How does the poet use the brook to draw a parallel with the life of a man?
This is a poem that traces the life of a brook or a small stream as it emerges from the mountaintop and flows down the hills and across valleys to empty into the river. On a deeper level, the poet uses the brook to draw a parallel with the life of a man. Like the brook, man is energetic, lively and moves swiftly when he is young but slows down later on in life just like the brook does before it reaches the river.