The Ant and the Cricket Class VIII
A fable is a story, often with animals as characters, that conveys a moral.
एक नीति-कथा ऐसी कहानी होती है जिसमें अक्सर जानवर पात्र
होते हैं और जो कोई शिक्षा देती है। This poem about an ant and a cricket contains an
idea of far-reaching significance, यह कविता, जो चींटी और झींगुर के बारे में है, एक दूरगामी महत्व का विचार प्रस्तुत करती है, which is as true of a four-legged cricket as
of a ‘two-legged one’. जो चार पैरों वाले झींगुर पर भी लागू होता है और दो पैरों
वाले (मनुष्यों) पर भी।
Stanza-1
Surely, you have seen a cricket
that has two legs!
👉 निश्चित रूप से आपने दो पैरों वाला झींगुर (मनुष्य) देखा होगा!
A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
👉
एक मूर्ख युवा झींगुर,
जिसे गाने की आदत थी,
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer
and spring,
👉
गर्म, धूप वाले हँसमुख ग्रीष्म और वसंत के महीनों में
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
👉
उसने शिकायत करना शुरू किया जब उसने देखा कि घर में
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
👉
उसकी अलमारी खाली थी,
और सर्दी आ चुकी थी
Not a crumb to be found
👉
एक टुकड़ा भी नहीं मिला
On the snow-covered ground;
👉
बर्फ से ढकी ज़मीन पर
Not a flower could he see,
👉
वह कोई फूल नहीं देख सका
Not a leaf on a tree.
👉
पेड़ पर एक भी पत्ता नहीं था
“Oh! what will become,” says the cricket, “of
me?”
👉
“ओह! मेरा क्या होगा,” झींगुर ने कहा
Word Meaning:-
Silly – मूर्ख, Young – युवा, Cricket – झींगुर, Sing – गाना, Through – के माध्यम से, Warm – गर्म, Sunny – धूप वाला, Gay – आनंदमय, Summer – गर्मी, Spring – वसंत, Complain – शिकायत करना, Found – पाया, Cupboard – अलमारी, Empty – खाली, Crumb – टुकड़ा, Snow – बर्फ, Covered – ढका हुआ, Leaf – पत्ता, Flower – फूल, Ground – ज़मीन, Tree – पेड़, Become – बनना।
Stanza-2
👉 अंत में भूख और अकाल से साहस जुटाया,
All dripping with wet,
and all trembling with cold,
👉 पूरा भीग चुका था, और ठंड से काँप रहा था,
Away he set off to
a miserly ant,
👉 वह एक कंजूस चींटी के पास गया,
To see if, to keep
him alive, he would grant
👉 यह देखने कि क्या वह उसे ज़िंदा रखने
के लिए कुछ देगी
Him
shelter from rain,
👉 उसे बारिश से बचने के लिए आश्रय
And
a mouthful of grain.
👉 और खाने के लिए थोड़ा सा अनाज
He
wished only to borrow;
👉 वह केवल उधार लेना चाहता था;
He’d repay it
tomorrow;
👉 वह उसे कल लौटा देगा;
If not, he must
die of starvation and sorrow
👉 नहीं मिला तो वह भूख और दुख से मर
जाएगा
Word Meaning:-
Starvation – भूखमरी, Famine – अकाल, Bold – साहसी, Dripping – भीगा हुआ, Trembling – काँपता हुआ, Cold – ठंड, Miserly – कंजूस, Ant – चींटी, Grant – देना, Shelter – आश्रय, Rain – बारिश, Mouthful – थोड़ा सा, Grain – अनाज, Borrow – उधार लेना, Repay – चुकाना, Tomorrow – कल, Die – मरना, Sorrow – दुख, Alive – ज़िंदा, Empty – खाली।
Stanza-3
Says the ant to the
cricket, “I’m your servant and friend,”
👉 चींटी ने झींगुर से कहा, “मैं तुम्हारी सेविका और मित्र हूँ,”
But we ants never
borrow; we ants never lend.
👉 लेकिन हम चींटियाँ न तो उधार लेती
हैं, न ही देती हैं।
But
tell me, dear cricket, did you lay nothing by
👉 लेकिन बताओ, प्यारे झींगुर, क्या तुमने कुछ भी जमा नहीं किया
When
the weather was warm?”
👉 जब मौसम गर्म था?”
Quoth the cricket,
“Not I!”
👉 झींगुर ने कहा, “मैंने नहीं!”
My
heart was so light
👉 मेरा मन बहुत हल्का था
That
I sang day and night,
👉 कि मैं दिन-रात गाता रहा
For
all nature looked gay.”
