Poem 1.3 "Basketful of Moonlight": A complete Guide

 

Exploring the Innocence of Childhood:

A Complete Study Guide

to

"Basketful of Moonlight"

Here we are diving into a very touching and beautiful poem from the Std. 10 Maharashtra Board English syllabus: Poem 1.3 "Basketful of Moonlight" written by Sunil Sharma. Originally written in the Dogri language and beautifully translated into English, this poem takes us into the mind of a small, innocent village boy. He loves his father very much and makes a sweet, impossible request to the moon.

1. Word Bank: Difficult Words & Meanings

Before we read the poem, let's understand some important words. (Marathi meanings are included to help you understand better!)

• Sow (सो): to plant seeds in the soil (पेरणे / बी पेरणे)
• Route (रूट): road or path (रस्ता / मार्ग)
• Tough (टफ): very difficult or hard (कठीण / खडतर)
• Scorpions (स्कॉर्पियन्स): a dangerous insect with a poisonous sting in its tail (विंचू)
• Plies (प्लाइज): travels regularly over a particular road (ये-जा करणे)
• On loan (ऑन लोन): to borrow something with the promise to return it (कर्जावर / उसनवार)
• Fairy tales (फेरी टेल्स): magical stories for children (परीकथा)

2. Stanza-by-Stanza Simple Explanation

(Imagine a small boy looking up at the night sky, talking directly to the glowing moon.)

Stanza 1:

O moon,
give me moonlight,
basketful or two baskets full,
with seeds of moonlight.

Explanation: The poem starts with a small boy talking to the moon. He makes a sweet and innocent request. He asks the moon to give him one or two baskets full of moonlight. He specifically wants the 'seeds' of moonlight.

Stanza 2:

From the city to my village,
on the sides of the path
I want to sow many,
small, small moons of light.
The whole village goes to the city
daily to work.

Explanation: The boy tells the moon what he will do with these magical seeds. He wants to plant (sow) those seeds on both sides of the road that connects the city to his village. He explains that all the people from his village go to the city every day to do hard work.

Stanza 3:

It becomes dark on its way back
as my village is quite far.
The route is tough and full of
snakes and scorpions.
Neither bus nor cart plies.
When my father returns home
I am asleep.

Explanation: The boy explains his main problem. His village is very far from the city. When the villagers return home after a tiring day of work, it gets very dark. The road is very bad, dangerous, and full of poisonous snakes and scorpions. Since there are no buses or carts on that road, people have to walk. Because of this, his father reaches home very late at night. By that time, the little boy is already fast asleep.

Stanza 4:

And he goes back early in the morning
while I am sleeping.

Explanation: The boy's father works so hard that he has to wake up and go back to work very early the next morning. At that time, the little boy is still sleeping. So, the boy never gets to meet or spend time with his father.

Stanza 5:

O moon
Give me a basketful of moonlight
on loan.
I want to light the dark route
so that my father returns early.
I, too, want to hear fairy tales
and stories from him.

Explanation: The innocent boy asks the moon to give him moonlight "on loan" (he promises to return it!). He wants to use this moonlight to light up the dark, dangerous road. If the road is full of light, his father can walk fast and come home early and safely. The boy wants his father to come early so he can sit with him and listen to fairy tales and bedtime stories, just like other children do.

Stanza 6:

O moon,
give me a basketful of moonlight.
I want to sow seeds of the moon
on the sides of the path.

Explanation: In the end, the boy repeats his sweet request. He begs the moon for a basketful of moonlight so he can plant the seeds of light on the dark path for his father's safety.

3. Poetic Devices: Figures of Speech

In the board exam, you will be asked to identify and explain the Figures of Speech. Here are the accurate ones from this poem:

1. Apostrophe:

When the poet talks directly to someone or something that is not human, absent, or dead, it is an apostrophe.

Line in Poem: "O moon, give me moonlight"

Explanation: The little boy is speaking directly to the Moon (a non-living object in the sky) as if it were a person who could hear him and reply.

2. Repetition:

When a word or a line is repeated in the poem to make it sound poetic or to show deep feelings, it is repetition.

Line in Poem: "I want to sow many, small, small moons of light."

Explanation: The word 'small' is repeated to emphasise how tiny the moons will be.

Line in Poem: "O moon, give me a basketful of moonlight."

Explanation: This entire line is repeated at the beginning and the end of the poem to show the boy's strong desire and deep request.

3. Alliteration:

When the starting consonant sound of words is repeated for a musical effect.

Line in Poem: "snakes and scorpions."

Explanation: The consonant sound of the letter 's' is repeated.

Line in Poem: "I want to sow seeds of moon"

Explanation: The consonant sound of the letter 's' is repeated pleasingly.

Look at how much this little boy loves his father! He doesn't ask the moon for toys, chocolates, or a mobile phone. He asks for 'light' so his father can come home safely from his hard work.

This poem teaches us to appreciate the hard work and sacrifices our parents make for us every single day, and reminds us of the true value of spending time with our family.

Appreciation of the Poem: "Basketful of Moonlight"

1. Title: Basketful of Moonlight.

2. Name of the Poet: Sunil Sharma.

3. Rhyme Scheme: There is no rhyme scheme in this poem. The poem is written in Free Verse.

4. Figure of Speech (Any 1):
Apostrophe: The boy is directly talking to the moon. (Example: "O moon, give me moonlight.")
(Other figures of speech: Repetition, Alliteration)

5. Theme / Central Idea (5 to 6 simple sentences):

This poem is about a small, innocent village boy. He loves his hardworking father very much. The road to his village is very dark and dangerous at night. The boy wants to plant seeds of moonlight to light up the road. He wants his father to come home early and safely. The boy wants to spend time with his father and listen to fairy tales.