Ode to a Nightingale – John Keats
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
‘Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,—
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.
O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been
Cool’d a long age in the deep-delved earth,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,
Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!
O for a beaker full of the warm South,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stained mouth;
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:
Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget
What thou among the leaves hast never known,
The weariness, the fever, and the fret
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow
And leaden-eyed despairs,
Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,
Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.
Away! away! for I will fly to thee,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:
Already with thee! tender is the night,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,
Cluster’d around by all her starry Fays;
But here there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.
I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,
But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet
Wherewith the seasonable month endows
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;
Fast fading violets cover’d up in leaves;
And mid-May’s eldest child,
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.
Darkling I listen; and, for many a time
I have been half in love with easeful Death,
Call’d him soft names in many a mused rhyme,
To take into the air my quiet breath;
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad
In such an ecstasy!
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—
To thy high requiem become a sod.
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that oft-times hath
Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.
Forlorn! the very word is like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well
As she is fam’d to do, deceiving elf.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep
In the next valley-glades:
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?
Word Notes
- Aches: hurts
- Drowsy: sleepy
- Numbness: lack of feeling or sensation
- Hemlock: a poisonous plant
- Opiate: a drug that induces sleep or numbs pain
- Lethe-wards: toward forgetfulness or oblivion
- Envy: feeling of jealousy or resentment
- Melodious: pleasant-sounding or musical
- Plot: a piece of land or a story
- Beechen: made of or relating to beech trees
- Numberless: countless or infinite
- Vintage: Old or aged wine.
- Delved: Dug or excavated.
- Flora: Plant life or vegetation.
- Provençal: Relating to Provence, a region in southeastern France known for its culture and language.
- Hippocrene: A fountain on Mount Helicon in Greek mythology, associated with poetic inspiration.
- Beaded: Covered with small droplets or bubbles.
- Winking: Twinkling or flashing.
- Brim: The top edge or rim of a container.
- Purple-stained: Dyed or tinted with purple color.
- Fret: Worry or anxiety.
- Palsy: A condition characterized by uncontrollable shaking or trembling.
- Spectre-thin: Extremely thin or emaciated, like a ghostly figure.
- Despair: A feeling of hopelessness or gloom.
- Leadened: Heavy or weighed down.
- Lustrous: Shiny or radiant.
- Pine: To yearn or long for something intensely.
- Charioted: Transported
- Pards: Leopards
- Poesy: Poetry
- Perplexes: Confuses
- Retards: Hinders
- Haply: Perhaps
- Cluster’d: Surrounded
- Fays: Fairies
- Verdurous: Greenish
- Mossy: Covered in moss
- Incense: Fragrant substance burned for its pleasant smell.
- Embalmed: Preserved, often referring to the preservation of a dead body.
- Seasonable: Suitable for the particular season or time of year.
- Thicket: Dense growth of shrubs or bushes.
- Eglantine: A type of wild rose.
- Violets: Small purple flowers.
- Musk-rose: A type of rose with a strong fragrance.
- Murmurous: Producing a low, continuous, and indistinct sound.
- Haunt: A place frequently visited or inhabited.
- Darkling – In darkness or in the dark.
- Easeful – Comfortable or relaxing.
- Mused – Thought about or contemplated.
- Requiem – A musical composition or hymn for the dead.
- Ecstasy – Intense happiness or euphoria.
- Sod – Ground or earth.
- Ruth: A biblical figure who experienced sadness and longing for home.
- Perilous: Dangerous or risky.
- Faery: Related to fairies or enchanted beings.
- Forlorn: Deserted, lonely, or without hope.
- Adieu: Goodbye or farewell.
- Meadows: Open fields or grassy areas.
- Glades: Open spaces in a forest or wooded area.
- Waking dream: A vivid or realistic dream-like experience while awake.
Explanation of the Poem ‘Ode to a Nightingale’
My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
‘Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,—
That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.
In the opening stanza, the speaker conveys a profound sense of melancholy and physical discomfort. He draws a comparison between this feeling and the effects of consuming a poisonous plant, such as hemlock, or a potent narcotic, like opiate. He also alludes to the Greek mythological concept of Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, which suggests a desire to escape from his current state of mind.
