Who wrote the poem 'Alexander Selkirk'?

The poem 'Alexander Selkirk' (The Solitude of Alexander Selkirk) was written by William Cowper (1731-1800), an English poet born at Great Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire.

What is the poem 'Alexander Selkirk' about?

It expresses the reflections of Alexander Selkirk, a sailor marooned alone on a deserted island after a shipwreck. Though he is 'monarch of all he surveys', he is desperately lonely and longs for society, friendship and his native land.

Why does Selkirk call the island a 'horrible place'?

Though Selkirk is the king of the whole island, he has no human company — no society, friendship or love. Power and freedom mean nothing in such loneliness, so he calls it a horrible place.

What is the central idea of the poem?

The poem shows the deep pain of loneliness and the human longing for society, friendship and love. It ends on a note of hope, that God's mercy is everywhere and helps man accept even his hard lot.

What does 'There is mercy in every place' mean?

It means that even in the loneliest and hardest situation, God's mercy is present everywhere. This faith gives Selkirk strength, turns his suffering into grace, and helps him accept his difficult life.

Lesson 10: Alexander Selkirk

Detailed Text · A poem by William Cowper

English · Odisha Board Class 9 · Summary + Textbook Q&A + 25 Quiz

📖 Lesson 10 — Alexander Selkirk (Detailed Text · Poem): A touching poem by William Cowper expressing the feelings of a lonely sailor, Alexander Selkirk, stranded on a deserted island. He is ‘king’ of all he sees, yet longs for human company, friendship and his native land. Everything you need — the full poem, central idea, stanza-wise explanation, poet, word-meanings and all textbook answers — is here.

Alexander Selkirk (The Solitude of Alexander Selkirk)

📝 About the Poem

The poem gives the reflections of Alexander Selkirk, a sailor who was marooned alone on a deserted (no-man's) island after a shipwreck. Only birds and beasts lived there. Though he is the ‘monarch of all he surveys’, he is desperately lonely and misses society, friendship and love. The poem beautifully expresses the pain of loneliness and the longing for home — yet ends with hope, finding mercy even in that lonely place.

✍️ About the Poet

William Cowper (1731–1800) was born at Great Berkhampstead, in Hertfordshire (England), where his father was a rector. His poems were published late in his life. Among a few short poems at the end of his volume is this well-known poem containing the reflections of Alexander Selkirk, which shows the freedom and loneliness of his spirit on a lonely island.

📜 The Poem (full text)

I am monarch of all I survey,
My right there is none to dispute,
From the centre all round to the sea
I am lord of the fowl and the brute.
O Solitude! where are the charms
That sages have seen in thy face?
Better dwell in the midst of alarms
Than reign in this horrible place.

I am out of humanity's reach,
I must finish my journey alone,
Never hear the sweet music of speech;
I start at the sound of my own.
The beasts that roam over the plain
My form with indifference see;
They are so unacquainted with man,
Their tameness is shocking to me.

Society, friendship, and love
Divinely bestow'd upon man,
O had I the wings of a dove
How soon would I taste you again!
My sorrows I then might assuage
In the ways of religion and truth,
Might learn from the wisdom of age,
And be cheer'd by the sallies of youth.

Ye winds that have made me your sport,
Convey to this desolate shore
Some cordial endearing report
Of a land I shall visit no more;
My friends, do they now and then send
A wish or a thought after me?
O tell me I yet have a friend,
Though a friend I am never to see.

How fleet is a glance of the mind!
Compared with the speed of its flight,
The tempest itself lags behind,
And the swift-winged arrows of light.
When I think of my own native land
In a moment I seem to be there;
But, alas! recollection at hand
Soon hurries me back to despair.

But the seafowl is gone to her nest
The beast is laid down in his lair;
Even here is a season of rest,
And I to my cabin repair.
There is mercy in every place,
And mercy, encouraging thought!
Gives even affliction a grace
And reconciles man to his lot.

📚 Stanza-wise Explanation

Stanza 1: Selkirk says he is the monarch (king) of all he surveys — no one disputes his right; from the centre to the sea he is lord of the birds and beasts. But he cries out that solitude has no real charm for him; it would be better to live among dangers (‘alarms’) than to rule in this horrible lonely place.

Stanza 2: He is out of humanity's reach and must live his life alone, never hearing human speech — he is even startled by the sound of his own voice. The wild beasts are so unacquainted with man that they look at him without fear, and their strange tameness shocks him.

Stanza 3: He misses the divine gifts of society, friendship and love. If he had the wings of a dove, he would fly back to enjoy them again; then he could ease his sorrows through religion and truth, learn from the wisdom of the old and be cheered by the liveliness of the young.

Stanza 4: He begs the winds to carry to his lonely shore some loving news of his homeland, which he will never see again. He longs to know whether his friends still think of him and prays to be told that he still has a friend, even if he can never meet one.

Stanza 5: He marvels how swift thought is — faster than a tempest or arrows of light. When he thinks of his native land, he seems to be there in a moment — but memory (‘recollection’) soon reminds him of his loneliness and hurries him back to despair.

Stanza 6: As evening falls, the seafowl goes to its nest and the beast to its lair; even here there is a season of rest, so he returns to his cabin. He finds comfort in the thought that there is mercy in every place — a mercy that even gives suffering a grace and reconciles man to his lot.

