Bihar Board Class 10 · English · Matric exam 2027
Chapter 8: Martha — notes
The chapter’s 4 parts in the book’s order — the first idea of each and the points Medha Ma’am writes on the board — and the summary at the end. The full lesson and a check question for each part are in the app.
1. About the Poet, Walter de la Mare
Okay, so, let's talk a little about the poet first.
- • Poet: Walter de la Mare (1873-1956)
- • Different from poets like T. S. Eliot
- • Creates atmosphere of mystery, dream-like reality
- • Other poems: The Listener, The Scarecrow, Arabia
2. Martha Telling Her Stories
Okay, so let's enter the poem itself.
- • 'Once...Once upon a time...' - how Martha begins
- • Setting: hazel glen (greenish-brown valley)
- • Martha's eyes: clear grey, tranquil as dreams
- • Martha sits: slim hands clasped round bended knees
- • Children: lie on elbows, stared at ease
- • Her voice, chin, grave head = half the meaning
3. The Dream-like Magic of the Stories
Okay, so look at the board.
- • 'Once...Once upon a time...' repeated
- • Like a dream you dream in the night
- • Fairies and gnomes stole out
- • In the leaf-green light
- • Fairies = imaginary creatures with magical power
4. Martha's Beauty Fading Away
Okay, so look at what happens as Martha's voice runs on.
- • Her beauty would fade as her voice ran on
- • Hazel, summer sun, all things gone
- • 'All fordone and forgot' - finished, forgotten
- • Compared to clouds in the height of the sky
- • Hearts stood still in the hush
- • = stillness of an age gone by
Summary
Okay, so let's close with Martha, by Walter de la Mare. It opens with Martha telling her stories again and again, in the hazel glen. She always starts the same way — 'Once...Once upon a time...'. Notice how the poet first shows us Martha herself — her calm grey eyes, her slim hands clasped round her knees. The children lie on their elbows, staring at her in ease. Her voice and her grave head carry half the meaning of her words — even before she speaks. Then the poem turns the storytelling into a dream. Fairies and gnomes steal out in the leaf-green light. That's de la Mare for you — always this dream-like, mysterious air. And finally, as her voice runs on, her beauty fades away. The hazel glen, the summer sun — gone. Everything becomes fordone and forgot. But the listeners' hearts stay still, in the hush of an age gone by. So the poem moves from a calm story-telling moment, into a dream, and fades into a quiet sadness. Tell me — what do you think that last image, the hush of an age gone by, is trying to make us feel?
AskMedha · Medha Ma’am — Bihar Board Class 10 English, Chapter 8. Written from the textbook, checked twice.
Questions parents and students ask
- How do I get the "Martha" notes as a PDF?
- Press "Save as PDF" — the phone’s print sheet opens; choose "Save as PDF" there. The PDF holds the notes only.
- Where are these notes written from?
- From the chapter’s own textbook text, part by part, in the book’s own terms; a second, independent model then checked every part against the book. The full lesson, a check question for each part and the practice are in the AskMedha app.
The same preparation, with Medha Ma’am — on your phone
Every question of every chapter with its model answer, practice questions in the board’s own shapes, 60 minutes of class a day, written answers marked, a test every Sunday and a WhatsApp report to parents.
Medha Ma’am is an AI teacher, not a live tutor. Every answer is checked twice; a person takes responsibility.