Question

i neer was struck before that hour
with love so sudden and so sweet,
her face it bloomed like a sweet flower
and stole my heart away complete.
my face turned pale as deadly pale,
my legs refused to walk away,
and when she looked, what could i ail?
my life and all seemed turned to clay.

and then my blood rushed to my face
and took my eyesight quite away,
the trees and bushes round the place
seemed midnight at noonday.
i could not see a single thing,
words from my eyes did start—
they spoke as chords do from the string,
and blood burnt round my heart.

are flowers the winter’s choice?
is love’s bed always snow?
she seemed to hear my silent voice,
not love’s appeals to know.
i never saw so sweet a face

1. how does the repetition of the word \pale\ in line 5 contribute to the meaning of the poem?

a. it shows that the speaker is deeply affected by their feelings for the woman.
b. it shows that the speaker is embarrassed that they were caught staring at the woman.
c. it shows that the speaker’s feelings are quickly changed because they fall in love easily.
d. it shows that the speaker’s feelings are guarded because they have been rejected before.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze the repetition of "pale" in line 5 ("My face turned pale as deadly pale"). Option A: The speaker's face turning pale shows a strong emotional reaction to the woman, consistent with being deeply affected by love. Option B: There's no indication of embarrassment from being caught staring. Option C: "pale" here shows a deep, sudden emotion, not "falling in love easily". Option D: No context of prior rejection. So A is correct.

Answer:

A. It shows that the speaker is deeply affected by their feelings for the woman.