Who wrote the poem 'The Noble Nature'?

The poem 'The Noble Nature' was written by Ben Jonson (1572-1637), an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor and a contemporary of William Shakespeare.

What is the central idea of 'The Noble Nature'?

The quality of life matters more than its length. A person is made noble not by living long or growing big like an oak, but by living a beautiful, good and bright life like the lily. Even a short life can be perfect.

What do the oak and the lily symbolise?

The oak symbolises a long but dull life, great in size and age but lifeless at its end. The lily symbolises a short but beautiful and noble life, small and brief yet bright and full of beauty.

What does 'in short measures life may perfect be' mean?

It means that a short life can still be perfect. A small but beautiful, good and noble life is more perfect than a long but dull one — quality matters more than quantity.

Lesson 8: The Noble Nature

Q: Why is a lily far fairer than an oak?

Though the lily lives only a day, it is beautiful and bright — the flower of Light — while the oak, despite three hundred years, ends as a dry, bald, withered log. Beauty matters more than size and age.

Detailed Text · A poem by Ben Jonson

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

📖 Lesson 8 — The Noble Nature (Detailed Text · Poem): A short but deep poem by Ben Jonson on what truly makes a person noble. Through the contrast of a mighty oak and a delicate lily, the poet shows that the quality of a life matters more than its length. Everything you need — the full poem, central idea, explanation, poet, word-meanings and all textbook answers — is here.

The Noble Nature

📝 About the Poem

In ‘The Noble Nature’, the poet says that living long or growing big does not make a person noble or better. He compares a huge oak tree that stands for three hundred years but ends as a dry, withered log, with a lily that lives only a day yet is far more beautiful. The lesson: a short but beautiful and good life is more perfect than a long but dull one.

✍️ About the Poet

Ben Jonson (1572–1637) was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor — a contemporary of William Shakespeare. He is best known for his ‘comedy of humour’ with a tone of satire. In this poem he talks about the qualities that make a man noble, comparing man to a sturdy oak and to a delicate lily.

📜 The Poem (full text)

It is not growing like a tree
In bulk, doth make Man better be;
Or standing long an oak, three hundred year,
To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere:
A lily of a day
Is fairer far in May,
Although it fall and die that night —
It was the plant and flower of Light.
In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be.

📚 Explanation

Lines 1–4 (the Oak): The poet says that growing big like a tree (in bulk) does not make a man better, nor does standing long like an oak for three hundred years — for in the end the oak only falls as a dry, bald and withered (sere) log. Mere size and long life are of little value.

Lines 5–8 (the Lily): A lily that blooms for only a day in May is far fairer than the oak. Even though it falls and dies that very night, it was the bright and beautiful ‘plant and flower of Light’. Its short life is full of beauty.

Lines 9–10 (the message): We truly see beauty in small proportions, and a life can be perfect even in short measures. In other words, a short but noble and beautiful life is better than a long, dull one.

💡 Central Idea / Theme

The quality of life matters more than its length. A person is not made noble by living long or growing big, like the oak, but by living a beautiful, good and bright life, like the lily. Even a short life, if full of goodness and beauty, can be perfect.

📖 Glossary (Word Meanings)

Word	Meaning
bulk	large size
oak	a large, strong European tree that lives for hundreds of years
log	a thick piece of a fallen tree trunk
bald	(here) leafless, bare
sere	dried and withered
lily	a beautiful but short-lived flower
fairer	more beautiful
flower of Light	a bright, beautiful flower
proportions	quantities; sizes
measures	units in which we express size / amount
just	(here) truly, really

E. Let's understand the poem

1What is noteworthy in an oak?

The oak is a large, strong tree that can stand for three hundred years. It is noteworthy for its great size (bulk) and very long life.

2Who is fairer: an oak or a lily? How?

The lily is far fairer. Though it lives only for a day — it blooms in May and dies the same night — it is far more beautiful than the oak, for it is the ‘plant and flower of Light’. It is beauty, not size or age, that makes the lily fairer.

3What ultimately happens to an oak?

After standing for three hundred years, the oak ultimately falls as a dry, bald (leafless) and withered (sere) log. In spite of its long life, its end is dull and lifeless.

4Is a man blessed (made better) with a long life and material prosperity?

No. The poet says that growing big like a tree (in bulk) or standing long like an oak does not make a man better. A long life and material prosperity alone do not make a man noble.

5What are your impressions about the lily? (Clue: Ref. to lines 7 & 8)

The lily is small and short-lived (a ‘lily of a day’), yet it is beautiful and bright — the ‘plant and flower of Light’. Even though it falls and dies the same night, its brief life is full of beauty and brightness.

6Can a short life be perfect? Which lines suggest this, and how?

Yes, a short life can be perfect. The last two lines suggest this: ‘In small proportions we just beauties see; / And in short measures life may perfect be.’ They mean that a small, short but beautiful and noble life can be perfect — quality matters more than length.

7Choose the best possible meaning of ‘just’ in the line ‘In small proportions we just beauties see’ — (a) Only a short time ago (b) really (c) morally fair.

(b) really. (‘we just beauties see’ means we really / truly see beauties.)

F. Let's appreciate the poem — (a) Comprehension

1Why is a lily far fairer than an oak?

Because, though it lives only a day, the lily is beautiful and bright — the ‘flower of Light’ — whereas the oak, despite three hundred years, ends only as a dry, bald, withered log. Beauty matters more than size and age, so the lily is far fairer.

2Which qualities make a man noble?

Not large size (bulk) or long life, but the beauty of one's character, goodness, and a life full of brightness and virtue — even if short — make a man noble. It is the quality of life, not its length, that matters.

3Is long life a yardstick to judge the worth of a human being?

No. The poet clearly says long life (like the oak's) is not what makes a man better or noble. The worth of a person is judged by the beauty and goodness of their life, not by how long they live.

4Do you agree with the idea that ‘in short measures life may perfect be’?

Yes, I agree. A short life lived with beauty, goodness and nobility is far more perfect and worthwhile than a long but dull, useless one — just as the lily's single day is lovelier than the oak's three hundred years.

5‘Of a day, that night, smell, short’ — what do these suggest?

These words suggest the shortness and brevity of the lily's life, and at the same time its beauty and sweetness. They emphasise that even a very short life can be full of beauty and perfection.

F (b) — Choose the most appropriate option

1We see beauty in lily because — (i) it is short lived (ii) it is the flower of light (iii) small is beautiful (iv) it is not like an oak.

(ii) it is the flower of light. (‘It was the plant and flower of Light’.)

2The poet's philosophy of life is that — (i) one must enjoy life to the fullest (ii) one must make others happy (iii) small things can make life beautiful (iv) longevity should be the good of our life.

(iii) small things can make life beautiful.

3In a phrase of the poem the poet suggests that ‘short life’ is — (i) tie that night (ii) flower of light (iii) small proportions (iv) short measures.

(iv) short measures.

4If you were asked to describe lily in a few words, how would you do it in the context of the poem? (i) a flower-bearing plant (ii) beautiful but short lived (iii) a water plant (iv) sweet smelling flower.

(ii) beautiful but short lived.