Summary: “Friends” is a gentle, child-friendly nature poem by the American poet Abbie Farwell Brown, prescribed as Lesson 8 (Poem) in the ASSEB Class 6 English textbook Rainbow (SCERT Assam). In this short four-stanza poem, the speaker — a small child — lies on the grass under a leafy tree and looks up through the branches into the sky. As the child rests there, the natural world around becomes alive and friendly. The Sky bends sweetly over the child like a kind, smiling face. The Sunshine flickers down through the lacy gaps in the leaves and gently kisses the child’s face, just as a loving mother kisses her child before bedtime. The Wind sweeps softly across the grass and whispers pretty things into the child’s ear, and even though the wind cannot be seen, the child can feel the touch of its careful, invisible wings. In the closing lines, the poet draws a beautiful conclusion: so many gentle friends — the sky, the sunshine, the wind, the trees, the grass — surround a child everywhere, even though they cannot easily be seen. Therefore, a child should never feel afraid, no matter where he or she may be. The poem teaches young readers that nature is a loving companion and a constant friend.
About the Poet
Abbie Farwell Brown (1871–1927) was an American author and poet from Boston, Massachusetts. She is especially well known for her stories and poems written for children. Brown studied at the famous Girls’ Latin School in Boston and later wrote for children’s magazines such as St. Nicholas and Youth’s Companion. Her popular works include The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts, In the Days of Giants, and the poetry collection A Pocketful of Posies. Her writing for children is gentle, comforting, and full of love for nature.
Central Theme
The central theme of the poem “Friends” is that nature is a kind, loving, and invisible friend who is always with us. Through the simple image of a child lying under a tree, the poet shows that the sky, the sunshine, and the wind behave like protective companions — smiling, kissing, and whispering to the child. The poem also carries a comforting message: a child is never truly alone in the world, because nature is everywhere and always cares for us. Therefore, a child should never be afraid. The poem celebrates the closeness between a child and the natural world, and it gently teaches young readers to feel safe, happy, and loved when they are out in nature.
The Poem
How good to lie a little while
And look up through the tree!
The Sky is like a kind big smile
Bent sweetly over me.
The Sunshine flickers through the lace
Of leaves above my head,
And kisses me upon the face
Like Mother, before bed.
The Wind comes stealing o’er the grass
To whisper pretty things;
And though I cannot see him pass,
I feel his careful wings.
So many gentle Friends are near
Whom one can scarcely see,
A child should never feel a fear,
Wherever he may be.
— Abbie Farwell Brown
Stanza-by-Stanza Explanation
Stanza 1
The poet says how pleasant it feels to lie down for a little while and look up through the branches of a tree. As the child gazes upwards, the wide, blue Sky appears like a kind, big smile gently bent down over him. The poet uses a simile here — the sky is compared to a smile — to show that the sky looks friendly, soft and protective, as if it is a loving face watching over the child.
Stanza 2
The Sunshine flickers (shines with quick, wavering light) through the “lace” of leaves above the child’s head — meaning the leaves overlap like a patterned lace cloth, with little gaps between them through which the sun’s rays pass. The sunshine touches the child’s face, as gently and lovingly as a mother kisses her child before bed. This stanza shows the warmth and motherly love of nature.
Stanza 3
The Wind comes quietly (“stealing”) over the grass and whispers pretty, sweet things to the child. Although the child cannot see the wind go past, he can feel the soft touch of its “careful wings” — as if the wind were a gentle bird or angel passing by. The poet uses personification: the wind is treated as a living, caring friend.
Stanza 4
In the final stanza, the poet brings out the message of the poem. So many gentle friends — the sky, the sunshine, the wind, the trees, and the grass — are around us all the time, even though they can scarcely be seen. Because such loving, invisible friends are always near, a child should never feel afraid, no matter where he is. The poem ends with a comforting promise: nature itself is a child’s eternal friend.
Word Meanings
Meanings of the words from the poem (as given in the textbook):
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bent | leaned in a particular direction |
| flickers | glimmers; sparks |
| stealing | secretly moving |
| whisper | murmur; talk softly in the ear |
| scarcely | barely; hardly |
| gentle | calm and kind |
A few more useful words from the poem:
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| lace | a delicate fabric with a pattern of holes; here, the pattern of leaves with gaps |
| o’er | poetic short form of “over” |
| careful | gentle; taking care not to harm |
| wings | the parts a bird uses to fly; here, suggesting a soft, flying touch |
Question Answers
These are the complete textbook ACTIVITIES (1–22) printed with the lesson in the ASSEB Class 6 English textbook Rainbow, in the same order and wording as the book, each with a correct answer or model response based on the poem.