He then turns his attention to a nightingale, expressing that his sadness is not due to envy of the bird’s happiness, but rather because he becomes too immersed in it. The nightingale is depicted as a light-winged Dryad, a woodland nymph, singing amidst a picturesque setting of beech trees and countless shadows. This imagery evokes a serene and idyllic natural landscape.
O, for a draught of vintage! that hath been
Cool’d a long age in the deep-delved earth,
Tasting of Flora and the country green,
Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!
O for a beaker full of the warm South,
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stained mouth;
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:
In this stanza, the speaker expresses a deep yearning for a sip of vintage wine that has been aged underground for an extended period. His desire is to experience a taste that embodies the essence of nature, invoking references to Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, and the vibrant atmosphere of the countryside, complete with dances, Provençal songs, and joyous sun-drenched festivities.
The speaker’s longing for a beaker filled with the warm southern climate symbolizes a pleasurable and intoxicating experience. The mention of Hippocrene, a fountain in Greek mythology that was believed to provide poetic inspiration, suggests that he seeks artistic and imaginative escape. The image of beaded bubbles and a purple-stained mouth adds to the allure of this imaginary drink. By consuming it, he hopes to transcend the mundane world and disappear into the enchanting forest with the nightingale.
Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget
What thou among the leaves hast never known,
The weariness, the fever, and the fret
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs,
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow
And leaden-eyed despairs,
Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,
Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.
The speaker beseeches the bird to fade away, dissolve, and completely disregard the burdens that it has never experienced among the leaves. He draws a sharp contrast between the nightingale’s carefree existence in nature and the suffering and despair that characterizes human life.
He paints a vivid picture of a world where people gather together to share their grievances, where the elderly are afflicted with illness (palsy), and where youth fades away, becoming thin and spectral before ultimately succumbing to death. The mere thought of this world is enough to fill one’s heart with sorrow, and despair weighs down the spirit like a heavy lead.
Furthermore, he suggests that in this world, beauty cannot retain its radiance, and new love quickly fades away, implying the transient nature of happiness and passion in human life.
Away! away! for I will fly to thee,
Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:
Already with thee! tender is the night,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,
Cluster’d around by all her starry Fays;
But here there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown
Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.
In this stanza, the speaker declares his intention to fly towards the nightingale, not carried by the mythical chariot of Bacchus (the god of wine and revelry) and his leopards, but rather on the invisible wings of poetry. He acknowledges that his mundane and perplexed mind may hinder his flight, but he is determined to transcend these limitations.
At that moment, he imagines himself already with the nightingale, emphasizing the tender and serene nature of the night. He suggests that the moon, personified as the Queen-Moon, might be sitting on her throne, surrounded by her starry attendants. However, in the speaker’s current reality, there is no light except what is brought by the breezes from the heavens. This light filters through the lush shadows and meandering paths of the verdant landscape, evoking a sense of mysterious beauty.
I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,
Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,
But, in embalmed darkness, guess each sweet
Wherewith the seasonable month endows
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;
Fast fading violets cover’d up in leaves;
And mid-May’s eldest child,
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.
The speaker acknowledges that he cannot see the flowers that surround him or the fragrant incense that fills the air. However, in the darkness that envelopes him, he can imagine and sense the sweetness that the season bestows upon the grass, the thicket, and the wild fruit trees.
He mentions specific flowers, such as the white hawthorn and the eglantine (a type of wild rose), as well as violets that are beginning to fade and are concealed under leaves. He also anticipates the arrival of the musk-rose, which is associated with the onset of mid-May. He describes it as being filled with dewy wine, evoking its intoxicating aroma and allure.
He further mentions the murmurous sound of flies, which becomes a familiar presence on summer evenings. Despite not being able to see these elements directly, the speaker’s imagination allows him to perceive and appreciate the beauty and sensory delights of the natural world.
Darkling I listen; and, for many a time
I have been half in love with easeful Death,
Call’d him soft names in many a mused rhyme,
To take into the air my quiet breath;
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad
In such an ecstasy!
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain—
To thy high requiem become a sod.
The speaker confesses that he has often been captivated by the idea of a peaceful death. He admits to having whispered affectionate names to Death in his contemplative poetry, longing for it to carry his tranquil breath into the air. Now, more than ever, the prospect of dying seems alluring to him.
