where does the strength of a nation lie

2. turret
Turret wall –
small tower
on top of
castle

3. mowers
Mowers – people
who trim grass
and level the
lawns

4. arms provender
Arms – weapons
Provender - food

5. towering battlements
friendly allies
Friendly allies
– armed forces
Towering
battlements – tall
towers with
openings to shoot
enemies

6. foothold
quick
Foothold –
advantageous
position
Quick -
alive

7. Our gates were strong, our walls were thick,
So smooth and high, no man could win

8. bait?
Bait -
bribe

9. wicked wicket gate
wizened warder
Wicked – evil
Wicket gate –
small gate
Wizened warder
– old guard
metaphor

10. Oh then our maze of tunneled stone
Grew thin and treacherous as air
metaphor
simile
Maze –
intricate
confusing
path
Treacherous
- disloyal

11. The cause was lost without groan,
The famous citadel overthrown,
And all its secret galleries bare.
Groan – cry
Citadel – fort
Overthrown -
defeated -

12. How can this shameful tale be told?
I will maintain until my death.
interrogation

13. We could do nothing, being sold:
Our only enemy was gold
And we had no arms to fight it with.
personification

15. 1. Who does “we” refer to? “We” refers to soldiers.
2. How does the soldier spend the summer
days?
The soldiers spend happily without fear.
3. What could they watch from turret
wall?
They could watch the enemy half a mile
away and mowers around the castle.
4. How safe was the castle? The gates are strong and the walls are
thick.
5. What was the firm belief of soldiers? The soldiers believed that no one could
enter the castle by any trick.

16. 6. What was challenging? Entering the castle is challenging.
7. What aspect of the castle’s strength is
conveyed?
The castle’s strong foothold is conveyed.
8. Bring out the contrast in “Our maze
of tunneled stone grew thin”?
Stone walls of the underground passage
grew thin as air.
9. What happened to the castle? The castle was captured by enemies
10. Why couldn’t they do anything? They couldn’t do anything against
human greed for gold.
11. Why did they feel helpless? They had no weapon to fight against
human greed for gold.

17. stress-free relaxed.

18. they watched
the mowers no enemy was
found

19. The gates of the castle was strong
and the walls were thick and high.

20. the castle
was safe the captain was brave
the soldiers were loyal

21. no one could enter
the castle the bird could enter

22. wicket gate
wicked guard the enemies
in its secret path

23. The strong castle became weak
and thin because of the greedy
disloyal warder.

24. The narrator lamented over the
disloyalty of the warder and also
decided not to disclose this
shameful story to anyone.

25. The narrator concluded the poem
by regretting not finding any
weapon to fight with the enemy
called “gold”.