Activity 1. Answer the following questions
a) Who are the poet’s friends?
Answer: The poet’s friends are the gentle elements of nature — the Sky, the Sunshine and the Wind (along with the trees and the grass). They are always near the child, even though they can scarcely be seen.
b) What is the Sky like?
Answer: The Sky is like a kind big smile bent sweetly over the poet. It looks like a kind, smiling face gently bending down over the child.
c) What does the Sunshine do?
Answer: The Sunshine flickers through the lace of leaves above the poet’s head and kisses him upon the face, like Mother, before bed.
d) What does the Wind whisper?
Answer: The Wind whispers pretty things to the poet as it comes stealing over the grass.
e) Whose careful wings does the poet feel?
Answer: The poet feels the careful wings of the Wind. Though he cannot see the Wind pass, he can feel the gentle touch of its careful wings.
f) Why should a child never feel a fear?
Answer: A child should never feel a fear because so many gentle friends of nature — the Sky, the Sunshine and the Wind — are always near him, wherever he may be, even though they can scarcely be seen.
g) Can you consider the sky, the sunshine and the wind as your friends? Why?
Answer: Yes, we can consider the sky, the sunshine and the wind as our friends. The sky bends over us like a kind, smiling face; the sunshine warms us and touches our faces gently like a mother; and the wind whispers pretty things and gives us cool, gentle comfort. Like true friends, they are always near us and care for us.
Activity 2. Write the rhyming words from the poem for the ones given below
| Given word | Rhyming word from the poem |
|---|---|
| while | smile |
| tree | me |
| lace | face |
| head | bed |
| grass | pass |
| things | wings |
| near | fear |
| see | be |
Activity 3. Read the explanations of the four stanzas and write the stanza number next to each explanation
| Explanation | Stanza |
|---|---|
| The Wind comes secretly and whispers pretty things. The poet cannot see the Wind, but feels the careful touch. | Stanza 3 |
| The poet says that there are many gentle Friends around us. One can hardly see them. The poet asks the child not to be afraid because wherever the child might be, his gentle friends will be around. | Stanza 4 |
| The Sunshine passes through the leaves and falls upon the poet’s face. The poet compares the falling of sunshine upon the face with mother kissing a child before bed. | Stanza 2 |
| The poet lies under a tree and looks at the Sky through it. The Sky is like a kind big smile, bent sweetly over the poet. | Stanza 1 |
Activity 4. Use the ideas written in the cards to tell the summary of the poem to the class
Answer: (Speaking activity.) Using the cards — looking through the trees, a kind big smile, lace of leaves, kisses like Mother, whisper pretty things, careful wings, invisible, gentle friends, a child, lying on the ground, no fear — you can narrate the summary like this: A child is lying on the ground, looking up through the trees. The Sky above is like a kind big smile. The Sunshine passes through the lace of leaves and kisses the child like Mother. The Wind whispers pretty things, and the child feels its careful wings, though the Wind is invisible. So many gentle friends surround the child, so a child should have no fear.
Activity 5. Write what the word ‘friend’ means to you. Now, write who your friends are
Answer (sample): To me, a friend is a person who understands me, stands by me in good and bad times, shares my joys and sorrows, and helps me without expecting anything in return. My friends are my classmates, my neighbours, and my parents, who are my first and best friends.
Activity 6. Similes
a) The lines “The Sky is like a kind big smile / Bent sweetly over me” use a simile. Find the other simile in the poem and write it down.
Answer: The other simile is “And kisses me upon the face / Like Mother, before bed” — here the touch of the sunshine is compared to a mother’s kiss using the word “like.”
b) Let’s learn a few similes.
