7. THE SLEEPING PORTER

INTRODUCTION: THE SLEEPING PORTER" introduces us to the life of a worker,  a porter. Laxmi Prasad Devkota describes here the miserable condition of a labourer like the Porter . He labours hard but does not get sufficient means to support his life. And, at last he dies during the course of his earning.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Laxmi Prasad Devkota was born on the  12 November 1909 in Kathmandu. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Patna University in 1929. He was a renowned poet and story writer of his time. In 1948, he presided over the first national poetry festival of Nepal organized by Nepali Sahitya Parishad. Immediately after this poetry festival, he exiled himself to Vanarasi, India, to edit Yugvani (The Voice of the Age), which was a mouthpiece of the Nepali Congress. In Nepal, his house and properties were confiscated by the government. 





  




THE SLEEPING PORTER

A twenty-five kilo load on his back

 अपनी  पीठ पर पचीस किलो का वजन लिए 

spine double bent

 रीढ़ की हड्डी दुहरी मुड़ी हुई 

a six-mile climb up in the snows of winter 

जाड़े की बर्फ पर छः मील की चढ़ाई 

 naked bones, skeleton- like frail frame 

खुली हड्डियाँ , कमज़ोर हड्डियों के ढाचे के समान 

yet facing an uphill task

 फिर भी चढ़ाई के कठिनाइयों  का सामना करते हुए 

he is challenging the mountain.

 वह पर्वत को चुनौती दे रहा है .

Word Meaning: 

Spine:रीढ़ की हड्डी , skeleton: कंकाल , frail: क्षणभंगुर ,  load:वजन, भार ,  back: पीठ  double: दुहरा ,  bent: मुड़ा हुआ  climb: चढ़ना ,  snow:बर्फ,  winter:जाड़ा  Naked:नंगा  Bones:हड्डियाँ , Frame:ढ़ाचा,  Facing: सामना करना , Task:कार्य  challenging: चुनौती देना , Mountain: पर्वत, 


He is wearing a black cap

 वह काले रंग की टोपी पहने हुए है 

dirty, sweat-stained 

 गंदा और पसीने से दागदार ,

his body is an abode of fleas and lice 

उसका शरीर लाखो जुओं और लिखों का घर हैं ,

his mind very dull 

उसका दिमाग बहुत मंद है, 

although it emits a sulphur -like sour smell  

हालांकि वह सल्फर की तरह खट्टी गंध देता है ,
but what a stout human figure!

 किन्तु कितना निडर और ह्रदय से मजबूत मानव रूप है !

Word Meaning: 

Wearing:पहनना , dirty: गंदा, sweat:पसीना  stained:धब्बें , दाग,  Body:शरीर ,  Abode: घर,  fleas: लीख , lice:जुएँ ,  emits: छोड़ता है ,  sour: खट्टा  smell: गंध , stout: निडर और ह्रदय से मजबूत . 


Like a bird एक पक्षी की तरह 

his heart is twittering, panting  

उसका दिल चहक  रहा है , हांफ रहा है ,

he is sweating and out of breath 

उसका पसीना निकल रहा है और बेदम है .


8.1. Answer the following questions very briefly:

1. How much load does the Porter have on his back?

Ans: the porter have on twenty-five kg load.

2. What distance does the Porter cover in the snows of winter. 

Ans: the Porter covers 6 miles distance in the snow of winter.

3. Who is challenging the mountain? 

Ans: The porter is challenging the mountain.

4. What type of cap is he wearing? 

Ans: The porter is wearing Black caps.

 5. What type of smell does the Porter emit?

Ans: the Porter emits sulphur like sour smell.


A hut on the cliff 

चोटी पर एक झोपड़ी है,

his son shivering with cold 

उसका बेटा ठंड से कांप रहा है।

woes of hunger 

भूख की दुःख से,

the mother searching for nettles and vines.

