Question

Sonnet—To Science
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1 Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!

2 Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.

3 Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart,

4 Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?

5 How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise,

6 Who wouldst not leave him in his wanderin

7 To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies,

8 Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?

9 Hast thou not dragged Diana[1] from her car,

10 And driven the Hamadryad[2] from the wood

11 To seek a shelter in some happier star?

12 Hast thou not torn the Naiad[3] from her flood,

13 The Elfin[4] from the green grass, and from me

14 The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree[5]?



[1] Diana: Roman goddess of the moon and hunting.

[2] Hamadryad: A tree nymph from Greek mythology who lives in and is connected to a specific tree.\

[3] Naiad: A Greek water nymph who lives in rivers, streams, and fountains.

[4] Elfin: An elf or fairly-like creature

[5] Tamarind tree: A tropical tree known for it’s fruit; often associated with warm, dreamy landscapes.

Question 14
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Read these lines from the poem.

13 The Elfin from the green grass, and from me

14 The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?

What is the impact of these lines on the poem's meaning?


A. By showing how progress is achieved through careful study.

B. By showing how happiness is created through gaining insight.

C. By showing how strength is developed through new discoveries.

D. By showing how imagination is taken away by growing knowledge.

Answer 1

D. By showing how imagination is taken away by growing knowledge.

These lines emphasize that science strips away myth, fantasy, and the poet’s imaginative "summer dream" (the elfin and dreamy scene), reinforcing Poe’s complaint that growing knowledge destroys poetic wonder.