es "the noonday silence"? The heat of
the mid-day has silenced even the songs of the
birds. Compare Keats:

When all the birds are faint with the hot sun
And hide in cooling trees.

How is the silence broken? By the voice of the
little boy hunting for his father.

What do the words of the tune he is singing
constitute? The rules of the game. The one
hiding must respond "Coo-ee" each time the one
searching calls.

Where is his father? In a "leafy nook" in the
woods.

What does the question "Shall I let him pass?"
seem to indicate? That his father hesitates for
a moment to reveal himself.

What does he do, however? He gives the boy the
signal--a "low, soft whistle". He cannot "let
him pass".

What is shown in the last long line of the
stanza? That the man enters into the spirit of
the game with the same zest as the boy.

What feeling exists between the two? A feeling
of perfect good-fellowship and affection.

Explain, "you're it". Your turn to hunt, mine
to hide.

What further rules of the game are given here?
(Every boy and girl will know these.)

What change in feeling is there between the
first two stanzas and the last two? A sudden
transition from gaiety and light-heartedness to
sorrow.

What has happened? The boy is dead.

Why is "Long ago" repeated? It emphasizes the
idea and adds to the pathos of the line. The
time has seemed long because of the intensity
of the father's grief. Happiness makes time
pass quickly, not so grief.

How does the poet suggest the idea that the
game is still being continued though it is now
an inexpressibly sad one? He speaks of the boy
as having left his father as if to hide, of
his father as seeking him "high and low", of
his being safely "hidden" "in some pleasant
place", of the father as being unable to hear
his "Coo-ee".

What is really meant by seeking him "high and
low"? The thought of his boy is ever with him.
He unconsciously looks for his face wherever he
goes.

What is the "pleasant place"? Paradise.

How could you describe the short lines, "Far