He finds richness in the idea of ceasing to exist at midnight, experiencing a painless departure from life. He contrasts this notion with the nightingale’s ongoing expression of its soul in ecstatic song. He laments that even though he is still alive, he feels as if he is unable to fully appreciate the nightingale’s music, rendering his ears useless. He desires to become part of the nightingale’s requiem, to merge with the earth and become one with nature in death.
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that oft-times hath
Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.
The speaker addresses the nightingale as an immortal bird, emphasizing its enduring nature. He contrasts the nightingale’s immortality with the mortal fate of human beings who are eventually trampled down by successive generations and consigned to the grave.
The voice of the nightingale, he claims, is not limited to the present time but has been heard throughout history. It suggests that the same song might have resonated in the ears of both emperors and commoners in ancient times. He imagines the nightingale’s song finding its way into the heart of Ruth, a biblical figure who experienced longing and sorrow while standing among unfamiliar fields. The song has also charmed and captivated listeners in distant lands, conjuring images of magical windows opening onto treacherous seas and enchanted, forsaken realms.
Forlorn! the very word is like a bell
To toll me back from thee to my sole self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well
As she is fam’d to do, deceiving elf.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,
Up the hill-side; and now ’tis buried deep
In the next valley-glades:
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:—Do I wake or sleep?
In the final stanza, the speaker reflects on the word “forlorn” and compares it to the tolling of a bell that brings him back to his own solitary self. He bids farewell to the nightingale, acknowledging that his imagination cannot deceive him as effectively as it is rumored to do, being a trickster itself.
He repeats the farewell, emphasizing the fading of the nightingale’s plaintive anthem. He describes how the sound recedes beyond the nearby meadows, over the tranquil stream, and up the hillside, until it is finally buried deep in the distant valley-glades. He questions whether the experience of hearing the nightingale’s song was a mere vision or a vivid waking dream.
The poem concludes with the realization that the music has vanished. The speaker questions his own state of consciousness, pondering whether he is awake or caught in the realm of sleep.
Figures of Speech in Ode to a Nightingale
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the clever repetition of consonant sounds within a line. For instance, in the line “That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees,” the repetition of the /th/ sound creates an alliterative effect.
- Simile: A simile is a figure of speech that compares one thing to another in order to convey its meaning. In the second stanza of the poem, Keats uses a simile when he writes, “Forlorn! the very word is like a bell.” Here, he compares the word “forlorn” to the sound of a bell to emphasize its impact.
- Enjambment: Enjambment occurs when a sentence or thought continues from one line to the next without a pause. For example, consider these lines from the poem: “My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, / Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains.” The sentence flows uninterrupted across the line break, creating enjambment.
- Imagery: Imagery is a literary device that appeals to the reader’s senses, allowing them to visualize the writer’s emotions and ideas. Keats uses vivid imagery to depict his despair in lines such as “though of hemlock I had drunk,” “Past the near meadows,” and “Fast fading violets covered up in leaves.”
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within a line of poetry. For instance, the /o/ sound in “In some melodious plot” and the /i/ sound in “The voice I hear this passing night was heard” demonstrate assonance.
- Metaphors: Metaphors are figures of speech that compare two unrelated things. In this poem, Keats employs two metaphors. In line eleven, he compares a beaker full of warm liquid to the weather of the southern country. This metaphorical comparison enhances the reader’s understanding.
- Personification: involves attributing human qualities to non-human entities. Keats uses personification in line twenty-nine when he describes “where beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,” giving the concept of beauty human-like characteristics. Another instance of personification occurs in line thirty-six with the phrase “The Queen moon is on her throne.”
- Anaphora: Anaphora is the repetition of initial words or phrases in successive sentences, stanzas, or even throughout the entire poem. Keats employs anaphora in this poem with the repetition of the word “where.” For example, in the following lines, the word “where” is repeated to emphasize the existence of the poet’s imaginative world: “Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last gray hairs, / Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies; / Where but to think is to be full of sorrow / And leaden-eyed despairs, / Where Beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes.”
