The Chimney Sweeper
When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!"
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.
There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head
That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved, so I said,
"Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare,
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."
And so he was quiet, & that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping he had such a sight!
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack,
Were all of them locked up in coffins of black;
And by came an Angel who had a bright key,
And he opened the coffins & set them all free;
Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing they run,
And wash in a river and shine in the Sun.
Then naked & white, all their bags left behind,
They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind.
And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father & never want joy.
And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark
And got with our bags & our brushes to work.
Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;
So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm.
Theme
The speaker of this poem is a small boy who was sold into the chimney-sweeping business when his mother died. He recounts the story of a fellow chimney sweeper, Tom Dacre , who cried when his hair was shaved to prevent vermin and soot from infesting it. The speaker comforts Tom, who falls asleep and has a dream or vision of several chimney sweepers all locked in black coffins. An angel arrives with a special key that opens the locks on the coffins and sets the children free. The newly freed children run through a green field and wash themselves in a river, coming out clean and white in the bright sun. The angel tells Tom that if he is a good boy, he will have this paradise for his own. When Tom awakens, he and the speaker gather their tools and head out to work, somewhat comforted that their lives will one day improve.
Paraphrasing
Paraphrase of "The Chimney Sweeper" by William Blake (in Easy English)
"When my mother died I was very young,"Paraphrase: I was just a little boy when my mother passed away.
"And my father sold me while yet my tongue"Paraphrase: After my mother died, my father sold me to work as a chimney sweeper, even though I was too young to understand much.
"Could scarcely cry ' 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!'"Paraphrase: I was so young that I couldn’t even say the word “sweep” properly. I said “’weep,” which sounds like I was crying. This shows how small and innocent I was.
"So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep."Paraphrase: Because of that, I had to clean chimneys. I got covered in black soot, and I was so dirty that even when I slept, I was still covered in it.
"There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head"Paraphrase: My friend Tom Dacre cried when they shaved off his soft, curly hair.
"That curled like a lamb's back, was shaved, so I said,"Paraphrase: Tom’s curly hair was soft and pretty like a lamb’s wool. To make him feel better, I tried to comfort him.
"‘Hush, Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare,"Paraphrase: I told Tom not to be upset because now that his head was bald, he wouldn’t have to worry about getting his hair dirty with soot.
"You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."Paraphrase: I explained that the black soot from the chimneys couldn’t ruin his beautiful white hair anymore because his hair was gone.
"And so he was quiet, & that very night,"Paraphrase: After I comforted him, Tom stopped crying. That night, when he went to sleep, he had a special dream.
"As Tom was a-sleeping he had such a sight!"Paraphrase: While Tom was sleeping, he saw an amazing dream that felt very real to him.
"That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned, & Jack,"Paraphrase: In his dream, there were thousands of other young boys who also worked as chimney sweepers, like Dick, Joe, Ned, and Jack.
"Were all of them locked up in coffins of black;"Paraphrase: In the dream, all these boys were trapped inside black coffins. This shows how their lives felt dark, hopeless, and full of suffering—almost like they were dead inside because of their hard lives.
"And by came an Angel who had a bright key,"Paraphrase: Then, an angel appeared in the dream. The angel had a shiny, bright key that looked magical.
"And he opened the coffins & set them all free;"Paraphrase: The angel used the key to open the black coffins, letting all the boys out. This means the angel freed them from their pain and suffering.
"Then down a green plain, leaping, laughing they run,"Paraphrase: Once the boys were free, they happily ran, jumped, and played in a beautiful green field. They were filled with joy and excitement.
"And wash in a river and shine in the Sun."Paraphrase: The boys washed themselves in a clean river, and their bodies sparkled in the bright sunlight. This shows they felt clean, pure, and full of life again.
"Then naked & white, all their bags left behind,"Paraphrase: The boys were now free from their heavy work bags and tools. They were clean and pure, with nothing to carry, showing that they were no longer burdened by their hard lives.
"They rise upon clouds, and sport in the wind."Paraphrase: The boys floated up into the sky, riding on clouds and playing freely in the wind. This shows they were completely free, happy, and at peace.
"And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,"Paraphrase: In the dream, the angel spoke to Tom and told him that if he stayed kind, good, and did his duties, he would be rewarded.
"He'd have God for his father & never want joy."Paraphrase: The angel promised that if Tom was a good boy, God would take care of him like a loving father, and he would always feel happy and loved.
"And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark"Paraphrase: After this comforting dream, Tom woke up, feeling peaceful. We both got up early while it was still dark outside to start another day of work.
