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Many Class 9 students find The Legend of the Northland to be one of the toughest poems in the syllabus. The main reason is its length and old-style language, which can be confusing at first. Since it is a narrative poem with many stanzas, students often feel lost while trying to understand the full story.
We bring you the simplest and most concise notes that are perfect for quick revision, class tests, and exams. These notes are written in easy language, with only the important points you actually need to remember.
There’s no unnecessary explanation to waste your time. Even if you are reading it for the first time or revising before an exam, these notes will help you understand the poem quickly and clearly. Get ready to score full marks with less stress!
This poem is a ballad, a story told in the form of a poem. It is based on a legend (an old folk tale) from the Northland, a cold and snowy region near the North Pole. The poet narrates a story with a moral lesson.
The poem tells the tale of Saint Peter and a greedy old woman. One day, Saint Peter, tired and hungry from traveling and preaching, asked a poor woman for a piece of cake. Although she appeared to be baking cakes, the woman was too selfish. She kept making smaller cakes but thought each one was too big to give away. She finally refused to give anything to Saint Peter.
Saint Peter became angry with her selfishness and greed. As a punishment, he cursed her and turned her into a woodpecker bird. He said she would now have to search for food all her life by boring into the hard, dry wood of trees.
The poem teaches us that selfishness and greed are bad qualities. We should always help those in need. Generosity and kindness are important virtues.
Let us understand the poem stanza-wise to get a better hold on the poem.
Away, away in the Northland,
Where the hours of the day are few,
And the nights are so long in winter
That they cannot sleep them through;
Explanation:
The poet talks about a faraway land in the north, near the North Pole. In that place, days are very short and nights are very long during winter. The nights are so long that people can’t even sleep for the entire night, as it feels never-ending.
Where they harness the swift reindeer
To the sledges, when it snows;
And the children look like bear’s cubs
In their funny, furry clothes:
Explanation:
In this cold region, people tie reindeer to sledges (sleds used to travel on snow). The children wear thick furry clothes, so they look like baby bears (cubs). This shows how cold and snowy the place is.
They tell them a curious story—
I don’t believe ’tis true;
And yet you may learn a lesson
If I tell the tale to you.
Explanation:
The poet says that people in the Northland tell an old story. She herself doesn’t believe it’s true, but it has a moral lesson that is worth learning, so she wants to share it.
Once, when the good Saint Peter
Lived in the world below,
And walked about it, preaching,
Just as he did, you know,
Explanation:
The story is from the time when Saint Peter, a religious man, was living on Earth. He used to travel around and preach (teach about religion and goodness).
He came to the door of a cottage,
In travelling round the earth,
Where a little woman was making cakes,
And baking them on the hearth;
Explanation:
While traveling, Saint Peter came to a small house where a poor woman was baking cakes on her hearth (a fireplace used for cooking).
And being faint with fasting,
For the day was almost done,
He asked her, from her store of cakes,
To give him a single one.
Explanation:
Saint Peter was very hungry and tired because he had been fasting (not eating) all day. So he asked the woman to give him just one small cake to eat.
So she made a very little cake,
But as it baking lay,
She looked at it, and thought it seemed
Too large to give away.
Explanation:
The woman made a small cake, but while it was baking, she thought it was still too big to give to someone else. She did not want to share.
Therefore she kneaded another,
And still a smaller one;
But it looked, when she turned it over,
As large as the first had done.
Explanation:
So she made an even smaller cake, but when she looked at it again, it still seemed too big to give away. Her greed was not letting her share even a tiny piece.
Then she took a tiny scrap of dough,
And rolled and rolled it flat;
And baked it thin as a wafer—
But she couldn’t part with that.
Explanation:
Finally, she took a very tiny amount of dough, rolled it flat like a thin biscuit (wafer), and baked it. But even then, she refused to give it to Saint Peter.
For she said, “My cakes that seem too small
When I eat of them myself
Are yet too large to give away.”
So she put them on the shelf.
