1) Describe the journey of the brook originating from the 'haunts of coot and hern',joining the river,as its final destination. Write description in about 150 words.

2) How does the poet draw a parallel between the journeys of the brook and human life?

The brook appears to be a symbol for life, which becomes the central theme of the poem. Various instances can be seen in the poem which draw parallel between brook and life, such as: 

* When the brook comes out from the mountains, its movement is very noisy and quick and it is in full vigour. It is in a hurry to reach its destination, that is, the river. Similarly, man, in his youth, is very energetic, lively, enthusiastic and full of vigour.

* When the brook comes closer to the river, its movement becomes slow and smooth, which can be compared to man in his old age, who becomes very calm, gentle, soft and lethargic. 

* In the early phase of the brook’s life, it has a very fast motion and it overcomes all the obstacles, stones and pebbles in its way. This nature of the brook can be compared to man in his youth when he is enthusiastic and is ready to face all the challenges that come in his way. 

* During the course of the brook’s journey, it takes a lot of things along with it like blossoms, silt, gravel and fish. In the same way, man even meets, accompanies and moves forward in life with the people he meets, in the journey of his life. 

* The only difference between the two can be drawn by the fact that the brook is eternal and has a continuous flow while the human life ends by the arrival of death.

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