The poem is a metaphorical account of the journey and functions of the night mail train between Scotland and England. It symbolically represents the journey of a diligent and determined person. Despite facing difficulties like climbs and uneven terrain on its journey, the personified night mail remains committed to its duties and reaches its destination on time, reflecting the human ability to overcome challenges through perseverance.

1. KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND
SCIENCES

2. W.H AUDEN
1. 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973
2. Playwright, critic and poet
3. He was an ANGLO-AMERICAN POET
4. He is considered one of the finest English
5. or American poets and one of the best
6. poets of the 20th century
7. He is an EXEMPLARY POET OF MODERNISM
8. along with T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound
9. MORAL ISSUES IN POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND
10. PSYCHOLOGICAL BACKGROUND
11. Famous for INTELLECT AND WIT
12. Called ANTI-ROMANTIC
13. He is famous for his BOLD AND
14. LYRICAL TREATMENT OF CONTEMPORARY
15. ISSUES OF HUMANITY
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND
SCIENCES

3. NIGHT MAIL
1. This is the night mail crossing the Border,
Bringing the cheque and the postal order,
Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,
The shop at the corner, the girl next door.
2.
Pulling up Beattock, a steady climb:
The gradient's against her, but she's on time.
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
3.
Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.
Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from bushes at her blank-faced
coaches.
4.
Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
They slumber on with paws across.
In the farm she passes no one wakes,
But a jug in a bedroom gently shakes.
5. PULLING UP:-dragging, arriving, drawing
6. STEADY:--Continuous, constant, regular, firm
7. GRADIENT:--slope, incline, ramp, hill,
8. MOORLAND:--farmland, grassy,
9. BOULDER:--rock, hill, mountain
10.SHOVELLING:--emitting, throwing,
11.SNORTING:--grunting, panting
12.APPROACH:--reach, nears
13.STARE:--gaze, look, glare
14.BLANK-FACED:--emotionless, emptiness
15.TURN: ---change,
16.COURSE:--way, passage, path, channel
17.SLUMBER:--sleep, nap, snooze, doze
18.GENTLY:--softly, kindly, quietly, softly,
smoothly
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND SCIENCES

4. NIGHT MAIL
1. Metaphorical poem
2. About functions of a mail train
3. Recite at the ceremony of a
documentary
4. About a night mail between Scotland
and England
5. Prepare in 1936
6. Literally about the journey of a night
mail
7. Tell about the life of a determined
person
8. Remain punctual and resolute
9. Reach his destination
1. THIS IS THE NIGHT MAIL CROSSING THE
BORDER,
1. Describe the function
2. Source of communication
3. Join two countries
4. Capitalized
5. Proper noun
6. Between England and Scotland
2. BRINGING THE CHEQUE AND THE POSTAL
ORDER,
1. Perform various functions
2. Bring cheques and postal orders
3. LETTERS FOR THE RICH, LETTERS FOR THE
POOR,
1. Serve all
2. Find no difference between the rich and
the poor
3. Bring letters for
4. Get benefit from it
4. THE SHOP AT THE CORNER, THE GIRL NEXT
DOOR.
1. Bring personal and business letters
2. Reflect personal communication
3. Show business communication
4. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NIGHT MAIL?
5. WHAT ARE ITS QUALITIES?
6. WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS
PERFORMED BY THE NIGHT MAIL?
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND SCIENCES

