THE LAST BARGAIN
EXPLANATION
A
bargain is an agreement in which both parties promise to do something for each
other. Someone is looking for work, waiting to be hired. He strikes a bargain
but thinks it worthless. He tries twice again but doesn't like either. Finally,
in the last bargain, when he is hired for nothing whatever, he is happy as
never before. What is the bargain, and why is it the best?
Stanza-I
“Come and hire me,” I cried, while in the morning
I was walking on the stone-paved road.
Sword in hand the King came in his chariot.
He held my hand and said, “I will hire you with my power,”
But his power counted for naught, and he went away in his chariot.
Word Meaning:
Stone-Paved: पत्थरों से
बनी सड़क, Chariot: रथ, Sword: तलवार, Held: पकड़ा / थामा, Hire: किराया / नौकरी पर
रखना, Power: शक्ति, Counted: गिना, Naught: शून्य / कुछ नहीं, Went Away: चला गया.
Explanation–
A man in search of work made an
announcement to let people know he is available for work. As he was walking on
the stone-paved road, the King came in his chariot with a sword in his hand.
The King stopped and offered the man a job with his power as he held the man’s
hand. But the power meant nothing to the man and thus, he refused the King’s
offer. And the King went away in his carriage.
Stanza-II
In the heat of the mid-day the houses stood with shut doors.
I wandered along the crooked lane.
An old man came out with his bag of gold.
He pondered and said, “I will hire you with my money.”
He weighed his coins one by one, but I turned away.
Word Meaning:
Crooked: टेढ़ा, Pondered: विचार किया, Mid-Day: दोपहर, Stood: खड़ा हुआ, Lane: गली, Gold: सोना, Weighed: तौला, Coins: सिक्के, One By One: एक-एक करके, Turned: मुड़ा / बदल गया, Money: पैसा.
Explanation of the Poem –
It was now midday and everyone
was in their houses with the doors shut due to the heat. As the man roamed
around during that time along the not-so-straight pathway, he received an offer
from an old man. The old man offered to hire him with money as he counted his
gold coins one by one. The man turned the old man’s offer away as he was not
satisfied with it.
Stanza-III
It was evening. The garden hedge was all a flower.
The fair maid came out and said, “I will hire you with a smile.”
Her smile paled and melted into tears, and she went back alone into the dark.
Word Meaning:
Evening:
शाम,
Garden: बगीचा,
Hedge: झाड़ी / बाड़, Flower: फूल, Fair: सुंदर / मेले जैसा, Maid: नौकरानी / युवती, Came out: बाहर आई, Said: कहा, Smile: मुस्कान, Paled: पीला पड़ गया, Melted: पिघल गया, Tears: आँसू, Went back: वापस गई, Alone: अकेली, Dark: अंधेरा.
Explanation–
It was now evening when the man
was near a garden fence covered with flowers. It was only then that a young
woman offered to hire him with her smile but her smile faded away and tears
started coming from her eyes. Thus, she went into the dark all alone. Her
happiness was just sorrow in disguise.
Stanza-IV
The sun glistened on the sand, and the sea waves broke waywardly.
A child sat playing with shells.
He raised his head and seemed to know me and said, “I hire you with nothing.”
From henceforward that bargain struck in child’s play made me a free man.
Word Meaning:
Glistened:
चमक उठा,
Sand: रेत,
Sea: समुद्र,
Wave: लहर,
Broke: टूट गया,
Waywardly: मनमौजी ढंग से, Shells: सीप, Raised: उठाया, Seemed: प्रतीत हुआ, Henceforward: अब से, Bargain: सौदा, Struck: मारा / टकराया.
Explanation–
The sun rays fell on the sand
as waves began to arise. He saw a child playing with shells at the seashore.
The child looked at the man with a sense of recognition and familiarity as he
offered to hire him with nothing. The man accepted the bargain and indulged
himself in child’s play because it made him a free man as he worked in exchange
for nothing.
The Last Bargain- Literary Devices
1. Alliteration– the
occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely
connected words
“The sun glistened on the sand, and the sea waves broke waywardly”, “made me a
free man”.
2. Symbolism– the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities.
Eg- King with sword symbolises power, old man with a bag of gold symbolises
wealth
The Last Bargain- Summary
The poem "The Last Bargain" is about
a man looking for work.
यह कविता एक आदमी की कहानी है जो काम की तलाश में है। First, a king
offers him a job using his power, but the man says no because power
doesn’t matter to him.
सबसे पहले, एक राजा उसे अपनी शक्ति से काम पर रखना चाहता है, लेकिन आदमी मना कर देता है क्योंकि शक्ति उसके लिए कोई मायने नहीं
रखती। Then,
at mid-day, when everything is quiet, an old man offers him money
to work. The man refuses again because gold coins don’t make him happy. फिर दोपहर में, जब सब दरवाज़े बंद हैं, एक बूढ़ा आदमी उसे सोने के सिक्कों से काम पर रखना चाहता है। लेकिन
आदमी फिर से मना कर देता है क्योंकि धन से उसे खुशी नहीं मिलती। In the evening,
a young woman smiles and offers him a job. But her smile hides sadness,
and she disappears into the dark. शाम को एक युवती मुस्कराकर उसे काम पर रखना
चाहती है। लेकिन उसकी मुस्कान के पीछे
दुख छिपा होता है, और वह अंधेरे में चली जाती है। Finally, the
man reaches the seashore and meets a child. The child offers him
work for nothing—no money, no power, just simple friendship. अंत में, वह आदमी समुद्र किनारे पहुंचता है, जहां एक बच्चा उसे बिना किसी चीज़ के काम पर
रखता है — न पैसा, न ताकत,
बस सादगी। The man accepts this offer with joy because now he feels
free. आदमी इस
प्रस्ताव को खुशी से स्वीकार करता है क्योंकि अब वह
स्वतंत्र महसूस करता है।