CBSE Class 11 · English · Hornbill / Snapshots
The Laburnum Top
Chapter summary, hard words and model exam answers for Class 11 English.
Free online summary and notes (Class 11 English). Read it here, no PDF download needed.
About the author
Ted Hughes (poem). A laburnum tree in September gold is lifeless until a goldfinch arrives, animating it with sound and movement, then departs - and the tree subsides to emptiness again.
Summary
September sunlight, few leaves yellowing - the laburnum top is still.
September sunlight, few leaves yellowing - the laburnum top is still.
A sudden twitch, sleek lizard-like movement; the bird enters the thickness.
A sudden twitch, sleek lizard-like movement; the bird enters the thickness.
Chitterings, tremor of wings, trillings - the whole tree trembles and thrills.
Chitterings, tremor of wings, trillings - the whole tree trembles and thrills.
The bird is the engine of the tree, stoking it full of life.
The bird is the engine of the tree, stoking it full of life.
She launches away toward the infinite sky.
She launches away toward the infinite sky.
The laburnum subsides to empty silence again.
The laburnum subsides to empty silence again.
Hard words & meanings
| laburnum | golden-flowered tree |
| goldfinch | small bright songbird |
| twitch | sudden jerk |
| trillings | rapid bird notes |
| twitching | jerking |
| chitterings | bird chatter |
Model exam answers, grammar & audio
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