Keeping Quiet: STANZA WISE EXPLANATION

I : Now we will count to twelve

The poet asks everyone to count up to twelve in their mind, which represents the hours of the day or
the months of a year. He wants all of us to be calm and still. People across the nations are suggested to
unite together, so, they shall not speak their own languages, rather they all shall keep quiet and speak
the language of silence. This will bring unity among all the humans on the face of the Earth.

For at least one moment, no one shall move his arms either to signal, or to fight, or argue with each
other. By using the word ‘arms’ he means the weapons which are used by different countries to wage
a war against each other.

The poet urges everyone not to speak any language. As we all know that there are different
languages spoken across the world, which sometimes act as a barrier in our way for peace. The poet is
demanding peace from all of us.
Literary devices:
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ‘o’ and ‘e’ (Now we will count to twelve, not move our arms so much)
Anaphora: Two consecutive lines starting with the word ‘Let’s’
Let’s not speak in any language,
Let’s stop for one second,
Alliteration: the repetition of a consonant sound at the start of 2 or more closely placed words.
‘We will’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated
II : It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.
Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.
Explanation
Poet says that it would be an exceptional experience when there will be no engines (limbs/ machines
leading to movement and distraction) working. Here he wants to say that if everything comes to
standstill, it will be a very different moment. If all the engines like the vehicles and machines stop,
then there will be a sudden, strange situation as the world will experience a sudden calmness.
People will not be in a rush to achieve material things one after another. Further the poet says that the
fisherman will also stop and not harm whales in the sea. This means that the poet is urging everyone
not to harm the animals. Here he gives the example of whales which are being hunted for the purpose
of food or trade. He also wants people to calm down so that they can stop and see what they have
achieved or lost. For this he gives the example of the man who gathers salt, whose hands are hurt.
Literary devices:
Alliteration- ‘we would’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘sudden strangeness’ - ‘s’ sound is repeated, ‘his hurt
hands’ - ‘h’ sound is repeated
III : Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.
What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.
Explanation

The people who exploit the green wealth of nature by deforestation, or mining, or fishing in the deep
seas and the soldiers who use weapons to kill fellow human beings need some time to introspect into
the consequences of their actions. They are merely doing their job or following orders. He also
requests people not to involve in wars as there is no benefit of achieving such victory in which no one
is left alive. He says so because wars and environmental damage will lead to no life on earth. Rather,
he wants people to adopt a new approach towards life and mankind. He wants them to put on ‘new
clothes’ i.e., to adopt a new approach towards life and to realize that killing so many people is not a
victory. He wants all of us to be united as one, consider our enemy to be our brother.

He does not want us to stop our works but to take some time and analyse the results of our deeds. He
suggests that we should treat our enemies like brothers and promote peace and harmony in the world.
All human beings work endlessly with the aim of completing all their tasks. They are driven by the
target of survival and the threat of death.

Literary devices:
Alliteration: ‘wars with’ - ‘w’ sound is repeated, ‘clean clothes’ - ‘c’ sound is repeated
Assonance: use of vowel ‘o’ (victory with no survivors, would put on clean clothes and walk about with
their brothers)
Repetition: use of ‘war’
IV : If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Explanation

So they are in a mad rush to accomplish all their works.

He says that perhaps, if they pause for a while, they can appreciate their achievements and their lives would
become happier.

He suggests that by keeping quiet, we will be able to understand the true purpose of our life.

Now the poet wants to clarify to his readers that when he asks them to stop from saying or doing anything,
he doesn’t want anyone to become a non-active person. Non active is a person who remains idle and doesn’t
do anything. Here, he simply means that we should stop and see the consequences of our deeds. The poet
doesn’t want to see people being killed due to their greed for money and expansion of territories. Further,
he says that people are continuously working to achieve their tasks without even thinking about their results.
They are in fear of death and therefore, want to achieve most of the things before their death. Here he urges
them to stop for a while and take some moment to relish on what they have achieved till now. Everyone here
is living a life in which he wants to achieve various things one after another. But now the poet says it is the
time to stop and see what has been achieved and should be enjoyed. This will help us skip the sadness which
has become so prominent in our lives. The sadness of not enjoying what we have achieved and the greed to
achieve what next is in the list to be achieved.
Literary devices
Alliteration: we were, so single - minded
Enjambment: and for once could perhaps a huge silence……..of threatening ourselves with death.
V : Perhaps the Earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.
Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.
Explanation
The poet suggests us to take a teaching from nature.

As the Earth undergoes changes, in winter, everything freezes, becomes lifeless but after some time, the
season changes again, and everything comes back to life.

Similarly, taking a pause and introspecting into our lives will give it a new meaning. We will be able to
understand the purpose of our life. It will be like a re birth of the soul.

The poet has conveyed to all the people the purpose of his message and so, he asks them once again to take a
pause, count till twelve and walks out of the scene, keeping the scene open for all the people on the Earth to
experience this for times to come.

So, now the poet suggests to the human beings that we should learn a lesson from Earth. During the winters
everything freezes and becomes lifeless. But when season changes and it’s the onset of spring season,
everything present in the nature such as the trees, birds, rivers, etc gets life. So here, the poet, by giving the
example of nature, wants to say that all the human beings should stop and try to judge their deeds. They can
try and make their life better with calmness, peace. Finally, he ends up by saying that now he will count up
to twelve so that we all may become quiet. Here ‘quiet’ means to calm down ourselves and move towards
the path of peace and harmony. After saying this he says ‘I will go’. He says so as he has conveyed his
message to the people and wants them to be left alone to think about it and work in the direction of peace.