. Its first and foremost malignant 

influence is experienced by leaves-The Hearts of the Trees which lose their lush green hue, 

assume brownish yellow tingle and are finally shaken off their branches and scattered on the 

ground. So dreadful is its influence that the “Poor Hearts” just awake a single moan of protest 

when trodden over by humans or animals. 

The tree dwellers i.e., birds, being deprived of their lush green homes, feel as if exiled and 

forget singing as if rendered speechless. Though seemingly alive, they present a dreadful 

spectacle of carcasses moving around. 

In the end, the poet appeals the God of May to bestow life to these deadened ingredients of 

nature, by way of giving back greenery to withered bodies of the trees and make dead veins 

of the birds flow with blood again with the passion of this resurrection and let one bird, at 

least, sing again. 

PERSONIFICATION AND ITS EXAMPES FROM THE POEM:- 

Faiz Ahmad Faiz has made an extensive use of certain poetic techniques or devices in his 

poem “When Autumn Came” and one of the techniques is personification. 

Personification is a literary device defined as attributing human qualities and characteristics 

to inanimate (non-living) objects and also to animates other than humans. This technique is 

mostly used by poets with the sole purpose of creating vivid images in the minds of their 

readers besides imparting greater sensory quality to their poems. 

A typical example of personification from Faiz`s poem “When Autumn Came” lies in the 

second line only which reads “It stripped them down to the Skin” thus presenting Autumn as 

a tyrant depriving others of their skins brutally and rendering them bare and naked

MAIN SUMMERY OF THE POEM "WHEN AUTUMN CAME"

The poem “When Autumn Came” has been written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz , a renowned 

Pakistani poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. In this poem, the poet 

draws the reader’s attention to the impact of autumn on tress. 

Autumn is the season between summer and winter and lasts in north equator from September 

to November and from March to May in south of the equator. It is the time when fruits and 

crops become seasoned and are harvested. Trees are devoid of leaves in this season. The poet 

feels that lessening of the leaves marks the beginning of the autumn. 

The trees look unclothed like human beings when under compulsion. Without leaves on the 

branches, the skins of the trees become sheer black trunks with no foliage on them. The 

yellow leaves lay speckled all over the ground. The fallen leaves can be crushed and as such 

reducing them to nothingness to utter a cry of protest. Then poet wishes to point out that 

victims of force are as helpless as the yellow leaves falling from the trees in autumn. 

The birds that signifies change through their sweet songs are no more there. They migrate to 

other places as forced by the nature. The autumn rendered them worthless. They died before 

the hunter could aim at them. Autumn was responsible for their exile. 

The poet appeals to the God of May to sanctify the trees and leaves, called dried up bodies 

with feelings of hope and renewal of life. He wishes God to fill them with the hope that soon 

fresh blood will begin to circulate through their dead veins. If God makes a single tree to put 

forth fresh leaves and let the birds to sing again, other birds and trees will cherish hopes of a 

new life without the desolation and devastation brought by autumn.

    WHEN AUTUMN CAME

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

1. What happens to the birds when autumn came?

Ans : During the autumn season the birds fly away to the faraway places and are exiled from their music at the arrival of the autumn. It seems they are compelled to tear their voice out of their throat because of the violet attack of the autumn season. They leave the trees and their song cannot not be heard. Even before they were fatted to be killed by the hunters the harsh autumn season drops them down to the dust.

2.What does the poet hope?

Ans: The poet prays the God of May to have mercy on the pitiful conditions of the trees. He hopes that God will bless them and give them a new life and hope again. There should be at least one bird that can sing a song and also some trees.

3.Why will there be no single moan of protest?

Ans: There will not be single moan of protest because they become so weak that their voice is not in the position to make in protest. Even the labourers or workers were treated in such way that they could not make any protest.

4.What condition of the trees during the autumn does the poet forward?

Ans: The poet forwards that during the autumn season the condition of the trees are pitiable. They are seen lifeless and their ebony bodies naked. The leaves of the trees turn yellow and are scattered over the ground. No birds can be seen singing.

5.Who do you think the God of May is?

Ans: Here the God of May is the God of spring season.

6.Who do you think the poet has personified the trees?

