The Pulley Notes Summary Questions SSC Class 10 English Kumarbharati
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The poem 'The Pulley' is a metaphysical poem written by the Welsh poet and priest George Herbert. It explores the unique relationship between God and His worshippers, explaining how God uses restlessness as a pulley to draw man towards Himself.
About the author
George Herbert (1593-1633) was a Welsh poet and a priest by profession. He wrote religious poems filled with rich imagery and conceits.
Summary
In the first stanza, when God initially created man, He kept a glass of blessings beside Him and decided to pour all possible riches and treasures into him, contracting the scattered worldly riches into a small space.
In the second stanza, God bestowed strength first, followed by beauty, wisdom, honour, and pleasure. However, just before emptying the glass, God noticed that 'Rest' was left lying at the bottom.
In the third stanza, God reasoned that if He gave this final jewel of contentment to man, man would adore His gifts instead of God Himself and would find peace in Nature rather than the God of Nature, leaving both of them as losers.
In the fourth stanza, God decided to withhold 'Rest' and instead leave man with continuous anxiety and dissatisfaction, making him rich and weary so that his exhaustion and weariness would eventually toss him back to God's breast.
Mind map
The Pulley
- Creation & Blessings
- God made man
- Glass of blessings
- Riches contracted
- Gifts Bestowed
- Strength first
- Beauty, wisdom, honour
- Pleasure added
- The Withheld Gift
- Rest left at bottom
- Fear of man forgetting God
- Adoring gifts over Giver
- Purpose of Restlessness
- Rich and weary man
- Weariness tosses man to God
- Pulley of discontent
Development of the Poem
- God decides to pour all worldly riches into newly created man.
- He bestows strength, beauty, wisdom, honour, and pleasure.
- God stops pouring, noticing that 'Rest' remains at the bottom of the glass.
- He decides to withhold rest so man does not worship gifts instead of the Creator.
- God leaves man with repining restlessness and weariness.
- Man's constant exhaustion acts as a pulley to draw him back to God.
Themes and message
Relationship between God and Man
The poem depicts a two-way bond where God showers man with blessings, but expects man to remember and be grateful to Him.
Materialism vs. Spirituality
Man tends to get lost in worldly gifts and nature, forgetting the divine Creator; thus, spiritual dissatisfaction brings him back.
Key points to remember
- The poem is written by George Herbert, a metaphysical poet and priest.
- It conveys a religious concept through a secular scientific image of a pulley.
- God intentionally keeps 'Rest' back so man remains restless and turns to Him.
Word meanings
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| riches | wealth or bounties (संपत्ती) |
| dispersed | scattered (छत्र्याछत्र असणारे / विखुरलेले) |
| contract | collect together (एकत्र करणे) |
| perceiving | noticing or becoming conscious of (जाणीव होणे) |
| bestow on | give as a gift to (भेट म्हणून देणे) |
| jewel | precious valuable thing, here contentment (मुल्यवान वस्तू / विसावा) |
| adore | love very much (खूप प्रेम करणे / पूजा करणे) |
| repining restlessness | continuous anxiety due to dissatisfaction (सततची चिंता व असमाधान) |
| weary | very tired (खूप थकलेला) |
| toss | bring or throw close (जवळ फेकून देणे / ओढणे) |
| span | small space (छोट्या जागेत) |
Figures of speech and poetic devices
| Device | Example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Metaphor | Bestow this jewel also on my creature | The gift of 'Rest' or contentment is indirectly compared to a precious jewel. |
| Pun | Rest in the bottom lay | The word 'rest' has a double meaning: remaining physical part and peace of mind / spiritual contentment. |
| Alliteration | Let him be rich and weary | The consonant sound 's' and 'm' are repeated harmoniously for poetic effect. |
| Inversion | Contract into a span | The word order is changed for poetic effect (normal order: contract into a span). |
Important questions and answers
Q1. What did God's glass of blessings contain?
God's glass of blessings contained worldly riches, strength, beauty, wisdom, honour, and pleasure.
Q2. What would the human being do if God gifted him with 'Rest'?
If God gifted him with 'Rest', man would adore God's gifts instead of God Himself and rest in Nature rather than the God of Nature.
Q3. What does God want in return from man for the gifts He has bestowed?
God wants man to be grateful to Him in all his endeavours and to turn back towards Him when he feels weary and restless.
Q4. Why did God withhold the gift of 'Rest' from man?
God withheld 'Rest' so that man would not become too comfortable with worldly things and forget his Creator, ensuring that man's weariness would eventually draw him back to God.
Q5. Explain the significance of the title 'The Pulley' in your own words.
A pulley is a mechanical device used to lift heavy objects. In the poem, God uses man's restlessness and weariness as a pulley to lift man from worldly attachments and draw him close to His breast.
Q6. Write what the word 'REST' implies in each of the three lines it occurs in the poem.
In the third instance ('Yet let him keep the rest'), it refers to the remaining part of the blessings.
Q7. Explain the figure of speech in the line: 'Rest in the bottom lay.'
This is an example of Pun because the word 'rest' is used with a play on its two different meanings: the remaining part of the blessings and spiritual peace of mind.
Q8. When does man generally turn to God? Give an example.
Man generally turns to God when he faces extreme difficulties, exhaustion, or failure in life. For example, when a student fails an exam despite hard work, he turns to God for comfort and guidance.
Exam tips
- Memorize the definitions and examples of literary devices like Pun, Metaphor, and Inversion as they frequently appear in board exams.
- Be ready to explain the three meanings of the word 'REST' as asked in the English Workshop.
- Understand the central metaphor of the pulley and how restlessness acts as a tool to bring man closer to God.
FAQs
Who is the poet of 'The Pulley'?
The poet of 'The Pulley' is George Herbert.
What genre does the poem belong to?
It is a metaphysical religious poem that uses a secular scientific image to convey a spiritual truth.
Why did God make man restless and weary?
God made man restless so that his dissatisfaction and weariness would act like a pulley, pulling him back toward God.
These notes were prepared with AI help from the Balbharati English Kumarbharati textbook (2026-27) and fact-checked against it.
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