The Poem: The Miller of the Dee (by Charles Mackay)

Class VII: The Miller of the Dee (by Charles Mackay)Explanation stanza-wise:

Stanza 1: There dwelt a miller, hale and bold,
                 Beside the River Dee;
                 He worked and sang from morn till night,
                 ........envies me"

Word meaning:

1.Dwelt: lived 2.Hale: healthy & strong 3. lark: a bird that sings

4.Blithe: बलाईद: very happy, showing you are not anxious about anything, 5. beside: near, by the side of 6. Miller: the person who owns a flour mill 6. the burden of the song: the theme of the song

Paraphrase: There lived a miller near a river called Dee. He was very happy and had no worry about anything. He remained busy from morning to night in his work of grinding grains for making flour. While working, he was habitual of singing songs for his own amusement. He sang that he was not envious of anyone and the people were also not envious of him. The poet also says that his song was more soothing even than that of the sweet-singing bird lark.

Stanza 2: “Thou’rt wrong………..beside the river Dee.”

1.  Gladly: happily  

Paraphrase: Once a king named Hal happened to reach there. He told the miller that he was absolutely wrong in what he sang about. The king was envious of the miller's happiness.So he wished to exchange his own heart with that of the miller. He wished to make his own heart free from tensions. The king’s heart has the load of worries while the miller’s heart was light and free from worries of life.

After that the king asked to tell him the reason as to what made him sing so loudly and as to how he could manage to feel free from worries of life. The king also admitted that he was very much sad although he was a king.

Stanza 3.

“The miller smiled and smiled….,,,,,,,,,my babes and me.”

1.  Doffed: took off the hat 2. Quoth: said

3.grinds: makes flour out of the corn/grain

Paraphrase:

The miller took off his cap from his head smilingly. He said that he worked to earn his livelihood. He loved his wife and three children He also loved his friends. He did not have any loan to pay. He further told the king that he was very thankful to the river Dee that ran his floor-mill by the current of its water and made flour by crushing the grains. Thus he fed his family.

Stanza 4.

“Good friend…….O miller of the Dee.”

Paraphrase:

In the end, the king took a long breath and bade the miller good bye giving him blessings. He also advised him never to say that no one was envious of him. He also added that his cap covered with flour was more valuable than his crown. Similarly his floor-mill was more precious than his kingdom and England was proud of such men like the miller, who were the backbones of a country.