Midnight Express - Alfred Noyes
In a mouldy old book in the attic I found it,
A picture of somebody flying,
From somebody else, who was hotly pursuing
With a look of inconceivable hate.
The book was bound in mouldy black leather,
The pages were yellow and blotted.
The story was thirty years old, and the name of the author
Was written in blood-or it seemed so.
I crept up to bed in the dark and the shadows,
My heart beating fast as a drum,
And I saw the grim picture again on the ceiling,
And I knew that the moment had come.
When the house was all quiet, I lit my candle,
And tiptoeing softly, I went to the book,
To look at the horrible picture again,
And to read, if I dared, what it said.
And I read, "He was hunted for life." And the letters grew large,
And the print began swimming and blurred,
And the pursuer's face, it was white as a maggot,
And the face of the man who fled.
And I dreamed that I saw him again in the moonlight,
The man who was running away.
He was running so hard that he gasped and he stumbled,
But he still kept on running away.
And the Midnight Express, like a phantom, came roaring,
With a shriek and a rush and a roar,
And the man who was running was caught in the head-lights,
And I knew that I'd see him no more.
বাংলায় ব্যাখ্যা (Bengali Explanation)
কবিতাটি একটি শিশুর মনের ভয় ও তার কল্পনা জগতের এক সুন্দর চিত্র তুলে ধরে। শিশুটি একটি পুরোনো বইয়ে একটি ছবি দেখে ভয় পায়, যেখানে একজন লোক পালাচ্ছে। এই ভয় তার স্বপ্নেও হানা দেয় এবং সে দেখে যে লোকটি একটি রহস্যময় "মিডনাইট এক্সপ্রেস" ধরার জন্য ছুটছে। ট্রেনটি যেন মৃত্যুর বা বিপদের প্রতীক। কবি এখানে দেখিয়েছেন যে ছোটবেলার ভয়গুলো কতটা শক্তিশালী হতে পারে এবং আমাদের কল্পনা কীভাবে সেগুলোকে আরও বড় করে তোলে। কবিতাটি আমাদের শৈশবের সেইসব ভয়ের কথা মনে করিয়ে দেয় যা আজও আমাদের স্মৃতিতে রয়ে গেছে।
About the Author - Alfred Noyes
Alfred Noyes (16 September 1880 – 25 June 1958) was a well-known English poet, short-story writer, and playwright. He is best known for his narrative poems, "The Highwayman" and "The Barrel-Organ."
Noyes's poetry is characterized by its vivid imagery, strong rhythms, and storytelling quality. He often wrote about English history, legends, and the sea. His work was very popular during his lifetime and continues to be appreciated for its musicality and engaging narratives.
"Midnight Express" is a fine example of his ability to create a suspenseful and atmospheric narrative that explores the themes of childhood fear and imagination.
বাংলায় পরিচিতি (Bengali Translation)
আলফ্রেড নয়েস (১৬ সেপ্টেম্বর ১৮৮০ – ২৫ জুন ১৯৫৮) একজন বিখ্যাত ইংরেজ কবি, ছোটগল্পকার এবং নাট্যকার ছিলেন। তিনি তার বর্ণনামূলক কবিতা "দ্য হাইওয়েম্যান" এবং "দ্য ব্যারেল-অর্গান"-এর জন্য সবচেয়ে বেশি পরিচিত।
নয়েসের কবিতার বৈশিষ্ট্য হলো এর 생생 (vivid) চিত্রকল্প, জোরালো ছন্দ এবং গল্প বলার ধরন। তিনি প্রায়শই ইংল্যান্ডের ইতিহাস, কিংবদন্তি এবং সমুদ্র নিয়ে লিখতেন। তার জীবদ্দশায় তার কাজ খুব জনপ্রিয় ছিল এবং এর সঙ্গীতময়তা ও আকর্ষণীয় গল্পের জন্য আজও প্রশংসিত হয়।
"মিডনাইট এক্সপ্রেস" তার সাসপেন্সপূর্ণ এবং বায়ুমণ্ডলীয় আখ্যান তৈরির ক্ষমতার একটি চমৎকার উদাহরণ, যা শৈশবের ভয় এবং কল্পনার বিষয়গুলোকে অন্বেষণ করে।
Words from the Poem
অনুশীলনী
বইয়ের সব প্রশ্নের সমাধান
Activity 1 ▼
Tick the correct alternative:
(a) The child found the book in the - (i) drawing room (ii) attic (iii) library
(b) The pages of the book were - (i) white and new (ii) yellow and blotted (iii) old and torn
(c) The child saw the picture again - (i) in his mind (ii) on the ceiling (iii) on the floor
(d) The train came - (i) roaring (ii) whistling (iii) slowly
Activity 2 ▼
Complete the following sentences with information from the text:
(a) The book was bound in mouldy black leather.
