This poem, "By the Fireside," was written by a girl at Manchester High School for Girls in 1904. The girl was about 12 years old. The poem was printed in the School Magazine.
What to look at in the poem
The girl is making pictures of the shapes of the flames and the coal which she sees in the fire. Victorian houses were heated by coal fires. The girl imagines that she sees a fairy palace, deep caves with figures in the entrances and landscapes with mountains and paths.
Tasks
The poem is written in poetic language. Find the poetic words which the girl used for the following:
the flames of the fire
the burnt coals in the fire
caves
entrances
Write in modern English phases which mean the same as the following poetic phrases which the girl used in the poem:
surely 'tis not
paths which ever turn and wind
blaze flickers to and fro
o'er vale and hill