The Land of Nod
by R. L. Stevenson
The Poem:
"From breakfast on through all the day
At home among my friends I stay,
But every night I go abroad
After into the land of Nod.
All by myself I have to go,
With none to tell me what to do --
All alone beside the streams
And up the mountain-sides of dreams
The strangest things are these for me,
Both things to eat and things to see,
And many frightening sights abroad
Till morning in the land of Nod.
Try as I like to find the way,
I never can get back by day,
Nor can remember plain and clear
The curious music that I hear."
Summary of the Poem:
Here the poetic persona stays at home all the day since his breakfast among his friends. But every night he goes to the strange land of dreams in his sleep. He goes there all alone with none to control him. He roams beside the streams and up the mountain sides there.
There are both things to eat and thigs to see. The poet becomes astonished to see all those thigs. He finds many frightening things too in the land of dream. He can never go to the different land in the day. He can not even remember the curious music that he hears in the land of dream in his dream.
Comprehension
A. Choose the correct options.
1. When the speaker says he goes to the land of Nod, he means
a. he goes to a place where creatures called Nod live. [ ]
b. he nods off or fall asleep. [✓]
2. He has to go there all by himself because
a. the place is so dangerous that no one dares to go there with him. [ ]
b. he is having the dream all by himself. [✓]
3. The mountain-sides of dream is
a. the mountain he thinks he climbs in his dream. [✓]
b. the mountain he wants to climb very much. [ ]
4. He can't get back to the land of Nod by day because
a. he doesn't sleep, and therefore doesn't have dreams during the day. [✓]
b. a giant destroys it in the morning and rebuilds it when it gets dark. [ ]
B. Answer in one word or two.
1. Where does he stay through the day?
= He stays at his home among his friends through the day.
2. Where does he go every night?
= He goes to the land of Nod (land of dreams) every night.
3. What is it that the speaker can't remember?
= The speaker can't remember the curious music of the land of Nod (land of dreams).
4. What is the not-so-nice thing that he sees in his dreams?
= Many frightening sights are the not-so-nice things that he sees in his dreams.
C. Read the lines and answer the questions with reference to the context.
1. "All alone beside the streams
And up the mountain-sides of dreams."
a. Who is all alone beside the stream?
= The poet is all alone beside the stream.
b. What does the speaker climb up?
= The speaker climbs up the mountain of the land of Nod (land of dreams).
2. "Try as I like to find the way,
I never can get back by day,"
a. Which place is it that the poet can't find the way to?
= The poet can't find the way to the land of Nod (land of dreams).
b. Why can't he get back to it by day?
= He can't get back to it by day because it is the land of dreams. One can dream only while he is sleeping deeply. One generally have a sound sleep during night not in day.
D. Think and answer.
The speaker says that no matter how hard he tries he can't get back to the land of Nod. Why do you think he wants to get back to that land of dreams?
= The speaker says that no matter how hard he tries he can't get back to the land of Nod. I think he wants to get back to that land of dreams because it is a utopia for him. There is no one to control him of scold him for doing the things he loves to do. He can walk, play, or roam according to his own will.
About the Poet;
Robert Louise Stevenson (1850-1894) was a British poet and novelist known for his works like Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Belonging to a family of lighthouse engineers, Stevenson took up writing because he was always ill. His works have been translated into many languages all over the world and have been praised by several famous writers across time.