From a Railway Carriage (Explanation) for Class V ICSE

“From a Railway Carriage” written by R.L.( Robert Louis) Stevenson

First Para:

Faster than fairies, Faster than witches,

Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;

And charging along like troops in a battle,

All through the meadows the horses and cattle.

Reference to context:

These lines have been taken from the poem “From a Railway Carriage” written by Robert Louis Stevenson.

In this poem poet shares his experience of a railway journey with us. He describes it’s speed very amazing. He presents natural senses seen from the window of a railway carriage.

Explanation to the First Para:

Poet says that train runs more quickly than the fairies can fly or the witches can move. When train advances forward it seems as the soldiers are attacking enemy in a battle field. The train rushes on leaving bridges, houses, fences and ditches behind. It also leaves behind the green fields where horses and Cattle are grazing.

Some Meanings:

Fairies : A fairy is a type of mythical being 

Witches: A witch is a person who practices witchcraft

Ditches: A ditch can be a man-made trench, usually long and narrow, dug into the earth

Second Para:

All of the sights of the hill and plain

Fly as the thick as driving rain;

And ever again, in the wink of an eye,

Painted stations whistle by.

Reference to context:

These lines have been taken from the poem “From a Railway Carriage” written by Robert Louis Stevenson.

In this poem poet shares his experience of a railway journey with us. He describes its speed very amazing. He presents natural scenes seen from the window of a railway carriage.

Explanation for para Second:

Poet says that all the scenes of hill and plain were being crossed by train as quick as one drop of rain follows another drop in a storm. Again and again in very short moment train was crossing stations with a whistle. From the window of compartment of train buildings of stations were seemed as painted pictures.

Third Para:

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles;

All by himself and gathering brambles;

Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;

And there is green for stringing the daisies.

Reference to context:

These lines have been taken from the poem “From a Railway Carriage” written by Robert Louis Stevenson.

In this poem poet shares his experience of a railway journey with us. He describes its speed very amazing. He presents natural scenes seen from the window of a railway carriage.

Explanation for Para: Third :

In these lines poet says that from the window of the compartment of train he sees a child climbing a steep ground by himself with difficulty. The child was also gathering black berries during climbing. Poet sees a homeless person who was looking at the train with amazement. He also sees some ladies in a common village grassy land, they were making garlands of daisy flowers.

Fourth Para:

Here is a cart run away in the road,

Lumping along with man and load;

And here is a mill and there is a river;

Each a glimpse and gone for ever!

Reference to context:

These lines have been taken from the poem “From a Railway Carriage” written by Robert Louis Stevenson.

In this poem poet shares his experience of a railway journey with us. He describes its speed very amazing. He presents natural scenes seen from the window of  a railway carriage.

Explanation for Para: Fourth:

Poet says that he sees a cart moving slowly in the middle of a highway it was full of load and a cart driver was sitting on the top of the load. He sees a water mill and river while travelling in the train. All these objects appeared and then disappeared so quickly that poet looked at them for very brief time and they can never be seen again.