(b) The pursuer had a look of inconceivable hate.
(c) The child's heart was beating as fast as a drum.
(d) The train came with a shriek and a rush and a roar.
Activity 3 ▼
Answer the following question:
Why did the name of the author seem to be written in blood?
The name of the author seemed to be written in blood because the ink was likely red and had smudged over the thirty-year-old yellowed page. This, combined with the frightening picture, made the child's fearful imagination perceive it as blood.
Activity 4 ▼
Write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements in the given boxes:
(a) The book was fifty years old. [F]
(b) The child lit a candle. [T]
(c) The face of the pursuer was black as coal. [F]
(d) The child saw the man no more. [T]
Activity 5 ▼
Complete the following Cause and Effect table:
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| The child saw the dreadful picture. | His heart beat fast as a drum. |
| The child was shivering with fear. | The print began swimming and blurred. |
| The man was caught in the headlights. | The child knew he would see him no more. |
Activity 6 ▼
Answer the following questions:
(a) Where did the child find the book?
The child found the book in the attic.
(b) How did the child's imagination work on him?
The child's imagination made him see the grim picture again on the ceiling and then created a terrifying dream where the picture came to life.
(c) What did the child see in his dream?
In his dream, the child saw the man from the picture running away from a pursuer. He then saw the man get caught in the headlights of the roaring Midnight Express.
(d) What is the "Midnight Express"?
The "Midnight Express" is a phantom train that appeared in the child's dream. It came roaring with a shriek and its headlights caught the man who was running away, symbolizing a dreadful and inescapable fate.
Activity 7 ▼
Join the following sentences using the clauses mentioned in brackets:
(i) He is the boy. He scored the highest marks. (Adjective Clause) → He is the boy who scored the highest marks.
(ii) She will succeed. It is certain. (Noun Clause) → It is certain that she will succeed.
(iii) He was sorry. He came late. (Adverb Clause) → He was sorry because he came late.
(iv) The girl sang a song. I know the girl. (Adjective Clause) → I know the girl who sang a song.
Activity 8 ▼
Grammar in Use:
(i) I wrote a letter. → A letter was written by me.
(ii) He is watching a film. → A film is being watched by him.
(iii) The police caught the thief. → The thief was caught by the police.
(iv) The librarian has issued the book. → The book has been issued by the librarian.
(i) The patient will come round soon.
(ii) The police looked into the case.
(iii) There was a bomb scare in the hotel. The manager put out all the lights.
(iv) The girl takes after her mother.
[Help Box: come round, takes after, put out, looked into]
Activity 9 ▼
Make meaningful sentences of your own with the following words:
(a) pursuing:
The detective was relentlessly pursuing the criminal across the city.
(b) dreadful:
The loud, dreadful noise from the abandoned house scared everyone.
(c) phantom:
She thought she saw a phantom figure in the misty graveyard.
(d) shriek:
We heard a loud shriek when the bat flew into the room.
Activity 10(a) - Writing
Write a paragraph in about eighty words on the feelings of a child who is alone in a railway station at night.
Alone at a Railway Station
Sitting alone on the cold bench of a deserted railway station at night, a wave of fear washed over me. The dim lights cast long, spooky shadows that seemed to dance with the wind. Every distant whistle of a train sounded like a mournful cry, and the rattling of tracks made my heart jump. I clutched my small bag tightly, imagining strange figures lurking in the darkness beyond the platform. The silence between the arrival of trains was the worst, filled only by the frantic beating of my own heart.
A Conversation about the Poem
Ankita: That poem, "Midnight Express," was really creepy! The image of the man being chased gave me goosebumps.
Bikram: I know, right? It's amazing how a simple picture in a book can be so scary for a child. It reminded me of a horror movie I watched once.
Ankita: Exactly! And the idea of a "phantom" train that comes at midnight is so mysterious. The poem really captures how a child's imagination can turn something scary into a whole nightmare.
Bikram: It's true. Even when the child wakes up, the fear stays with him. It shows how strong an impression a scary story or image can leave on our minds when we're young.
Midnight Express Quiz
Test your knowledge with 50 questions from this lesson!