- Apostrophe: is a literary device used to address someone or something absent or not physically present. In line sixty-one, the poet uses apostrophe when he calls out, “Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird,” as if speaking to a bird that is far away or no longer alive.
MCQs & Answers from Ode to a Nightingale
1. It waa………. when Keats heard the song of the Nightingale?
a) Winter
b) Summer
c) Spring
d) Autumn
Answer: c) Spring
2. “My heart aches…” The cause of ache is
a) Joy
b) Despair
c) Inability
d) Disability
Answer: a) Joy
3. “My sense, as though of hemlock I had…..”
a) drunk
b) dried
c) fried
d) sunk
Answer: a) drunk
4. Keats suggests the……. of the Nightingale’s song.
a) transience
b) permanence
c) wisdom
d) neutrality
Answer: b) permanence
5. How many stanzas are there in the poem Ode to a Nightingale?
a) 5
b) 6
c) 7
d) 8
Answer: d) 8
6. The 8th line of each stanza of the poem is written in
a) iambic trimeter
b) iambic tetrameter
c) iambic pentameter
d) iambic hexameter
Answer: a) iambic trimeter
7. ‘Tis not through envy of thy happy lot.’ Here ‘lot’ means
a) Bird
b) Song
c) Condition
d) Destiny
Answer: b) Song
8. Each stanza of Ode to a Nightingale contains
a) 7 lines
b) 8 lines
c) 9 lines
d) 10 lines
Answer: d) 10 lines
9. When Ode to a Nightingale was written, Keats was in
a) England
b) America
c) India
d) Germany
Answer: a) England
10. What season is mentioned in the poem?
a) Winter
b) Spring
c) Summer
d) Autumn
Answer: c) Summer
11. What does the phrase “beaded bubbles winking at the brim” refer to?
a) Stars sparkling in the night sky
b) Dewdrops on flower petals
c) Sparkling wine in a glass
d) Raindrops falling on a pond
Answer: c) Sparkling wine in a glass
12. Which poetic form does “Ode to a Nightingale” belong to?
a) Sonnet
b) Ballad
c) Ode
d) Haiku
Answer: c) Ode
13. What are some allusions to mythology in the poem?
a) Lethe, Bacchus, and Flora
b) Ruth, dryads, and Pegasus
c) Hippocrene, Bacchus, and Lethe
d) Flora, dryads, and Ruth
Answer: a) Lethe, Bacchus, and Flora
14. How does Keats intend to join the nightingale in his fantasy world?
a) Through Bacchanalian revelry
b) Through drinking fine wine
c) Through poetry and art
d) Through immortality and beauty
Answer: c) Through poetry and art
15. What is hemlock?
a) A poisonous herb
b) A type of flower
c) A sedative drug
d) A hallucinogenic plant
Answer: a) A poisonous herb
16. Lethe is one of the five rivers in Hades. What is another name for Lethe?
a) Styx
b) Acheron
c) Cocytus
d) Ameles potamos
Answer: d) Ameles potamos
17. What is the effect of drinking the waters of Lethe?
a) Eternal youth
b) Enhanced memory
c) Forgetfulness
d) Immortality
Answer: c) Forgetfulness
18. Which Greek god or goddess is associated with the river Lethe?
a) Hades
b) Poseidon
c) Hermes
d) Persephone
Answer: a) Hades
19. What is a Dryad?
a) A sea creature
b) A woodland nymph
c) A celestial being
d) A fire spirit
Answer: b) A woodland nymph
20. Which element of nature are Dryads primarily associated with?
a) Water
b) Air
c) Earth
d) Fire
Answer: c) Earth
21. According to Greek mythology, what do Dryads inhabit?
a) Rivers and lakes
b) Caves and underground realms
c) Trees and forests
d) Mountains and cliffs
Answer: c) Trees and forests
22. Provence was known for their songs of:
a) Religious devotion
b) Love and chivalry
c) Political protest
d) Folklore and mythology
Answer: b) Love and chivalry
23. Provençal songs are associated with which region in France?
a) Normandy
b) Brittany
c) Provence
d) Alsace
Answer: c) Provence
24. Where is the Hippocrene fountain located?
a) Mt. Olympus
b) Mt. Helicon
c) Mt. Parnassus
d) Mt. Ida
Answer: b) Mt. Helicon.
