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Stanza 4
The signal was given, the pistol exploded
And so did the runners all charging ahead
But the smallest among them, he stumbled and staggered
And fell to the asphalt instead.
The signal was given, the pistol exploded
And so did the runners all charging ahead
But the smallest among them, he stumbled and staggered
And fell to the asphalt instead.
Line by Line
Lines 1-2: “The signal was given, the pistol exploded / And so did the runners all charging ahead”
Important words
signal was given
→ the start command was made
pistol exploded
→ the starting gun fired with a loud bang
charging ahead
→ running very fast forward
Meaning: The starting gun fired loudly and all the runners burst forward, running as fast as they could.
Lines 3-4: “But the smallest among them, he stumbled and staggered / And fell to the asphalt instead.”
Important words
smallest among them
→ the shortest / youngest athlete
stumbled
→ stepped awkwardly and almost fell
staggered
→ walked in an unsteady, shaky way
asphalt
→ the hard black road surface
Meaning: But the smallest runner tripped and lost his balance. He stumbled, staggered, and fell onto the hard road surface.
Summary of Stanza 4
The gun fires and all nine runners start running fast. But the smallest runner trips and loses his balance. He shakes and then falls down onto the hard road.