"And got with our bags & our brushes to work."Paraphrase: We picked up our work bags and chimney-sweeping brushes, ready to do our hard jobs again.
"Though the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;"Paraphrase: Even though it was a cold morning, Tom felt happy and warm inside because his dream gave him hope and made him feel strong.
"So if all do their duty, they need not fear harm."Paraphrase: The poem ends with the idea that if everyone does their work, stays good, and fulfills their responsibilities, they don’t need to be afraid of anything because they will find peace, either in this life or after death.
Short Answer Questions
✏️ 10 Short Answer Questions with Detailed Answers:
Why was the speaker sold by his father?Answer: The speaker was very young when his mother died. After her death, his father sold him, probably because he was too poor to take care of him or needed money. This shows how poverty forced families to make harsh decisions during that time.
What work did the speaker and Tom Dacre do?Answer: The speaker and Tom Dacre worked as chimney sweepers. Their job was to clean chimneys filled with black soot, which was dangerous and unhealthy. This job was often given to poor children because they were small enough to fit inside the chimneys.
Why did Tom Dacre cry when his head was shaved?Answer: Tom cried because he loved his curly hair, which was soft like a lamb’s wool. Losing his hair made him feel sad, as it was a part of his identity. It also showed how harsh their lives were since even small comforts like their hair were taken away.
How did the speaker comfort Tom after his hair was shaved?Answer: The speaker told Tom not to worry because, with his head shaved, the black soot from the chimneys could no longer spoil his white hair. This was meant to cheer him up by finding a positive side to a sad situation.
What did Tom see in his dream?Answer: In his dream, Tom saw thousands of chimney sweepers, including himself, locked inside black coffins. An angel with a bright key opened the coffins and set them free. After being freed, they ran, played, and washed in a river, feeling clean and happy.
What did the angel do in Tom’s dream?Answer: The angel used a bright key to unlock the black coffins, setting all the chimney sweepers free. The angel guided them to a green field where they could run, laugh, and play freely. This dream symbolized hope, freedom, and happiness after suffering.
How did the sweepers feel after being set free in the dream?Answer: The sweepers felt joyful, free, and full of life. They ran through green fields, laughed, played in the wind, and washed in a river under the warm sun. This was very different from their real lives, where they faced hardship and sadness.
What message did the angel give Tom in his dream?Answer: The angel told Tom that if he was a good boy and did his duty, God would be like a loving father to him, and he would always find happiness. This message gave Tom comfort and hope despite his difficult life.
How did Tom feel when he woke up from his dream?Answer: When Tom woke up, even though it was cold and dark, he felt happy and warm inside because of the hopeful dream. The dream gave him strength and made him ready to face another hard day of work with a positive attitude.
What is the lesson or moral of the poem?Answer: The poem teaches that even in the face of hardship and suffering, hope and faith can bring comfort. It also highlights the harsh conditions faced by child laborers in the past. The dream represents the belief that goodness and faith will be rewarded, either in life or after death.
Multiple-choice questions based on the text:
📚 10 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs):
What happened to the speaker’s mother?
a) She ran away
b) She sold him
c) She died ✅
d) She moved to another city
What did the speaker’s father do after his mother died?
a) Sent him to school
b) Sold him ✅
c) Took care of him
d) Left him alone
What job does the speaker do?
a) Farmer
b) Chimney sweeper ✅
c) Carpenter
d) Soldier
Why did Tom Dacre cry?
a) He was hungry
b) His head was shaved ✅
c) He missed his family
d) He lost his toy
What did the speaker tell Tom to comfort him?
a) "You will grow new hair soon."
b) "Don’t cry, you look better now."
c) "Now the soot can’t spoil your white hair." ✅
d) "Your hair will never get dirty again."
What did Tom dream about?
a) Flying to another country
b) Becoming rich
c) An angel setting chimney sweepers free ✅
d) Finding his family
What did the angel use to open the black coffins?
a) A silver key
b) A golden key
c) A bright key ✅
d) A magical stone
What did the sweepers do after they were set free in Tom’s dream?
a) Went back to work
b) Washed in a river and played ✅
c) Ate food together
d) Visited their families
What did the angel tell Tom in his dream?
a) "You will never have to work again."
b) "If you’re good, God will be your father." ✅
c) "You will become an angel soon."
d) "Happiness is only for the rich."
How did Tom feel when he woke up from his dream?
a) Sad and cold
b) Angry and tired
c) Happy and warm ✅
d) Scared and lonely
🌟 Theme of "The Chimney Sweeper" by William Blake
The poem explores child labor, innocence, and hope. It shows how poor, innocent children are forced to work in harsh conditions as chimney sweepers. Despite their suffering, the poem reflects on their hope for freedom, comfort, and happiness through faith and dreams of a better life, either in this world or the afterlife.
