Charles G. D. Roberts (1860-1943) was a prominent Canadian author and public intellectual, often referred to as the father of Canadian poetry. He wrote numerous works of fiction, but he also did a lot of nature and travel writing, largely focused on Canadian themes.
The short poem presented here was first published in his collection โThe Book of the Nativeโ in 1896. Set in the cold and silent month of February, it captures the tension between winterโs stillness and the hidden vitality of the coming spring.
If youโre an English language learner, donโt miss the vocabulary exercise found below! (Answer key available.)
A snowy path for squirrel and fox,
It winds between the wintry firs.
Snow-muffled are its iron rocks,
And o'er its stillness nothing stirs.
But low, bend low a listening ear!
Beneath the mask of moveless white
A babbling whisper you shall hearโ
Of birds and blossoms, leaves and light.
VOCABULARY EXERCISE
Match the following words from the poem with the definitions:
WIND ย (v.) ย | ย FIR ย (n.) ย | ย MUFFLED ย (adj.) ย | ย BABBLE ย (v.) ย | ย BLOSSOM ย (n.)ย
- wrapped up, enveloped
- to make the low, continuous noise of water flowing over stones
- a small flower on a tree or plant
- an evergreen tree with leaves like needles
- to have many twists and bends
To check your answers, please click here.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Sir Charles George Douglas Roberts (The Canadian Encyclopedia)
E-book versions of C. G. D. Robertsโ works (Project Gutenberg)
NOTES
Iโm a freelance language tutor (English, Latin, Classical Greek), researcher, and a literary scholar currently based in Belgrade, Serbia.
If you wish to receive new content from my blog – as soon as itโs published – please enter your email address in the box below. You can also subscribe to my free monthly Newsletter and get a regular recap with additional content.
To support my work, you can send me a donation via PayPal. It would be greatly appreciated!
COVER IMAGE CREDIT
Photo by Richard Wang via Unsplash
Discover more from grammaticus
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
grammaticus 