5. NIGHT MAIL
1. PULLING UP BEATTOCK, A STEADY CLIMB:
1. Cross the border between
2. Climb up the Beattock
3. Mountain between two countries
4. Move steadily
5. Care for the slope
6. Symbol of a hardworking person
7. Metaphor of difficulties on the way
8. Show the journey of life
9. Many ups and downs on the way
10.Continue his journey through thick and
thin
11.LOST TIME IS NEVER FOUND AGAIN
2. THE GRADIENT'S AGAINST HER, BUT SHE'S
ON TIME.
1. Reach its destination in time
2. Gradient on its way
3. Stop its journey
4. Symbol of difficulty
5. Personify the night mail
6. Use feminine pronoun
7. Represent a determined person
8. Fight for his goal
9. “TIME IS, TIME WAS, BUT TIME SHALL
BE NO MORE.JAMES
10.Reach his destination in spite of
difficulties
11.“DETERMINATION TODAY LEADS TO
SUCCESS TOMORROW”
12.Symbol of a successful person
3. PAST COTTON-GRASS AND MOORLAND
BOULDER
1. Describe the journey of
2. Uneven as well as rough places
3. Cotton fields and rocks
4. Symbols of ups and downs
5. “TIME AND TIDE WAITS FOR NONE”
6. Just like human life
7. Characterized by many ups and down
8. Two symbols, fields and boulder
9. Difficulties and comforts
10.“FALL SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP EIGHT”
(JAPANESE PROVERB)
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND SCIENCES

6. NIGHT MAIL
1. SHOVELLING WHITE STEAM OVER HER
SHOULDER,
1. Emit steam from its top
2. Personify the night mail
3. Use her shoulder for the train
4. Compare it with a person
5. Use feminine pronoun “her shoulder”
6. Clarify the mage with personification
2. SNORTING NOISILY AS SHE PASSES
1. Pass by, produce sound
2. Whistle while passing
3. Again personify
4. Make noise like human snorting
3. SILENT MILES OF WIND-BENT GRASSES.
1. Pass by the grassy field
2. Move very fast
3. Make the grass bend down due to air
4. Move on for many miles
5. Show its fast speed
6. Affect its surroundings
7. “MAN GETS WHATEVER HE STRIVES
FOR” (AL-QURAN)
8. WRITE A NOTE ON ITS JOURNEY. OR
WHERE DOES IT PASS THROUGH?
4. BIRDS TURN THEIR HEADS AS SHE
APPROACHES,
1. Show the response if the birds
2. Fly when some vehicle approaches
3. Different in present case
4. Fly at the arrival of
5. Just turn their heads as it reach
6. Show the reaction of the people
7. React as they look at the determined
person
5. STARE FROM BUSHES AT HER BLANK-FACED
COACHES.
1. Look at the train
2. Consider its compartments blank faced
3. Show the reaction of the people
4. Look emotionless to the common people
5. Another example of personification,
“blank faced”
6. WHAT IS THE REACTION OF THE
BIRDS?
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND SCIENCES

7. NIGHT MAIL
1. SHEEP-DOGS CANNOT TURN HER COURSE;
1. Show the reaction of the dogs
2. Take care of sheep while grazing
3. React
4. Often bark at moving vehicles
5. Just keep sleeping
6. Know the course of train unchangeable
7. Also symbolize opposition and reaction
of people
8. HOW DO THE SHEEPDOGS REACT?
2. THEY SLUMBER ON WITH PAWS ACROSS.
1. Keep on sleeping
2. Bark at the night mail
3. Get tired of barking or criticism
3. IN THE FARM SHE PASSES NO ONE WAKES,
1. Habitual of it
2. Disturb no one
3. Awake in the farm house
4. Symbolize the reaction of the people
5. “SUCCESS SEEMS TO BE
CONNECTED WITH ACTION.
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE KEEP
MOVING. THEY MAKE MISTAKE, BUT
THEY DON’T QUIT” CONRAD HILTON
6. Leave reacting the success of the
determined people
4. BUT A JUG IN A BEDROOM GENTLY SHAKES
1. Shake in the bedroom
2. Show the minor disturbance in life
WHAT IS ITS EFFECT ON THE LIFE AT FARM
HOUSE
HOW DOES IT AFFECT ITS SURROUNDING?
WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA OF THE POEM?
WHAT IS THE PERSONIFICATION IN THE
POEM?
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND SCIENCES