📜 Detailed Summary of "The Chimney Sweeper"
The poem is about a young boy who tells his sad story. When he was very little, his mother died, and his father sold him to work as a chimney sweeper, a common job for poor children in the 18th century. This job was very dangerous because the boys had to climb inside small, dirty chimneys filled with black soot. The boy was so young that he couldn’t even pronounce the word "sweep" properly; instead, he cried out "’weep," which sounds like he was also crying because of his sad life.
The boy talks about his friend, Tom Dacre, who cried when his curly hair was shaved off. The boy comforts Tom, telling him not to worry because without hair, the black soot couldn’t make his hair dirty anymore. This shows how the children tried to find small positives even in their hard lives.
That night, Tom has a dream. In the dream, he sees thousands of other chimney sweepers locked inside black coffins, representing how trapped and hopeless they felt in real life. But then, an angel with a bright key appears, unlocks the coffins, and sets the boys free. The freed boys run happily in a green field, wash themselves in a river, and shine brightly in the sun. They are no longer burdened by their dirty work bags or tools. The angel tells Tom that if he stays a good boy, God will care for him like a father, and he will always find happiness.
When Tom wakes up from the dream, he feels happy and hopeful, even though it’s still dark and cold outside. He and the narrator get up, grab their tools, and go back to work. Despite their tough lives, Tom’s dream gave him the strength to keep going because he believes that doing his duty will protect him from harm and that better days will come, either in this life or the next.
Bangla Translation (Summary)
এই কবিতাটি একটি ছোট ছেলের গল্প, যে তার দুঃখের গল্প বলে। যখন সে খুব ছোট ছিল, তখন তার মা মারা যান এবং তার বাবা তাকে চিমনি ঝাড়ুদার হিসেবে কাজ করার জন্য বিক্রি করে দেন, যা ১৮ শতকের দরিদ্র শিশুদের জন্য একটি সাধারণ কাজ। এই কাজটি খুবই বিপজ্জনক ছিল কারণ ছেলেদের কালো কাঁচে ভরা ছোট, নোংরা চিমনির ভেতরে উঠতে হত। ছেলেটি এত ছোট ছিল যে সে "ঝাড়ু" শব্দটিও সঠিকভাবে উচ্চারণ করতে পারত না; বরং, সে "কাঁদতে" বলে চিৎকার করে উঠল, যা শুনে মনে হচ্ছে সেও তার দুঃখজনক জীবনের কারণে কাঁদছিল।
ছেলেটি তার বন্ধু টম ড্যাকারের কথা বলে, যে তার কোঁকড়ানো চুল কামিয়ে ফেলার সময় কেঁদেছিল। ছেলেটি টমকে সান্ত্বনা দেয়, তাকে বলে চিন্তা করো না কারণ চুল ছাড়া, কালো কাঁচ তার চুলকে আর নোংরা করতে পারে না। এটি দেখায় যে বাচ্চারা তাদের কঠিন জীবনেও ছোট ছোট ইতিবাচক দিকগুলি খুঁজে বের করার চেষ্টা করেছিল।
সেই রাতে, টম একটি স্বপ্ন দেখে। স্বপ্নে, সে কালো কফিনের ভেতরে হাজার হাজার অন্যান্য চিমনি ঝাড়ুদারকে দেখতে পায়, যা বাস্তব জীবনে তারা কতটা আটকা পড়েছিল এবং হতাশ বোধ করেছিল তা বোঝায়। কিন্তু তারপর, একজন দেবদূত একটি উজ্জ্বল চাবি হাতে আবির্ভূত হন, কফিনগুলি খুলে দেন এবং ছেলেদের মুক্ত করেন। মুক্ত ছেলেরা সবুজ মাঠে আনন্দের সাথে দৌড়ায়, নদীতে নিজেদের স্নান করে এবং রোদে উজ্জ্বলভাবে জ্বলজ্বল করে। তাদের নোংরা কাজের ব্যাগ বা সরঞ্জামের বোঝা আর তাদের উপর থাকে না। দেবদূত টমকে বলেন যে যদি সে একজন ভালো ছেলে থাকে, তাহলে ঈশ্বর তার বাবার মতো যত্ন নেবেন এবং সে সর্বদা সুখ খুঁজে পাবে।
টম যখন স্বপ্ন থেকে জেগে ওঠে, তখন সে খুশি এবং আশাবাদী বোধ করে, যদিও বাইরে এখনও অন্ধকার এবং ঠান্ডা। সে এবং বর্ণনাকারী উঠে পড়ে, তাদের সরঞ্জামগুলি ধরে কাজে ফিরে যায়। তাদের কঠিন জীবন সত্ত্বেও, টমের স্বপ্ন তাকে এগিয়ে যাওয়ার শক্তি দিয়েছিল কারণ সে বিশ্বাস করে যে তার কর্তব্য পালন তাকে ক্ষতি থেকে রক্ষা করবে এবং আরও ভালো দিন আসবে, হয় এই জীবনে অথবা পরের জীবনে।
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Words and any other relevant terms from the poem:
English Word | English Meaning | Bangla Meaning | Short Sentence Example |
Mother | A female parent. | মা | His mother passed away when he was very young. |