Explanation:
She thought that when she eats the cakes, they feel small, but when it’s time to share, even the smallest one seems too big to give away. So, she kept the cakes for herself and didn’t give any to the saint.
Then good Saint Peter grew angry,
For he was hungry and faint;
And surely such a woman
Was enough to provoke a saint.
Explanation:
Saint Peter became angry and upset. He was tired and hungry, and the woman’s selfishness made him lose his patience, even though he was a kind and holy man.
And he said, “You are far too selfish
To dwell in a human form,
To have both food and shelter,
And fire to keep you warm.”
Explanation:
He said the woman was too selfish to live as a human being and enjoy the basic comforts like food, shelter, and warmth. She didn’t deserve these things.
“Now, you shall build as the birds do,
And shall get your scanty food
By boring, and boring, and boring,
All day in the hard, dry wood.”
Explanation:
As a punishment, Saint Peter cursed her. He said she would now live like a bird, getting her food by pecking and digging into trees all day long, just like a woodpecker.
Then up she went through the chimney,
Never speaking a word,
And out of the top flew a woodpecker,
For she was changed to a bird.
Explanation:
Suddenly, the woman rose up through the chimney, without saying anything, and turned into a woodpecker bird. This was the result of Saint Peter’s curse.
She had a scarlet cap on her head,
And that was left the same;
But all the rest of her clothes were burned
Black as a coal in the flame.
Explanation:
As a woodpecker, she still had a red (scarlet) cap on her head, like before. But the rest of her clothes got burnt in the chimney and became black like coal. That’s why woodpeckers have red heads and black bodies.
And every country schoolboy
Has seen her in the wood,
Where she lives in the trees till this very day,
Boring and boring for food.
Explanation:
The poet ends by saying that even schoolboys can see this woodpecker in the forest. She lives on trees, spending her time pecking at wood all day to find food just as the legend describes.
Below are the main themes that help us understand the message of the poem better.
The main theme of the poem is selfishness. The woman was not ready to give even a small piece of cake to a hungry saint. Her greedy nature led to her punishment
The poem teaches us that we should be kind and helpful to others. If someone is in need, especially someone hungry, we must share what we have.
The poem shows that wrong actions lead to punishment. The woman’s selfish behavior made Saint Peter angry, and she was turned into a bird as a result.
The poem is a moral story. It teaches students to learn the importance of good behavior, kindness, and generosity. Good values are more important than material things.
The poem is based on an old legend (folk tale). It mixes imagination and belief, using birds, saints, and magical events to convey a life lesson in an interesting way.
The poem “The Legend of the Northland” by Phoebe Cary gives us a strong message about being kind and generous. It tells us the story of a woman who refused to share food with a hungry saint. Her selfishness led to her being turned into a bird as punishment.
Through this story, the poet reminds us that good values like kindness and sharing are very important in life. We should not be greedy, even with small things. Helping others, especially those in need, makes us better human beings. The poem uses a simple story to teach a powerful life lesson.
So, even though The Legend of the Northland may seem long and difficult at first, there’s no need to feel stressed. With the easy-to-understand and to-the-point notes we’ve provided, you can revise the entire poem quickly and effectively.
These notes are designed to save your time and help you focus only on what’s important for tests and exams. You no longer need to struggle with lengthy explanations or confusing lines. Just go through these simple notes, and you’ll be fully prepared to answer any question with confidence. Learning can be easy, when done the smart way!
Q1. What is the story told in the poem?
Ans. It tells the story of a greedy woman who refused to share food with Saint Peter and was punished by being turned into a woodpecker.
Q2. Why did Saint Peter get angry with the woman?
Ans. Saint Peter got angry because, despite having enough, the woman was selfish and did not give him even a small cake.
Q3. What punishment was given to the woman?
Ans. She was turned into a woodpecker that has to keep boring into hard, dry wood in search of food.
Q4. What lesson does the poem teach us?
Ans. The poem teaches us to avoid greed, be kind, and help others in need, or else we may face consequences.
Q5. Why is the poem called a “legend”?
Ans. It is called a legend because it is a traditional story passed down from old times, mixing history with imagination.
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