📖 Introduction

The poem “Fog” by Carl Sandburg is a short yet powerful piece of imagery and metaphor. The poet beautifully compares the fog to a cat that arrives silently, covers the city, and then moves away quietly. Through this simple comparison, Sandburg captures the mysterious and unpredictable nature of fog and, symbolically, of life itself.

🎯 Central Idea

The poem depicts how the fog appears suddenly and disappears silently. Carl Sandburg compares the fog’s smooth and quiet movement to a cat’s actions. The poet conveys that, like fog, life also has moments of uncertainty that come and go without warning.

🌁 Summary in Points

• The poet compares the movement of fog to a cat’s stealthy walk.
• The fog arrives quietly and rests over the city and harbor.
• It seems to sit there for a while, watching everything calmly.
• After some time, it moves on softly — just as a cat does.
• The poem reflects the calm, quiet, and mysterious side of nature.

🪶 Poem Text (for Reference)

🌤️ Explanation (Line by Line)

1️⃣ “The fog comes on little cat feet”

The poet personifies the fog as a cat that arrives quietly and softly. It doesn’t make any noise, just as fog creeps into the environment without notice.

2️⃣ “It sits looking over harbor and city”

The fog, like a cat, pauses and observes the surroundings — the harbor and the city. The poet presents fog as a curious creature that takes time to look around.

3️⃣ “On silent haunches and then moves on”

The fog quietly rests for a moment and then slowly disappears. The cat-like image continues — the fog neither rushes nor lingers too long.

🌫️ Poetic Devices

• Metaphor: The fog is compared to a cat without using “like” or “as”.
• Personification: The fog behaves like a living creature — it comes, sits, and moves.
• Imagery: Visual images of fog sitting over the harbor and city create vivid pictures.
• Alliteration: “Fog… feet” – repetition of sound adds rhythm.
• Free Verse: The poem does not follow rhyme or meter, symbolizing fog’s freedom.

💡 Theme of the Poem

• Transience of Nature: Natural elements come and go without warning.
• Mystery and Calmness: Fog’s quiet movement symbolizes peaceful observation.
• Life’s Unpredictability: Just like fog, situations in life appear and vanish unexpectedly.
• Personification of Nature: Nature behaves like a living being, full of personality.

🧠 Word Meanings

• Fog: Thick cloud of water droplets near the ground.
• Haunches: The hips or upper thighs of an animal (used for the cat metaphor).
• Harbor: A place where ships dock.
• Moves on: To go away or leave silently.

📘 NCERT Style Question Answers

• Q1: What is the fog compared to in the poem? Ans: The fog is compared to a cat for its silent, graceful, and mysterious movement.
• Q2: How does the fog come?
Ans: The fog comes quietly “on little cat feet,” symbolizing its smooth and unnoticed arrival.
• Q3: Where does the fog rest?
Ans: It sits “looking over harbor and city,” as if observing the surroundings before moving away.
• Q4: What message does the poet convey?
Ans: The poem tells us that nature’s movements are gentle yet powerful, and that everything — whether fog or trouble — passes with time.
• Q5: Why does the poet use the cat as a metaphor?
Ans: Because a cat’s behavior — silent, graceful, and independent — perfectly mirrors the nature of fog.

🌸 Moral of the Poem

The poem teaches us that change is natural and nothing stays forever. We should observe life’s phases calmly, just as the fog comes and goes peacefully.

🌤️ Conclusion

Carl Sandburg’s “Fog” is a simple yet deeply philosophical poem. In just a few lines, he captures the beauty of nature’s stillness and mystery. Through the image of a cat, the poet shows how even the smallest aspects of nature carry grace, intelligence, and movement. The poem reminds us to value silence and observe the world with patience.