Question

“forest trees”
by edna st. vincent millay
monarchs of long forgotten realms, ye stand;
majestic, grand:
unscared by time’s destructive hand.
enthroned on dais of velvet moss, inset
with the royal purple of the violet;
and crowned with mistletoe.
how many ages o’er your head have flown,
to you is known—
to you, ye forest - founders of the past, alone.
no other eyes may scan the breadth of years,
each with its share of peace, and joy, and tears;
of happiness and woe.
around you all is changed—and where now is land
swift vessels ploughed to foam the seething main:
kingdoms have risen; and the fire - fiend’s hand
has crushed them to their mother earth’s again;
and through it all ye stand, and still will stand
till ages yet to come have owned your reign.
“forest trees” by edna st. vincent millay from st. nicholas: an illustrated magazine for young folks. copyright
1898 by the century co., new york. public domain
what is the significance of the stanza break between lines 6 and 7?
○ it builds suspense before revealing the poem’s true subject.
○ it signals a shift from visual description to reflection on time.
○ it contrasts the physical presence of the trees with their unseen wisdom.
○ it separates the trees’ timeless nature from the changing world around them.

Explanation:

The stanza break between lines 6 and 7 shifts from describing the trees' majestic, physical presence (lines 1 - 6: "Monarchs...crowned with mistletoe") to reflecting on time and the trees' timeless nature (lines 7 - 16: "How many ages...own your reign"). Option C ("It signals a shift from visual description to reflection on time") aligns with this transition. Option A is incorrect as suspense isn't built here. Option B is wrong because the break doesn't contrast physical presence with wisdom. Option D is incorrect as the break separates the descriptive and reflective parts, not timeless nature from a changing world (the reflective part includes both the trees' timelessness and the world's change, so D misinterprets the separation).

Answer:

C. It signals a shift from visual description to reflection on time