25. According to Greek mythology, what did drinking from the Hippocrene fountain grant?
a) Eternal youth
b) Immortality
c) Poetic inspiration
d) The ability to fly
Answer: c) Poetic inspiration
26. Bacchus is associated with which of the following?
a) War
b) Healing
c) Wine and fertility
d) Wisdom and knowledge
Answer: c) Wine and fertility
27. Bacchus is often accompanied by a group of female followers known as:
a) Muses
b) Graces
c) Furies
d) Maenads
Answer: d) Maenads
28. Which biblical character is mentioned in Ode to a Nightingale?
a) Naomi
b) Ruth
c) Boaz
d) Obed
Answer: b) Ruth
29. “O, for a draught of…. ” Here the poet longs for
a) wine
b) immortality
c) imagination
d) opium
Answer: a) wine
30. “Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies”. Rhetorically the line is an example of
a) Simile
b) Metaphor
c) Synecdoche
d) Alliteration
Answer: c) Synecdoche
31. Keats wishes the wine having the association of
a) Bacchus
b) Maenad
c) Flora
d) Venus
Answer: c) Flora
32. “But, in embalmed darkness ,” Here Keats suggests ——- image .
a) colour
b) death
c) flower
d) life
Answer: b) death
33. ” … and leave the world unseen .” This line explores
a) escapism
b) imagery
c) sensuousness
d) realism
Answer: a) escapism
34. “Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene .” Here Keats describes
a) the beauty of a girl
b) the colour of wine
c) fountain
d) Pegasus
Answer: b) the colour of wine
35. “Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!”. This line is an instance of
a) Pun
b) Chiasmus
c) Epigram
d) Alliteration
Answer: c) Epigram
36. “sunburnt mirth .” Rhetorically this is an example of
a) Pun
b) Personification
c) Hyperbole
d) Transferred epithet
Answer: d) Transferred epithet
37. “the blushful Hippocrene.” Hyppocrene is the name of a/an
a) river
b) angel
c) fountain
d) deity
Answer: c) fountain
38. “O for a beaker full of the warm South “. Rhetorically this is an example of
a) Oxymoron
b) Metonymy
c) Zeugma d) Pun
Answer: b) Metonymy
39. “Lethe-wards had sunk” Here we find a /an allusion.
a) biblical
b) historical
c) classical
d) medieval
Answer: c) classical
40.”…to my sole self.”Here ‘sole self’ means
a) imagination
b) escapism
c) elf
d) reality
Answer: d) reality
41. “and leave the world -____ ” Fill in the blank.
a) then
b) unknown
c) unconscious
d) unseen
Answer: d) unseen
41. “Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.” Rhetorically this is an example of
a) Zeugma
b) Synecdoche
c) Litotes
d) Irony
Answer: b) Synecdoche
42. “No hungry generations tread thee down.” Here the term ‘hungry’ is applied to
a) the bird
b) Nature
c) human beings
d) the fairies
Answer: c) human beings
43. “Call’d him soft names.” Here the poet speaks of
a) wine
b) imagination
c) the bird
d) death
Answer: d) death
44. Flora is the goddess of
a) flower
b) wine
c) love
d) marriage
Answer: a) flower
45. ” I cannot see what flowers are at my feet.” The poet is unable to see due to
a) darkness
b) intense light
c) his slumber
d) his lack of attention
Answer: a) darkness
46. “Still wouldst thou sing .” Here ‘still’ refers to the
a) at present
b) after the poet’s death
c) past
d) after the poet’s arrival to the world of the nightingale
Answer: b) after the poet’s death
47. “I have been half in love with …Death .” Fill in the blank.
a) prompt
b) painless
c) easeful
d) easy
Answer: c) easeful
48. “And with thee fade away into the forest——- Fill in the blank
a) deep
b) green
c) dense
d) dim
Answer: d) dim
49. “Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies.” Here ‘spectre-thin’ means thin like
a) rope
b) ghost
c) fairy
d) finger
Answer: a) ghost
50. “that hath been /Cool’d a long age ” Here the poet speaks of
a) sorrow
b) wine
c) imagination
d) flower
Answer: b) wine