8. NIGHT MAIL
1. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NIGHT MAIL?
QUALITIES
The night mail is the source of
communication. It brings letters,
cheques and postal orders. It brings
letters both for the rich and the poor.
1. WRITE A NOTE ON ITS JOURNEY. OR
WHERE DOES IT PASS THROUGH?
The journey of the night mail is not even
and easy. It passes through cotton fields
and moorland boulder. It crosses the
gradient. It emits steam and makes a
noise. But despite all difficulties, it
reaches on time.
1. HOW DOES IT AFFECT ITS
SURROUNDING?
The night mail doesn’t affect its
surroundings because everyone is
habitual of it. It disturbs no one. The
sheep dogs keep on sleeping while birds
just stare at it. The people at farm
house don’t get awoke as a result of the
train.
1. HOW DO THE SHEEPDOGS REACT?
The sheepdogs don’t bark at the night
mail. They even don’t run after it. They
keep on sitting and sleeping on its
arrival. They represent the opposition to
a determined and successful person
1. WHAT IS THE REACTION OF THE BIRDS?
The birds don’t fly to see the night mail.
They stare at the coaches of the train.
They have become habitual of it.
1. WHAT IS ITS EFFECT ON THE LIFE AT
FARM HOUSE?
The night mail doesn’t disturb farm life
at all. Only a jug shakes in the bedroom.
The night mail is consistent. The people
have become habitual of its arrival.
1. WHAT IS THE MAIN IDEA OF THE POEM?
The poet gives an account of the
journey and functions of the night mail
symbolically. It denotes a diligent and
determined person who always reaches
his destination in spite of difficulties
and problems
1. WHAT IS THE PERSONIFICATION IN THE
POEM?
The personification is to give human
attributes to inanimate objects. The
night mail has been described as a
determined and diligent person. The
poet has used feminine pronouns for the
night mail.
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND SCIENCES

9. NIGHT MAIL
1. A symbolic and metaphorical poem
2. The poet discusses the role of a mail train in the
perspective of human life
3. This poem was written with the documentary of Night
Mail in 1936
4. The poet gives an account of its functions
5. It is the source of communication and serves humanity
by performing various functions.
6. It connects the people living both neighbouring
countries, England and Scotland.
7. It joins Scotland and England
8. It brings letters, cheques and postal orders
9. The poet personifies it
10. He gives it the role of a committed person
11. He is hardworking and punctual
12. “DETERMINATION TODAY LEADS TO SUCCESS
TOMORROW”
13. He compares the journey of the night mail to human
life
14. The night mail passes through different stages
15. It passes by the Beatock mountain, grassy fields,
moorlands and boulders.
16. The journey of the night mail is personified and the
poet uses feminine pronouns for the train.
17. All these things symbolize the uneven journey of
human life
18. The passage of life is very difficult
19. Life has ups and downs on the way
20. Mountains are the metaphor of difficulties and trials in
life
21. A diligent person always remains committed through
thick and thin.
22. It gives a lesson of “FALL SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP
EIGHT” (JAPANESE PROVERB)
23. The night mail is the personification of a determined
person: “MAN GETS WHATEVER HE STRIVES FOR” (AL-
QURAN)
24. Likewise, a punctual person remains determined
25. He believes, “I AM NOT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME: I AM
WHAT I WANT TO BECOME”
26. The train passes by cotton fields, plains and mountains
27. It reaches its destination on time
28. Similarly, a committed person takes care of time.
29. He knows, “TIME AND TIDE WAITS FOR NONE”
30. The poet gives the importance of time in life because,
“LOST TIME IS NEVER FOUND AGAIN.”
31. The arrival of the train affects its surroundings
32. The poet mentions birds, dogs and farm life
33. They react differently on its arrival
34. The dogs Keep on sleeping rather barking
35. The birds don’t fly and keep on sitting on the branches
of trees.
36. They have become habitual of its arrival
37. “TIME IS, TIME WAS, BUT TIME SHALL BE NO
MORE.JAMES JOYCE”
38. The dogs and birds represent the surrounding people
and their opposition
39. They react antagonistically in the beginning but later
on they leave criticizing the diligent person
40. “SUCCESS SEEMS TO BE CONNECTED WITH ACTION.
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE KEEP MOVING. THEY MAKE
MISTAKE, BUT THEY DON’T QUIT” CONRAD HILTON
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND SCIENCES

10. KHUDA HAFIZ
KBL ACADEMY OF ENGLISH AND
SCIENCES