💡 Central Idea / Theme

The poem expresses the deep pain of loneliness and the human longing for society, friendship and love. Though Selkirk is ‘king’ of the whole island, power and freedom mean nothing without human company. Yet the poem ends on a note of hope and faith — that God's mercy is everywhere and helps man accept even his hard lot.

📖 Glossary (Word Meanings)

Word	Meaning
monarch	supreme ruler; king
survey	to look over / view
dispute	argue or quarrel
brute	an animal or beast
solitude	being without companions; (here) a lonely place
thy	an old / poetic word for ‘your’
bestow	to give as an offering
assuage	to make suffering less painful
sallies	lively or humorous remarks
desolate	barren, ruined or isolated
sea fowl	a sea bird; one of the larger water birds
lair	a wild animal's resting place or den
affliction	suffering or distress
reconcile	to bring into harmony; to make one accept
fleet	swift, fast
tempest	a violent storm
repair	(here) to go back / return

E. Let's understand the poem — (a) Comprehension

1Who does ‘I’ refer to?

‘I’ refers to Alexander Selkirk, the lonely sailor marooned on a deserted island, whose reflections the poet William Cowper expresses in the poem.

2Who is the monarch here?

Alexander Selkirk is the monarch (sole ruler) here. He is ‘monarch of all he surveys’ on the lonely island, where there is no one to dispute his right and he is lord of the birds and beasts.

3Who did find charm in solitude?

The sages (wise men) found charm and beauty in solitude. Selkirk, however, finds no charm in it and calls it a ‘horrible place’.

4Why were the beasts unfamiliar with (indifferent to) Selkirk?

The beasts on the island had never seen a man before — they were ‘unacquainted with man’. So they were unfamiliar with Selkirk, looked at him with indifference and were strangely tame, which shocked him.

5What did Selkirk appeal to the wind?

He appealed to the winds to carry to that desolate shore some kind, loving news of the land he would never visit again, and to tell him whether his friends still remembered him — whether he yet had a friend.

6Which lines in the poem suggest that the island is a no-man's island?

The lines — ‘I am out of humanity's reach, / I must finish my journey alone, / Never hear the sweet music of speech’ and ‘They are so unacquainted with man, / Their tameness is shocking to me’ — suggest that no man lives on the island.

7What is the meaning of ‘They are so unacquainted with man’ (stanza 2)?

It means the beasts of the island have never known or seen a man before, so they are not afraid of Selkirk; their strange tameness and indifference shock him.

8What hurried Selkirk back to despair?

When he thought of his native land he felt, for a moment, that he was there. But recollection — the sudden memory that he was really far away and all alone — soon hurried him back to despair.

9What did Selkirk want to do when evening approached?

When evening came and the seafowl went to its nest and the beast to its lair, Selkirk too wanted to return (‘repair’) to his cabin to rest, comforted by the thought that there is mercy and a season of rest even in that lonely place.

10Can you choose an alternative title for the poem?

Some suitable alternative titles are: ‘The Lonely Island’, ‘Solitude’, ‘The Castaway’, or ‘Monarch of the Island’.

E (b) — Choose the appropriate answer

1The poem is about the plight of a person named ———. (a) Shakespeare (b) William Cowper (c) Alexander Selkirk (d) William Wordsworth

(c) Alexander Selkirk.

2I am ——— of all I survey. (a) King (b) Emperor (c) Landlord (d) Monarch

(d) Monarch.

3The beasts ——— over the plain. (a) run (b) walk (c) move (d) roam

(d) roam.

4O had I the wings of a ———, How soon would I taste you again. (a) crow (b) dove (c) owl (d) fowl

(b) dove.

5The ——— itself lags behind, And the swift winged arrows of light. (a) tempest (b) cyclone (c) blizzard (d) wind

(a) tempest.

6But the ——— is gone to her nest. (a) sea horse (b) sea fowl (c) sea fish (d) sea snake

(b) sea fowl.

F. Let's appreciate the poem

1What did the poet survey?

Selkirk surveyed the whole lonely island — from its centre all round to the sea — over which he was the sole monarch, lord of the birds (fowl) and beasts (brute).

2Why did the poet remember the sages?

He remembered the sages (wise men) because they had spoken of the charms and beauty of solitude. But Selkirk, in his loneliness, could find no such charm and felt that solitude was a horrible place.

3How does the poet describe the island in the second stanza?

He describes it as a place out of humanity's reach, where he must live alone, never hearing human speech, and where the wild beasts are so unacquainted with man that their tameness shocks him. It is a deserted, no-man's island.

4What are the divine qualities bestowed upon man?

Society, friendship and love are the divine gifts (qualities) bestowed upon man by God. Selkirk, in his loneliness, longs for all three.

5Why does the poet like the wisdom of age?

Because, in the company of society, he might learn from the wisdom of elders (age) and also be cheered by the liveliness (‘sallies’) of youth — things that he sadly misses in his loneliness.

6What is the poet's prayer to the ‘winds’?

He prays to the winds to carry to his desolate shore some kind, endearing news of his native land, and to tell him whether his friends still think of him — to assure him that he yet has a friend, though he may never see one.

7Why does the poet say that ‘the tempest itself lags behind’?

Because thought (‘a glance of the mind’) is so swift that even a storm (tempest) and the swift-winged arrows of light lag behind it. In a single moment his thoughts can fly all the way to his native land.