Ans: The poet has personified the trees as the poor labourers and working- class people who are the victims of exploitation by the capitalist class i.e. the autumn season.

TEXTUAL QUESTIONAND ANSWERS

1.Autumn season is characterized by a few things. What are they?

Ans : in the poem ‘When Autumn Came’ , Faiz Ahmed expresses the destructive force of the autumn season. He gives a vivid description of the impact of autumn on the trees. The trees were left stripped down to the barks, and their ebony bodies were naked. Autumn was so cruel that it shook the hearts of the trees and the yellow leaves were scattered over the ground. Anyone could trample over them and make them loss their shape. The trees were so helpless that they could not even utter a sound of protest or pain. Autumn also brings misfortune to the birds. Even before they were a fatted to be killed by the hunters, their voices were taken away and dropped into dust. 

2.Does the poet talk about all those characteristics?

Ans: Yes, the poet talks about all those characteristics. In the poem “When Autumn Came” the poet talks about the coming of autumn season and also he expresses the pitiful conditions of the labourers caused by the rich people i.e. exploiters. The workers are so weak that they have lost the voice of protest. They are crushed and the poet expresses the pitiful conditions of labourers who are compared with trees.

3.What is the impact of autumn when autumn comes?

Ans: the arrival of the autumn is so destructive, so harsh and violent that it sways away the greenery from the trees. It stripes the trees down to the skin and leaves the trees bodies naked. The stormy attack of the autumn shudders the heart of the trees and the yellow leaves scattered all over the ground. No birds can be seen on the tress as if the birds spend time in exile. They forgot to sing. Trees seem to be colourless and lifeless. Autumn presents a period of hopelessnmess.

 

4.Why does the poet invoke the God of May?

Ans : In the poem ‘when autumn  came’ , the poet perceives autumn as a season of decay which turns the leaves of the trees yellow and leaves the ebony bodies naked and the birds are forced to exile. All these effects of the season disturbs the heart of the poet. Therefore he invokes the God of May to bring the season of life .i.e. Spring. He prays the God of May to have mercy and bestow his blessings on the withered body of the trees. He prays the God to shower his passion of resurrection so that the flower may bloom again and live with hope and life. Their dead veins would again flow blood or hope of life. The trees would be green once again. The poet requests to let at least one bird to sing the song of life.

 5. What is the significance of yellow in the description of the tree leaves?

Ans : The tree leaves have been described as ‘yellow’ by the poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz in ‘When Autumn Came’. The use of this colour is significant as it characterize their lifeless state, as opposed to green which signifies liveliness in vigour. The leaves are too emancipated to even register a sigh of protest or pain. The yellow leaves are crushed and their spirits failed to respond.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

1.It shook out their hearts , the yellow leaves,

         .....................by a single moan of protest.

a.Who is ‘it’? Whose yellow hearts did it shake out?

Ans : The ‘it’ in the poem refers to the autumn season.

                   It shook out the yellow hearts of the trees.

b.What happens to the leaves that are scattered on the ground?

Ans : The leaves that are scattered on the ground can be trampled out of their shape but there will be no single moan of protest.

c.When will these withered trees bloom again?

Ans: The withered trees will bloom once again with the coming of spring when the God of May will gift them fresh green leaves once again and they will flourish with life.

2.Give some tree the gift of green again.

Let one bird sing.

a.What is the gift of green?  Who will receive it?

Ans : the gift of green signifies the gift of greenery as the God of May will bless them once again with life and freshness. The trees which have been withered due to the atrocities of autumn will receive the ‘’gift of green” with the coming of spring season.

b.What is the poet asking for when he says ‘Let one bird sing’?

Ans :  By the phrase ‘Let one bird sing’ the poet is asking for the voice of at least one revolutionary to be heard. He asks one of them to gather the courage to stand up against the oppression and cruelty meted out to the lower classes by the aristocrats. Just as the song of single bird shows the arrival of spring after autumn, similarly one revolutionary can stand for other and bring a change.

c.What had happened to the birds in autumn?

Ans: Birds who plays the role of the messenger are exiled from their music at the arrival of the autumn. It seems they are compelled to hear their voice out of their throat because of the violent attack of the autumn season. Even before they were fatted to be killed by the hunters, the harsh autumn season drops them down to the dust.

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