- Like a breath of fresh air
- As pure as snow
- Like a ray of sunshine
- As cold as ice
- As bright as the moon
Activity 7. Underline the words Sky, Sunshine and Wind in the poem (personification). Write their human-like activities under the respective headings
The poet gives the sky, the sunshine and the wind human-like qualities and writes them with capital letters, just like people’s names. This is called personification.
| The Sky | The Sunshine | The Wind |
|---|---|---|
| is like a kind big smile; bends sweetly over the poet | flickers through the lace of leaves; kisses the poet upon the face like Mother | comes stealing over the grass; whispers pretty things; has careful wings |
Activity 8. The word ‘Sunshine’ begins with ‘Sun’. Now, add words to ‘rain’ to make new words
Answer: Words with ‘Sun’ — sunscreen, sunglass, sunlight, sunflower. Words with ‘rain’ — raincoat, rainbow, raindrop, rainfall, rainwater.
Activity 9. Make as many words as you can from the letters S, A, N, F, R, U (without repeating letters). One is done for you: FUN
Answer: fun, sun, fan, ran, run, fur, far, urn.
Activity 10. Order of adjectives
a) In ‘a kind big smile’, the adjective ‘kind’ (opinion) comes before ‘big’ (size). When more than one adjective is used before a noun, the usual order is: opinion, size, physical quality, shape, age, colour, origin, material.
b) Rewrite the sentences by placing the adjectives in the right order: “I met a tall old kind man. He bought me a plastic red round beautiful ball. He also bought me a wooden heavy bat.”
Answer: I met a kind tall old man. He bought me a beautiful round red plastic ball. He also bought me a heavy wooden bat.
Activity 11. Fill in the blanks with adjectives from the box (cotton, white, tall, red, beautiful, young, cute, tiny)
Answer (sample, following the order of adjectives):
i. I saw a beautiful tall young girl.
ii. She was wearing a red cotton frock.
iii. She had a cute tiny white bag.
Activity 12. Adjectives and adverbs
a) Write ‘adj.’ for adjective and ‘adv.’ for adverb near the words.
| Word | adj. / adv. |
|---|---|
| kind | adj. |
| sweetly | adv. |
| pretty | adj. |
| careful | adj. |
| gentle | adj. |
| scarcely | adv. |
b) Change the adjectives into adverbs and the adverbs into adjectives.
| Given word | Changed word |
|---|---|
| kind | kindly |
| sweetly | sweet |
| pretty | prettily |
| careful | carefully |
| gentle | gently |
| scarcely | scarce |
Activity 13. Choose the verbs to indicate that these actions will happen tomorrow and fill in the blanks
Answer:
a) The poet will look up through the tree.
b) The Wind will come secretly.
c) The Sunshine will flicker through the lace of leaves.
Activity 14. Pronunciation — the ‘z’ sound
The words friends, flickers, kisses, leaves, comes, things and wings all end with the ‘z’ sound as in ‘zoo’. Tick the words that end with the ‘z’ sound: paralympics, sports, cliffs, tremors, physics, lights, voyages, smiles, shocks.
Answer: The words that end with the ‘z’ sound are — tremors, voyages, smiles. (The others — paralympics, sports, cliffs, physics, lights, shocks — end with the ‘s’ sound.)
Activity 15. Read Board 1 and Board 2. In which Board would you like to write something about you?
Answer: A good friend would choose Board 1, because it lists caring, supportive actions — “I listen to my friend when he/she wants to share something” and “I help my friend when needed.” Board 2 shows selfish and unsupportive behaviour, which a true friend should avoid. (You may add points such as: I keep my friend’s secrets; I encourage my friend to do well.)
Activity 16. Write a few sentences about one of your friends
Answer (sample): My best friend is Anjali. She is kind, honest and helpful. We sit together in class and study together. In the evening we play badminton, and we celebrate festivals like Bihu together. Whenever I am in trouble, she supports me. I am lucky to have such a good friend.
Activity 17. Think of a problem you have faced. Discuss it with your friend and share with the class how it might be solved
Answer: (Speaking activity.) Talk about a real problem — for example, difficulty in a subject — discuss it with a friend, and share the solution you found together, such as studying together or asking the teacher for help.
Activity 18. What will you do if your friend/friends ask you to do something that you consider is not appropriate?
Answer: If a friend asks me to do something wrong or inappropriate, I will politely but firmly say “No.” I will explain why it is wrong and try to stop my friend from doing it too. A true friend should help us do the right thing, not the wrong thing.
