The Village Schoolmaster

1. Beena. E. S, NMCC

2. The Village Schoolmaster is taken from Oliver
Goldsmith’s famous poem The Deserted Village. It is a
splendid, endearing portrait of a schoolmaster believed
to be taken from real life. He is supposed to be Thomas
Byrne, Goldsmith’s teacher at Lissoy. Goldsmith fondly
recalls his school days and native village in his portrayal
of the village schoolmaster.
Beena. E. S, NMCC

3. Beena. E. S, NMCC

4. Beside yon straggling fence that skirts the way
With blossom'd furze unprofitably gay,
Beena. E. S, NMCC

5. The village schoolmaster held his little school
beside an irregular fence with gay flowers.
Blossom'd furze :
A shrub, with yellow flowers.
Unprofitably gay:
The phrase suggests that the flowers are not
admired or appreciated/ the flowers are not of
much use
Beena. E. S, NMCC

6. There, in his noisy mansion, skill'd to rule,
The village master taught his little school;
Beena. E. S, NMCC

7. A man severe he
was, and stern to
view,
strict or harshserious and unrelenting
strict
Beena. E. S, NMCC

8. I knew him well, and every
truant knew;
Well had the boding
tremblers learn'd to trace
The days disasters in his
morning face;
truant—a student who stays away from
school without permission
boding tremblers –students anticipating
being punished by the teacher on that day
and hence trembling in fear
Disaster- an event causing great harm,
damage, or suffering
Beena. E. S, NMCC

9. Full well they laugh'd
with counterfeited
glee,
At all his jokes, for
many a joke had he:
fake
Beena. E. S, NMCC

10. Full well the busy
whisper, circling
round,
Convey'd the dismal
tidings when he
frown'd:
Frowned-furrow one's brows
in an expression indicating
disapproval
Beena. E. S, NMCC

11. He was a strict and stern teacher. He was a
terror to those who played truant. His face
indicated his mood. His jokes were very
dry. The boys laughed at them with
pretended glee just to please the master.
When he was angry the pupils
communicated the fact among
themselves by whispers.
Beena. E. S, NMCC

12. Yet he was kind; or if severe in aught
The love he bore to learning was in fault.
The Village
anything
Beena. E. S, NMCC

13. He was kind. It was his love of learning
that made him very severe. He wanted
to make the boys learned.
Beena. E. S, NMCC

14. The village all declar'd how much he
knew;
Beena. E. S, NMCC

15. 'Twas certain he could write, and
cypher too:
Beena. E. S, NMCC

16. Lands he could measure, terms and tides
presage,
And e'en the story ran that he could gauge.
Beena. E. S, NMCC

17. In arguing too, the parson own'd his skill,
For e'en though vanquish'd he could argue
still;
Beena. E. S, NMCC

18. While words of learned length and
thund'ring sound
Amazed the gazing rustics rang'd around;
Beena. E. S, NMCC

19. And still they gaz'd and still the wonder
grew,
That one small head could carry all he
knew.
Beena. E. S, NMCC

20. He knew how to survey lands.
He could work out simple arithmetical problems.
He could foretell festival times and seasons.
He could measure the contents of a vessel
easily.
He was a good debater.
The villagers wondered how his small head
contained such a wealth of knowledge.
Beena. E. S, NMCC

21. Beena. E. S, NMCC