Sympathy Poem is written by Charles Mackay. To know more about the poet
Sympathy Poem
I lay in sorrow, deep distressed;
My grief a proud man heard;
His looks were cold, he gave me gold;
But not a kindly word.
My sorrow passed-I paid him back
The gold he gave to me;
Then stood erect and spoke my thanks
And blessed his charity.
I lay in want, and grief, and pain;
A poor man passed my way;
He bound my head, he gave me bread,
He watched me night and day.
How shall I pay him back again
For all he did to me?
Oh, gold is great, but greater far
Is heavenly sympathy.
Sympathy Poem - Summary
In
the poem “Sympathy” the poet describes the incidents
happened with him.
Once he
was lying on ground due to some incident and was feeling hopeless and
full of sorrow, at this time a rich man came with money to help him
but he feels that the man has the pride of his money and has no inner
feelings for him. After some time when poet recover and become able
to return the favour
to the man who helped him. He goes to meet him and return his money
and said God will reward him also for his good deed.
One
the very similar incident the poet was again lying down on ground
with injuries and full of sorrow, this time a poor man helped him
with no money but by taking care of him until he become fully
healthy, the man stayed with him and took very care for him even give
him healthy food to restore the health. This time when he regain his
health and status he don’t know how to pay the poor man back because
this was not about money this was about “sympathy”.
Sympathy Poem - Activities
1. Read the poem and choose the correct options to complete the sentences.
(a) The poet was in deep sorrow. A proud man came and helped him by
(i) offering him kind words
(ii) ignoring him
(iii) giving him gold
(iv) giving him pleasant company
Ans: Giving him gold.
(b) When the poet lay in want and grief, the one who helped him was
(i) a rich man
(ii) a poor man
(iii) a proud man
(iv) a holy man
Ans: A poor man.
(c) The poor man gave the poet
(i) a cold look
(ii) sympathy
(ii) gold
(iv) not a kind word
Ans: Sympathy.
(d) When the poet’s sorrow passed, he went to the proud man and
(i) gave him back the gold
(ii) ignored him
(iii) didn’t give back the gold
(iv) helped him
Ans: Gave him back the gold.
(e) The poet refers to sympathy as ‘heavenly’ because of sympathy
(i) is a feeling found in proud people
(ii) is found only in rich people
(ii) is an ordinary human feeling
(iv) is a blessing from God
Ans: Is a blessing from God.
Sympathy Poem - All Question Answers
2.(a) Here are some questions to help you find out how much you have understood the poem:
(i) How did the proud person help the poet when the poet was unhappy?
Ans: When the poet was unhappy, the proud person helped him with money.
(ii) What did the poor man do when he found the poet lying in pain and sadness?
Ans: When the poet was laying in pain and sadness, the poor man saw him and he bound his head, offered food and took care of him night and day.
(iii) Why does the poet think that he cannot help the man back in the same way?
Ans: The poor man had no money to help the poet, but he had a soulful mind to help him. The poet wonders how to repay an act of selfless kindness. The poor man devoted his sympathy and took care of poet. Sympathy is a heavenly act that cannot be easily paid back.
See more...
(iv) Why is the poor man’s help greater than gold?
Ans: The poor man’s way of help is full of heavenly sympathy. While the proud man offered him money to show the power of wealth, but did not offer any words of sympathy. So, the poor man’s help is greater than gold.
(v).“Oh, gold is great but greater far
Is heavenly sympathy.”
Why does the poet think so?
Ans: Gold or money is exchangeable, can be measured and can be paid back. But sympathy is priceless and can not paid back the same way. So the poet think sympathy is heavenly and greater far than gold.
(b)Find in the poem lines that match the meaning of the following sentences.
(i) I was sad and unhappy.
(ii) I was in need and was sad and hurt.
(iii) He fed me and took care of me.
(iv) Gold is valuable but sympathy and love are far more valuable.
Ans:
(i) I was sad and unhappy. – I lay in sorrow, deeply distressed.
(ii) I was in need and was sad and hurt. – I lay in want, and grief, and pain.
(iii) He fed me and took care of me. – He bound my head, he gave me bread, He watched me night and day.
(iv) Gold is valuable but sympathy and love are far more valuable. – Oh, gold is great but greater far
Is heavenly sympathy.
Continue reading Sympathy Poem...
(c) Make sentences with the following phrases:
(i) look were cold: ____________________________________
(ii) night and day: ____________________________________
(iii) pay him back: ____________________________________
Ans:
(i) look were cold: Rich man looks were cold.
