7/27/2019 learnenglish-poems-einstein-eddington-support-pack.pdf

1/3

Poems The Einstein and the Eddington

Page 1 of3The United Kingdoms international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.

IntroductionYou can listen to a recording of this poem at:http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/poems/einstein-and-eddington

This support pack contains the following materials:

a pre-reading vocabulary activity;

the poem that you can listen to;

a comprehension activity.

Before you read

Activi ty 1Match the words and phrases at the top to their definitions.

a. bull b. bunkered in the trap c. caddies

d. grieves e. lingering f. links

g. mops h. out of plumb i. slice

j. smooth out k. sweeps l. swings

m. a trifle queer n. warped

1. bent2. cleans (floor)3. feels or expresses great sadness4. hills used for playing golf

5. hit the ball to one side instead of straight6. a little strange7. make something flat8. moves from side to side9. nonsense10. not straight vertically11. persons who carry golfers equipment12. sticks with soft end for washing floors13. taking a long time to leave14. with your golf ball in an area of sand

Read the poem

The Einstein and the Eddingtonby Dr. W. H. Williams

The sun was setting on the links,The moon looked down serene,The caddies all had gone to bed,But still there could be seenTwo players lingering by the trapThat guards the thirteenth green.

The Einstein and the EddingtonWere counting up their score;The Einstein's card showed ninety-eightAnd Eddington's was more.

And both lay bunkered in the trapAnd both stood there and swore.

I hate to see, the Einstein said;Such quantities of sand;Just why they placed a bunker hereI cannot understand.

If one could smooth this landscape out,I think it would be grand.

If seven maids with seven mops

7/27/2019 learnenglish-poems-einstein-eddington-support-pack.pdf

2/3

Poems The Einstein and the Eddington

Page 2 of3The United Kingdoms international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.

Would sweep the fairway cleanI'm sure that I could make this holeIn less than seventeen.

I doubt it, said the Eddington,Your slice is pretty mean.

Then all the little golf balls cameTo see what they were at,And some of them were tall and thinAnd some were short and fat,A few of them were round and smooth,But most of them were flat.

The time has come, said Eddington,To talk of many things:

Of cubes and clocks and meter-sticksAnd why a pendulum swings.And how far space is out of plumb,And whether time has wings.I learned at school the apple's fallTo gravity was due,But now you tell me that the causeIs merely G_mu-nu,I cannot bring myself to thinkThat this is really true.

You say that gravitation's forceIs clearly not a pull.That space is mostly emptiness,While time is nearly full;And though I hate to doubt your word,It sounds like a bit of bull.

And space, it has dimensions four,Instead of only three.The square of the hypotenuseAin't what it used to be.It grieves me sore, the things you've done

To plane geometry.

You hold that time is badly warped,That even light is bent:I think I get the idea there,If this is what you meant:

The mail the postman brings today,Tomorrow will be sent.

If I should go TimbuctooWith twice the speed of light,And leave this afternoon at four,I'd get back home last night.You've got it now, the Einstein said,That is precisely right.

But if the planet MercuryIn going round the sun,Never returns to where it wasUntil its course is run,The things we started out to do

Were better not begun.

And if before the past is through,The future intervenes;Then what's the use of anything;Of cabbages or queens?Pray tell me what's the bally useOf Presidents and Deans.

The shortest line, Einstein replied,Is not the one that's straight;It curves around upon itself,Much like a figure eight,And if you go too rapidlyYou will arrive too late.

But Easter day is Christmas timeAnd far away is near,And two and two is more than fourAnd over there is here.You may be right, said Eddington,It seems a trifle queer.

But thank you very, very much,For troubling to explain;I hope you will forgive my tears,My head begins to pain;I feel the symptoms coming onOf softening of the brain.

7/27/2019 learnenglish-poems-einstein-eddington-support-pack.pdf

3/3

Poems The Einstein and the Eddington

Page 3 of3The United Kingdoms international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We are registered in England as a charity.

Af ter reading

Activi ty 2

Decide if each of the following 10 statements about the poem are true or false.1. The Einstein and the Eddington were playing golf.

2. The Einstein and the Eddington were good golfers.

3. The Einstein's explanation of gravity is different from what the Eddington learnt at school.

4. The Eddington thinks that some of the Einstein's ideas are nonsense.

5. The Einstein thinks it is a good idea for the Eddington to go to Timbuctoo.

6. The Eddington thinks that some of the Einstein's theories show that nothing has any point.

7. The Eddington gets a headache.

8. The Einstein says that a figure of eight is straight.

9. The Einstein says that Easter and Christmas are the same thing.

10. The Eddington thinks that the postman doesn't work very hard.

Answers

Activi ty 1: 1. n; 2. k; 3. d; 4. f; 5. i; 6. m; 7. j; 8. l; 9. a; 10. h; 11. c; 12. g; 13. e; 14. b

Activi ty 2: 1. True (T); 2. False (F); 3. T; 4. T; 5. F; 6. T; 7. T; 8. F; 9. F; 10. F