👉 क्योंकि सारी प्रकृति प्रसन्न दिख
रही थी।”
“You
sang, Sir, you say?
👉 “आप कहते हैं कि आपने गाया?”
Go then,” says the
ant, “and dance the winter away.”
👉 “तो जाओ,” चींटी ने कहा, “और सर्दी में नाचते रहो।”
Word Meaning:
Servant – सेवक, Friend – मित्र, Borrow – उधार लेना, Lend – उधार देना, Dear – प्रिय, Lay – जमा करना, Weather – मौसम, Warm – गर्म, Heart – दिल, Light – हल्का, Sang – गाया, Day – दिन, Night – रात, Nature – प्रकृति, Looked – दिखती थी, Gay – प्रसन्न, Sir – महोदय, Say – कहना, Go – जाओ, Dance – नाचना।
Stanza-4
Thus
ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,
👉 ऐसा कहकर, उसने जल्दी से दरवाज़ा उठाया,
And
out of the door turned the poor little cricket.
👉 और बेचारा छोटा झींगुर दरवाज़े से
बाहर चला गया।
Folks
call this a fable. I’ll warrant it true:
👉 लोग इसे एक नीति-कथा कहते हैं। लेकिन
मैं इसे सच मानता हूँ:
Some
crickets have four legs, and some have two.
👉 कुछ झींगुरों के चार पैर होते हैं, और कुछ के दो (अर्थात् कुछ लोग भी
ऐसे ही होते हैं)।
Word Meaning:
Ending – समाप्ति, Hastily – जल्दी से, Lifted – उठाया, Wicket – दरवाज़ा, Turned – मुड़ा, Poor – गरीब, Little – छोटा, Cricket – झींगुर, Folks – लोग, Call – कहते हैं, Fable – नीति-कथा, Warrant – पुष्टि करना, True – सच, Some – कुछ, Legs – पैर, Have – होते हैं, Door – दरवाज़ा, Out – बाहर, Dance – नाचना, Winter – सर्दी।
Multiple Choice Questions
1.
Whose fables is the poem “The Ant and The Cricket” adapted from?
A. Rudyard Kipling
B. Paulo Coelho
C. Dan Brown
D. Aesop
2.
The poet has described the
cricket as-
A. Silly
B. Young
C. Accustomed to sing
D. All of the above
3.
When did the cricket begin to
complain?
A. Summers and spring
B. When he was drenched in rain
C. When he found his cupboard was empty
D. All of the above
4.
Which word is closest to the
meaning ‘scarcity of food’?
A. Starvation
B. Hunger
C. Misery
D. Famine
5. What did he want from the ant?
A. Mouthful of grain
B. Shelter from rain
C. New clothes
D. Only A and B
6.
Did he wish to
repay the ant?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Maybe
D. Not mentioned in the poem
7.
What would he die of, if the ant didn’t help him?
A. Starvation
and famine
B. Starvation and sorrow
C. Starvation and poverty
D. Starvation and weakness
8.
Who said “I am your servant and friend”?
A. ant
B. cricket
C. both
D. no one
9.
What was the policy of the ants?
A. Never borrow,
never lend
B. Always give and take
C. Share and grow
D. None of the above
10.What did the ant advise him to do all winter?
A. Sing
B. Dance
C. Sleep
D. Rest
The Ant and the Cricket- Rhyme Scheme
The rhyme scheme for the entire poem is aabbccddd
The Ant and the Cricket- Literary devices
1. Personification- the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to
something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form
in this poem, the ant and the cricket are personified.
2. Metaphor- a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to
an object or action to which it is not literally applicable
In this line, “Some crickets have four legs, and some have two.” the poet has
compared lazy humans with the cricket.
3. Alliteration– the
occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words “When the weather was warm?” (When, weather, warm), you sang,
Sir, you say? (Sang, sir, say)
Working with the poem
1. The cricket says, “Oh! What will become of me?” When
does he say it, and why?
Ans. As the winter season
came, the cricket realised that his cupboard at home was empty. He began
complaining as soon as he realised that. He could not even find a single piece
of something to eat on the snow-covered ground. There were no flowers or leaves
in sight as it was the winter season. He became worried as to what will happen
to him without food and shelter and that is when he says, “Oh! What will become
of me?”
2. (i) Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be” (Shakespeare).
Ans. In the poem the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a
lender be” (Shakespeare) are “But we ants never borrow; we ants never
lend.”
(ii) What is your opinion of the ant’s principles?