Activity 19. Say ‘No’. Add two more situations when you will say ‘No’
Answer (sample): The book asks us to say ‘No’ when someone touches us in a way that makes us feel uncomfortable, and when someone asks us to accompany or meet them alone in an isolated place. Two more situations: (i) when someone asks you to keep a harmful secret from your parents or teacher; (ii) when someone offers you something and tells you not to tell anyone about it.
Activity 20. Tell a story of friendship to the class
Answer: (Speaking activity.) You may narrate a well-known friendship story, such as the Panchatantra tale of the deer, the crow and the mouse, in which loyal friends help one another escape from danger and prove that true friends always stand by us.
Activity 21. Greeting cards
a) Read the given New Year greeting card. b) Prepare a greeting card for your friend’s birthday and write a birthday wish.
Answer (sample birthday wish): Dear Riya, Wishing you a very Happy Birthday! May your day be filled with joy, and may all your dreams come true. Have a wonderful year ahead. With love, Meera.
Activity 22. Listen to the directions to your friend’s house and trace the route on the map
Answer: (Listening activity.) Following the directions — start from the point marked ‘X’ on Nilachal Path, go past the traffic lights and straight on to the roundabout, turn right on to Himgiri Path, take the first left on to Nibir Path, and go straight until you find a book shop on your right — your friend’s house is the one opposite the book shop.
Additional Important Questions and Answers
The following questions are NOT from the textbook. They are extra practice questions and answers to help ASSEB Class 6 students revise the poem “Friends” better.
Q1. Who is the poet of the poem “Friends”?
Answer: The poet of the poem “Friends” is Abbie Farwell Brown, an American writer (1871–1927) who is well known for her poems and stories for children.
Q2. Where is the poet (the child) lying?
Answer: The poet (the child speaker) is lying on the grass under a tree, looking up through the leaves and branches at the sky.
Q3. What does the poet see when he looks up through the tree?
Answer: When the poet looks up through the tree, he sees the wide blue sky between the leaves. The sky appears to him like a kind, big smile bent sweetly down over him.
Q4. To what does the poet compare the sunshine?
Answer: The poet compares the sunshine to a mother. Just as a mother kisses her child upon the face with love before he goes to sleep, the sunshine kisses the child’s face gently as it falls through the leaves.
Q5. Why does the poet compare the leaves to “lace”?
Answer: Lace is a delicate fabric that has small holes and a patterned design. The leaves on the tree above the child’s head also overlap and leave small gaps between them, allowing the sunshine to come through in small, scattered bits. That is why the poet calls the leaves a “lace” of leaves — the sunshine flickers through them just as light passes through the holes of lace cloth.
Q6. What does the phrase “the Wind comes stealing o’er the grass” mean?
Answer: The phrase means that the wind comes very softly and quietly over the grass, almost without being noticed — like someone moving secretly. The word “stealing” here does not mean theft; it means “moving silently or unnoticed.” “O’er” is a poetic short form of “over.”
Q7. What are the “careful wings” of the wind?
Answer: The “careful wings” of the wind refer to the gentle, soft touch of the wind as it passes by — as if the wind were a kind bird or a careful angel flying close to the child without disturbing or hurting him. The poet uses this image to show that the wind is invisible but loving and gentle.
Q8. What is the central message of the poem?
Answer: The central message of the poem “Friends” is that nature is a constant, loving friend of every child. The sky, sunshine and wind are like gentle companions who smile, kiss and whisper to a child. Because so many such friends are always near us, even though we cannot see them, we should never feel afraid or lonely. The poem teaches us to love nature and trust in its protection.
Q9. How many stanzas are there in the poem? How many lines are there in each stanza?
Answer: The poem “Friends” has four stanzas. Each stanza contains four lines. So there are sixteen lines in the poem in total.
Q10. Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem.
Answer: The rhyme scheme of every stanza in the poem is abab. The first line rhymes with the third line, and the second line rhymes with the fourth line. For example, in stanza 1: “while” (line 1) rhymes with “smile” (line 3), and “tree” (line 2) rhymes with “me” (line 4).
Q11. Write the meanings of the following words: flickers, whisper, scarcely, gentle.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| flickers | shines with a quick, wavering, unsteady light |
| whisper | to speak in a very soft, low voice |
| scarcely | hardly; almost not |
| gentle | kind, soft, and mild in nature |
Q12. Use the following words in sentences of your own: smile, whisper, gentle, fear.
