1. ‘The Poplar Field’ by William Cowper
Poetry
‘The Poplar Field’ by William Cowper
L Wright 2006

2. Last week you looked at some different poems.
Can you remember which poems you studied?
What did you learn about poetry last week?
L Wright 2006

3. Today we are going to learn to:
Explore chronology in poetry (What does chronology mean?);
Find clues which tell us that a poem may be older.
L Wright 2006

4. How long ago was the eighteenth century?
This week we are going to look at two poems, one called ‘The Poplar Field’ and one called ‘The Lamplighter’.
‘The Poplar Field’ was written in the eighteenth century by William Cowper.
How long ago was the eighteenth century?
L Wright 2006

5. We will look them up in dictionaries when we have read the whole poem.
As we read the first poem, note down any words that you do not understand on your whiteboards.
We will look them up in dictionaries when we have read the whole poem.
L Wright 2006

6. Are there any words which you do not understand?
The Poplar Field
The poplars are fell’d, farewell to the shade;
And whispering sound of the cool colonnade;
The winds no longer sing in the leaves,
Nor the river on this surface their images receives.
Twelve years have elapsed since I first took a view
Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;
And now in the grass, there they are laid,
And the tree is my seat that once gave me shade.
The blackbird has fled to another retreat
Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat;
And the scene where his music so charmed me before
Resounds with his sweet-flowing music no more.
My fugitive years are all hasting away,
And I will before long lie as lowly as they,
With a turf on my breast and a stone at my head,
Before another such grove shall rise in its stead.
Are there any words which you do not understand?

7. What has happened to the poplar trees?
The Poplar Field
The poplars are fell’d, farewell to the shade;
And whispering sound of the cool colonnade;
The winds no longer sing in the leaves,
Nor the river on this surface their images receives.
Twelve years have elapsed since I first took a view
Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;
And now in the grass, there they are laid,
And the tree is my seat that once gave me shade.
The blackbird has fled to another retreat
Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat;
And the scene where his music so charmed me before
Resounds with his sweet-flowing music no more.
My fugitive years are all hasting away,
And I will before long lie as lowly as they,
With a turf on my breast and a stone at my head,
Before another such grove shall rise in its stead.
What has happened to the poplar trees?

8. How long ago is it since the poet first saw the trees?
The Poplar Field
The poplars are fell’d, farewell to the shade;
And whispering sound of the cool colonnade;
The winds no longer sing in the leaves,
Nor the river on this surface their images receives.
Twelve years have elapsed since I first took a view
Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;
And now in the grass, there they are laid,
And the tree is my seat that once gave me shade.
The blackbird has fled to another retreat
Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat;
And the scene where his music so charmed me before
Resounds with his sweet-flowing music no more.
My fugitive years are all hasting away,
And I will before long lie as lowly as they,
With a turf on my breast and a stone at my head,
Before another such grove shall rise in its stead.
How long ago is it since the poet first saw the trees?

9. Where are they now? How does the author feel about this?
The Poplar Field
The poplars are fell’d, farewell to the shade;
And whispering sound of the cool colonnade;
The winds no longer sing in the leaves,
Nor the river on this surface their images receives.
Twelve years have elapsed since I first took a view
Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;
And now in the grass, there they are laid,
And the tree is my seat that once gave me shade.
The blackbird has fled to another retreat
Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat;
And the scene where his music so charmed me before
Resounds with his sweet-flowing music no more.
My fugitive years are all hasting away,
And I will before long lie as lowly as they,
With a turf on my breast and a stone at my head,
Before another such grove shall rise in its stead.
Where are they now? How does the author feel about this?

10. Are there any words which you do not understand?
The Poplar Field
The poplars are fell’d, farewell to the shade;
And whispering sound of the cool colonnade;
The winds no longer sing in the leaves,
Nor the river on this surface their images receives.
Twelve years have elapsed since I first took a view
Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;
And now in the grass, there they are laid,
And the tree is my seat that once gave me shade.
The blackbird has fled to another retreat
Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat;
And the scene where his music so charmed me before
Resounds with his sweet-flowing music no more.
My fugitive years are all hasting away,
And I will before long lie as lowly as they,
With a turf on my breast and a stone at my head,
Before another such grove shall rise in its stead.
Are there any words which you do not understand?

11. Which words tell us that this is a very old poem?
The Poplar Field
The poplars are fell’d, farewell to the shade;
And whispering sound of the cool colonnade;
The winds no longer sing in the leaves,
Nor the river on this surface their images receives.
Twelve years have elapsed since I first took a view
Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;
And now in the grass, there they are laid,
And the tree is my seat that once gave me shade.
The blackbird has fled to another retreat
Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat;
And the scene where his music so charmed me before
Resounds with his sweet-flowing music no more.
My fugitive years are all hasting away,
And I will before long lie as lowly as they,
With a turf on my breast and a stone at my head,
Before another such grove shall rise in its stead.
Which words tell us that this is a very old poem?

12. Tenses
What does the poet say has happened in the past? Discuss in pairs.
What does the poet say is happening in the present? Discuss in pairs.
What does the poet say will happen in the future? Discuss in pairs.
L Wright 2006

13. Group Work Red Group –Think about the verbs used in the
poem. List the verbs used for the past, the present
and the future.
Orange Group – Show what the poet says happens
at different times. Copy and complete the table:
Blue Group - Re-write the verses in your books
using different tenses, for example: verse 1 in the
past tense (The poplars were fell’d…); verse 2 in
the future tense (Twelve years will elapse…)
Happened in the past.
Happening now.
Will happen.
He is in a field
L Wright 2006

14. Plenary
Red group, what did the poet say what happened in the past? What did he say is happening now? What does he think will happen in the future?
Orange group, which verbs did the poet use for the past? The present? The future?
Blue group, who would like to read their new verses?
L Wright 2006