Ans. The ant’s principle to neither borrow nor lend teaches us a very
important lesson of utilising our time and resources wisely when circumstances
are in our favour. It is important to enjoy in the moment but it is also very
important to plan for the future or situations where circumstances might not be
in our favour. The ants don’t depend on anyone for their living. I think the
ant’s principles are right and appropriate.
3. The ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”.
Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so, why?
Ans. Upon hearing that the cricket sang day and night all summer, the ant
tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”. The word “dance” here refers to
merry-making and enjoyment. By this word, the ant meant not doing any
responsible work or planning for the future. Thus, the word ‘dance’ is
appropriate here.
4. (i) Which lines in the poem express the poet’s
comment? Read them aloud.
Ans. The lines in the poem that express the poet’s comments are “Folks
call this a fable. I’ll warrant it true: Some crickets have four legs, and some
have two.”
(ii) Write the comment in your own words.
Ans. The poet mentions that a lot
of people think it is an untrue story of an ant and the cricket but the poet is
of another opinion. He mentions there are cricket with four legs whereas there
are with two as well, which means there are other insects and even human beings
that live like the cricket. They waste all their time. They do not prepare or
plan for the future and regret when the time is gone.
A. A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing
Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,
Began to complain when he found that, at home,
His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.
Not a crumb to be found
On the snow-covered ground;
Not a flower could he see,
Not a leaf on a tree.
“Oh! what will become,” says the cricket, “of me?”
Q1. Describe the cricket.
Ans. It was a silly, young cricket.
Q2. What was the cricket accustomed to?
Ans. It was accustomed to singing.
Q3. Which season had ended?
Ans. Summer had ended and winter had come.
Q4. Why did the cricket complain?
Ans. He complained that his cupboard was empty, there was no
crumb, no flower, not a leaf on the tree.
Q5. How did the cricket worry about himself?
Ans. He worried by wondering what would become of him.
B.
At last by starvation and famine made bold,
All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold,
Away he set off to a miserly ant,
To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant
Him shelter from rain,
And a mouthful of grain.
He wished only to borrow;
He’d repay it tomorrow;
If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.
Q1. What did the cricket suffer from?
Ans. He suffered from starvation caused by famine.
Q2. Where did the cricket set off to?
Ans. He set off to a miserly ant.
Q3. What did the cricket seek?
Ans. He sought shelter and grain.
Q4. What was the cricket’s plan?
Ans. He planned to borrow from the ant and repay later.
Q5. What would happen if the ant would not save the
cricket?
Ans. If not helped by the ant, the cricket would die of
starvation and sorrow.
C. Says the ant to the
cricket, “I’m your servant
and friend,
But we ants never
borrow; we ants never
lend.
But tell me, dear cricket,
did you lay nothing by
When the weather was
warm?” Quoth the cricket,
“Not I!
My heart was so light
That I sang day and night,
For all nature looked gay.”
“You sang, Sir, you say?
Go then,” says the ant, “and dance the winter away.”
Q1. What did the ant say to the cricket?
Ans. he said that they neither borrowed nor lent.
Q2. What did the ant ask the cricket?
Ans. He asked whether the cricket had not kept any reserve
for the winters when the weather was warm.
Q3. What did the cricket reply to the ant’s query?
Ans. He said that he did not reserve any food for the
winter. He was so happy that he just sang all day and night;
Q4. What did the ant suggest to the cricket?
Ans. He suggested that if he sang in summer, he should go
and dance the winter away.
Q5. What does “quoth” mean?
Ans. It means said.
D. Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,
And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.
Folks call this a fable. I’ll warrant it true:
Some crickets have four legs, and some have two.
Q1. What does ‘hastily’ mean?
Ans. It means in a hurry.
Q2. What does the last line mean?
Ans. It means that some humans (with two legs) are also
like the cricket.
Q3. What is a fable?
Ans. It is a story with a moral.
Q4. Why does the poet use adjectives like poor and,
little for the cricket?
Ans. He does so because the cricket did not get help from
the ant. He was suffering from starvation and sadness.
Q5. What is ‘wicket’?
Ans. It means a small door or gate.
Q1. The poem is a fable. What moral lesson does it
impart?
Ans. It gives the lesson that one should save up for
difficult times.
Q2. Who is silly?
Ans. The cricket is silly because he did not save any food
for the winters.
Ans. He found the warm summer gay. He just sang all day
and night.
Ans. The ant says that he is the cricket’s servant and
friend. This shows his humility.
Q5. The poem talks of which seasons?
Ans. It talks of the warm spring
and summer and the cold winters.