Smile: My mother gave me a warm smile when I came back from school.
Whisper: The teacher told the children not to whisper during the examination.
Gentle: The nurse spoke to the patient in a gentle voice.
Fear: A child should not have any fear when his parents are with him.
Q13. Write the full form of the contraction used in the poem.
| Contraction | Full form |
|---|---|
| o’er | over |
Note: The poem uses the word “cannot” written as a single word (“cannot”); it is not the contraction “can’t.”
Q14. Why does the poet feel safe and unafraid?
Answer: The poet feels safe and unafraid because he believes that so many gentle, loving friends from nature — the sky, the sunshine, the wind, the trees and the grass — are always near him. They protect him with their kindness and care. Even though most of them cannot be seen, the poet feels surrounded by their love. This belief makes him feel that no child should ever be afraid, no matter where he is.
Q15. According to the poem, why are the unseen friends called gentle?
Answer: According to the poem, the unseen friends — the sky, sunshine and wind — are very gentle. The poet says, “So many gentle Friends are near / Whom one can scarcely see.” These friends do not speak loudly or push us; they smile softly, kiss gently and whisper sweet things. Their touch is invisible but full of love, and that is why they are so gentle.
Q16. What lesson do you learn from the poem “Friends”?
Answer: The poem teaches us that nature is our greatest friend. The sky, the sunshine, the wind and other elements of nature are always with us, loving us and protecting us silently. We should respect and love nature, and we should not feel afraid or lonely, because so many gentle friends are always near us. The poem also teaches us to be observant and thankful for the simple, beautiful gifts of nature around us every day.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) — Extra Practice
1. The word “flickers” in the poem means —
(i) shines steadily
(ii) shines with a quick, wavering movement
(iii) shines dimly
(iv) disappears
Answer: (ii) shines with a quick, wavering movement
2. To “whisper” means —
(i) to shout loudly
(ii) to speak very softly
(iii) to sing
(iv) to cry
Answer: (ii) to speak very softly
3. The word “gentle” means —
(i) harsh and rough
(ii) kind and soft
(iii) loud and strong
(iv) angry
Answer: (ii) kind and soft
4. The word “scarcely” means —
(i) hardly / almost not
(ii) very much
(iii) quickly
(iv) slowly
Answer: (i) hardly / almost not
5. “Bent sweetly over me” suggests that —
(i) the sky is angry
(ii) the sky looks kind and protective
(iii) the sky is far away
(iv) the sky is broken
Answer: (ii) the sky looks kind and protective
6. The sunshine is compared to —
(i) a friend
(ii) a mother
(iii) a teacher
(iv) a tree
Answer: (ii) a mother
7. The unseen friends in the poem are —
(i) scary
(ii) gentle and caring
(iii) imaginary
(iv) noisy
Answer: (ii) gentle and caring
8. The central theme of the poem is —
(i) fear and loneliness
(ii) nature’s friendship and comfort
(iii) adventure and travel
(iv) noise and chaos
Answer: (ii) nature’s friendship and comfort
9. The poem encourages children to —
(i) be afraid of nature
(ii) understand that they are never alone
(iii) avoid the outdoors
(iv) stay quiet
Answer: (ii) understand that they are never alone
10. The sky’s “kind big smile” gives the poet a feeling of —
(i) fear
(ii) comfort and happiness
(iii) sadness
(iv) anger
Answer: (ii) comfort and happiness
Figures of Speech in the Poem
| Figure of Speech | Example from the Poem | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Simile | “The Sky is like a kind big smile” | The sky is compared to a smile using the word “like.” |
| Simile | “And kisses me upon the face / Like Mother, before bed” | The sunshine’s gentle touch is compared to a mother’s kiss using “like.” |
| Personification | “The Sky is like a kind big smile / Bent sweetly over me” | The sky is given the human action of smiling and bending over the child. |
| Personification | “The Sunshine … kisses me upon the face” | The sunshine is described as a person who kisses. |
| Personification | “The Wind comes stealing o’er the grass / To whisper pretty things” | The wind is given human actions — moving secretly and whispering. |
| Metaphor | “the lace / Of leaves above my head” | The pattern of leaves is called a “lace” (a delicate fabric) — leaves are described as if they were lace. |