My Mother at Sixty-six, Explanation, Line by Line, Meaning of Difficult Words, English CBSE Class 12 NCERT Flamingo Poem 1
MY MOTHER AT SIXTY SIX
(Explanation and Meaning of difficult words)
Poet – Kamla Das


| Word | Meaning |
| Beside | Near |
In the morning of Friday, the author was travelling in a car. She was travelling from her parent’s home to Cochin. Her mother was also in the car. She was sitting near her mother. She looks at her mother.


| Word | Meaning |
| Doze | Sleep |
| Ashen | Face having yellow colour |
| Corpse | Dead body |
| Poetic Devices | |
| Ashen like that of corpse | Simile |
Mother was sleeping. Face of mother had become yellow. The colour was same as that of a dead body.


I realized that she had become very old. I felt the pain of losing her. Very soon kept this thought away from my mind.


| Word | Meaning |
| Sprinting | Running fast |
| Merry | Happy |
| Spilling | Coming out |
Now I looked at the trees that were young. They appeared to be running. (When we move in a train or a car, tress at distance seem to be moving in opposite direction). Happy children were coming out of their homes to play.


| Poetic Devices | |
| But after the airport’s security check | Alliteration |
I completed the security check at the airport. After that I stood some distance away from it.


| Word | Meaning |
| Wan | Sick |
| Pale | Yellow |
| Ache | Pain |
| Poetic Devices | |
| Pale as a late winter’s moon | Simile |
| Felt that old familiar ache | Alliteration |
I looked at her (my mother) once again. She was looking sick. Her face was yellow like moon in winter season. (The face was not shining) I felt the pain of losing her. This pain was similar to my feelings during childhood when my mother used to move away from me.


| Word | Meaning |
| See you soon | Will meet you soon |
| Poetic Devices | |
| But all I said was see you soon | Alliteration |
| Smile and smile and smile | Repetition |
But I could not say anything to my mother. I only said that mother, I will meet you very soon. Then I smiled at her.
****


2 Comments
Radha · February 26, 2021 at 1:33 pm
Thanks… ??
Urvashi · March 7, 2021 at 3:12 pm
Thank u sir.
It helps:))