(ii) night and day: The poor man took care of poet night and day.
(iii) pay him back: The poet thinks he can not pay him back sympathy.
3. Below are some lines from the poem with some words underlined. Choose the correct meanings of the words from the options given in brackets.
(a) I lay in sorrow, deep distressed (tired/unhappy/angry)
Answer: ____________________________________
(b) He gave me gold (money/jewellery/sheets)
Answer: ____________________________________
(c) And blessed his charity (money/kind help/pride)
Answer: ____________________________________
(d) A poor man passed my way (to move past/stopped me)
Answer: ____________________________________
(e) Is heavenly sympathy (selfishness/godly goodness/pride)
Answer: ____________________________________
(f) Greater far is heavenly sympathy (the feeling of being sorry at another’s sadness/the feeling of pain/a superior feeling)
Answer: ____________________________________
Ans:
(a) distressed-unhappy
(b) gold-money
(c) charity-kind help
(d) passed-to move past
(e) heavenly-godly goodness
(f) sympathy-the feeling of being sorry at another’s sadness
Sympathy Poem Question Answers
4. Let’s have fun with words.
The jumbled words below have been taken from the poem. Spell the words correctly. List their antonyms (if any) alongside. Mention whether the words are nouns or adjectives. One has done for you.
Answer:
Jumbled Words |
Correct Words |
Antonyms |
Nouns/Adjectives |
wsoror |
Sorrow |
Joy |
noun |
ymsapyth |
Sympathy |
Apathy |
noun |
dkiynl |
Kindly |
Unkindly |
adjective |
ifegr |
Grief |
Joy |
noun |
rdupo |
Proud |
Ashamed |
adjective |
ycahirt |
Charity |
Meanness |
noun |
lcod |
Cold |
Hot |
adjective |
5. As you know, the lines of a poem are not always written like prose. Here are some of the main ideas of the lines of the poem, but in a jumbled order. Rearrange each set of words to get a complete sentence. Remember to start the sentence with a capital letter and end it with a full stop.
(a) deeply/distressed/was/he
(b) heard/a proud man/of/his grief
(c) looks/cold/were/his
(d) didn’t offer/he/a/kindly word
(e) the gold/him/back/paid/to/he
(f) even/thanked/him/I
(g) gave him/bread/the poor man/and/him/looked after
(h) than/the poor man’s/is/gold/greater/sympathy
Ans:
(a) He was deeply distressed.
(b) A proud man heard of his grief.
(c) His looks were cold.
(d) He didn’t offer a kind word.
(e) He paid the gold back to him.
(f) I even thanked him.
(g) The poor man looked after him and gave him bread.
(h) The poor man’s sympathy is greater than gold.
Sympathy Poem Question Answers Continues...
6. Read the paragraphs and then match them to the appropriate stanzas of the poem:
The poet was lying in sorrow and in pain. A poor man saw him and took care of him. He also offered him food to restore the poet’s health. He took great care of the poet until the poet regained his health.
When the poet recovered, he went back to the man and repaid all the gold. He also stood straight, offered the man thanks, and blessed him for this help.
Once the poet was full of grief and very depressed. A rich and proud man heard about the poet’s problems and came to help him. The proud man offered him money but did not offer him any words of sympathy.
The poet wonders how to repay an act of selfless kindness. He realizes that having money to repay a debt is a great thing, but kindness is a heavenly act that cannot be easily repaid.
Answers...
Ans:
I lay in sorrow, deep distressed;
My grief a proud man heard;
His looks were cold, he gave me gold;
But not a kindly word.
Ans: Once the poet was full of grief and very depressed. A rich and proud man heard about the poet’s problems and came to help him. The proud man offered him money but did not offer him any words of sympathy.
My sorrow passed-I paid him back
The gold he gave to me;
Then stood erect and spoke my thanks
And blessed his charity.
Ans: When the poet recovered, he went back to the man and repaid all the gold. He also stood straight, offered the man thanks, and blessed him for this help.
I lay in want, and grief, and pain;
A poor man passed my way;
He bound my head, he gave me bread,
He watched me night and day.
More Question Answers...
Ans: The poet was lying in sorrow and in pain. A poor man saw him and took care of him. He also offered him food to restore the poet’s health. He took great care of the poet until the poet regained his health.
How I pay him back again
For all he did to me?
Oh, gold is great, but greater far
Is heavenly sympathy.
Ans: The poet wonders how to repay an act of selfless kindness. He realizes that having money to repay a debt is a great thing , but kindness is a heavenly act that cannot be easily repaid.