Father | A male parent. | পিতা | His father worked hard to support the family. |
Died | To stop living. | মৃত | His mother died when he was just a child. |
Sold | Past tense of "sell" - to exchange for money. | বিক্রি | His father sold him when he was very young. |
Tongue | The organ used for speaking. | জিব | He could scarcely speak, his tongue too young. |
Scarcely | Barely, hardly. | অল্প | He could scarcely cry out "weep!" |
Cry | To shed tears or make sounds due to sadness. | কাঁদা | He could barely cry for help. |
Soot | Black powdery residue from burning coal or wood. | ছাই | The chimneys were covered in soot. |
Sleep | To rest with the eyes closed, typically at night. | ঘুমানো | He would sleep in the soot after a long day of work. |
Shaved | To remove hair from the surface of the skin with a razor. | কাটা | Tom's head was shaved, and he cried from the pain. |
Bare | Without covering. | খালি | After his head was bare, he felt exposed. |
Spoil | To damage or ruin something. | বিকৃত করা | The soot could not spoil Tom’s white hair. |
Quiet | Making little or no sound. | নীরব | After a while, Tom became quiet and stopped crying. |
Sight | Something seen, often a vision or appearance. | দৃশ্য | Tom had a strange sight in his dream that night. |
Locked | Secured with a lock. | বন্ধ | The sweepers were locked in dark coffins. |
Coffins | Boxes used to bury dead bodies. | কফিন | The sweepers were trapped in coffins of black. |
Angel | A spiritual being, often a messenger of God. | ফেরেশতা | The angel appeared and opened the coffins. |
Bright | Giving off much light. | উজ্জ্বল | The angel had a bright key. |
Key | A device used to unlock something. | চাবি | The angel carried a key to set them free. |
Free | Not restricted or confined. | মুক্ত | The angel set the children free from their imprisonment. |
Green | The color of grass or leaves. | সবুজ | The children ran through the green fields. |
Plain | A large, flat area of land. | মাঠ | The green plain stretched for miles ahead of them. |
Leaping | Jumping with excitement or energy. | লাফানো | They were leaping joyfully across the field. |
Laughing | Making sounds of joy or amusement. | হাসা | The children were laughing as they ran freely. |
Run | To move swiftly on foot. | দৌড়ানো | They ran down the green field, feeling free. |
Wash | To clean something with water. | ধোয়া | The children washed in the river to cleanse themselves. |
Shine | To glow or reflect light. | উজ্জ্বল হওয়া | The children shined with joy under the bright sun. |
Naked | Without clothing; bare. | নগ্ন | They were naked, cleansed of their soot. |
Sport | To engage in playful activities. | খেলা | They began to sport in the wind, happy and free. |
Wind | Moving air, often felt on the skin. | বাতাস | They danced and sport in the cool wind. |
Duty | A task or responsibility. | কর্তব্য | They woke up early to perform their duty. |
Harm | Injury, damage, or danger. | ক্ষতি | If you do your duty, you need not fear harm. |
Awoke | Past tense of "awake" – to stop sleeping. | জাগ্রত হওয়া | Tom awoke from his dream, eager to work. |
Cold | Having a low temperature; chilly. | শীতল | The morning was cold, but Tom felt warm inside. |
Warm | Comfortable temperature; not cold or hot. | গরম | Tom was warm in spirit, despite the chilly morning. |
Joy | A feeling of great happiness. | আনন্দ | The angel promised Tom that he would never lack joy. |
Chimney | A vertical pipe used to carry smoke from a fire. | চিমনি | The chimney was filled with soot after a day’s work. |
Sweeper | A person who cleans chimneys. | চিমনি সাফ করা | He was just a sweeper, working in the soot every day. |
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