मां बिच्छू पौधा और अंगूर की लताओं को खोज रही है।

Beneath this hero of the mountain 

इसके नीचे पर्वतों का नायक/ हीरो,

the proud conqueror of nature

प्रकृति पर विजय से गौरवान्वित ।

are the snow-clad peaks 

बर्फ से ढके हुए चोटियों का,

above

ऊपर

only the star-studded lid of night.

केवल तारों से भरा हुआ रात रूपी ढक्कन हैं।

In this night  इस रात में

the porter is in deep slumber 

कुली गहरी नींद में सो रहा है,

"reigning over the rich kingdom of sleep"

"नींद के समृद्ध और गहरे साम्राज्य पर शासन करते हुए।"

B.2. Answer the following questions:

1. What is there on the cliff?

Ans: There is a hut on the cliff.

2 What is the mother searching?

Ans:  The mother is searching nettles and vines.

3. Who is the hero of the mountain?

Ans: The porter is the hero of the mountain.

4. What is meant by "lid of night'?

Ans: Lid of night means the star - studded sky.

5. Who is 'reigning over the rich kingdom of sleep"?

Ans: The sleeping porter is refining over the rich kingdom of sleep.

Objective Type questions 

of sleep.

1. The porter is out of: 

(a) courage

 (b) breath

(c) money

(d) energy

2. The porter was going up a :

 (a) road

(b) lane

(c) cliff

(d) platform

3. As a result of very hard work the porter's....... beat fast.

(a) pulse

(b) heart

(c) nerves

(d) muscles

4.The porter's son shivered with cold and was :

(a) afraid

(b) angry

(c) hungry

(d) jealous

5. In the last line, the porter......over the rich kingdom

(a) reigning (b) crying

(c) thinking

(d) laughing

6. Who is the poet of the poetry, "The Sleeping Porter"?

(a) Puran Singh

(b) Laxmi Prasad Devkota

(c) Periasamy Thoran

 (d) Vikram Seth

7. The porter is in deep 

(a) slumber

(b) thought

(c) grief

(d) pain

8. The porter carried kilo on his back

(a) 38

( b) 25

(c) 52

(d) 40

9. Who is challenging the mountain ? 

(a) The Poet

(b) The Porter

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) None of above

10.'Like a bird/his heart is twittering' is from: 

 (a) Koel

(b) Martha

(c) The Sleeping Porter

(d) The Polythene Bag

11. In the poem 'The Sleeping Porter', the porter's heart was twittering like a .........

(a) Squirrel

(b) Bird

(c) Monkey

(d) Koel

12. The Sleeping Porter' is challenging :

(a) the forest 

(b) the mountain

(c) the river

(d) the footpath


13. The Sleeping Porter', was wearing a ......... cap.

(a) black

(b) blue

(c) brown

(d) white

14. In the poem 'The Sleeping Porter', what distance does the porter cover in the snows of winter ?

(a) Five miles

(b) Six miles

(c) Seven miles

(d) None of these

15. Laxmi Prasad Devkota has composed the poem.....

(a) Martha

(b) Koel

(c) Polythene Bag

(d) The Sleeping porter

16. The porter is the proud conqueror of:

 (a) mountain (b) cliff (c) sleep (d) nature 

17. ".... but what a stout human figure !"-the poet is referring to the :

(a) porter

(b) mountain-climber

(c) doctor

(d) lawyer

18. The porter's structure is:

(a) hefty

(b) fat

(c) thin

(d) skeleton-like

19. The porter's body is very:

(a) fat

(b) thin

(c) sick

(d) weak

20. In 1948, Laxmi Prasad Devkota presided over the first ....... festival of Nepal.

(a) National literary

(b) National Prose 

(c) National drama

(d) National poetry

21. The porter is sweating out of:

(a) money

(b) courage

(c) breath 

(d) energy

22. The porter's body is an abode of

(a) expensive clothes

(b) perfumes

(c) fleas and lice

(d) creams and lotions



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