9. The Snake

 Complete बिहार बोर्ड 12th  English Solution 

1. About the Poet
2. Line by Line Hindi of This lesson, 
3. All Word Meanings,
4.  All questions & Answers, and
5. Summary - Very easy, Line by Line English and Hindi.

A snake came to my water-trough :
On a hot day, and 

I in Pyjamas for the heat.
To drink there.

Word meaning: Snake, water trough, Drink, heat, there, 
Explanation:
 It was a hot day. The poet was inside his house and was in trousers due to excessive heat. He felt thirsty. Consequently, he came out of his house to fetch water. While he was coming out of his house. he saw a snake to his water-trough which came there according to the poet to drink water.

In the deep, strange scented shade of the great dark carobtree
I came down the steps with my pitcher
And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.

Word meaning: deep, strange, scented, shade, great, dark, steps, pitcher, wait, according to, stand, before, 

Explanation:
The poet coming down the steps with his pitcher reaches under the shade of the carbotree. The snake has already reached to the trough, so the poet waits for his chance.

 He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom
And trailed his yellow brown slackness soft-bellied down, over the edge of the stone trough
And rested his throat upon the stone bottom.

And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness.
He sipped with his straight mouth.
Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body,
Silently.

Word meaning:

Reached, down, fissure, earth wall, gloom, trailed, slackness, soft-bellied, edge, stone, rested, throat, bottom, dripped, tap, clearness, sipped, straight, mouth, softly, straight, gums, slack, long, silently. 

Explanation: 

According to the poet, the snake has come to the water. trough through a crack, in the earth and is looking sad. After reaching there the snake trails its yellow brown body over the edge of the stone trough and rests its throat upon the stone bottom where the water drips from the tap. After that, it silently sends the water into its loose long body sipping with its straight mouth and drinking softly through its so gums.

Someone was before me at my water-trough,
And I, like a second comer, waiting.

Explanation: 

Someone has reached before the poet to his water-trough to drink water. As the poet has come late, he is waiting for his chance.

He lifted his head from his drinking, as cattle do.
 And looked at me vaguely, as drinking cattle do,
And flickered his two-forked tongue from his lips, and mused a moment.
And stooped and drank a little more.
Being earth-brown, earth-golden from the burning bowels of the earth
On the day of Sicilian July with Etna smoking.

Word Meaning:

Explanation: 

The snake lifts its head while drinking water as cattle do It looks at the poet vaguely as drinking cattle see vaguely the people around them. Then it flickers its two-forked tongue from its lips and thinks for a moment. After that, it stoops and drinks some water more On this rather hot day' according to the poet its colour is looking brown and golden like the colour of excessive hot earth.

The voice of my education said to me
He must be killed.
For in Sicily the black, black snakes are innocent, the golden are venomous
And voices in me said. If you were a man
You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off.

Word Meaning:

Explanation: 

After drinking water, the snake is returning. The poet's mind forces him to kill the snake. It is all because according to Sicilian belief, black snakes are innocent and the golden are venomous. That is why, the poet's mind directs him to perform the manly act of killing the  snake with a stick.

 But must I confess how I liked him,
How glad I was he had come like a guest in quiet, to drink at my water-trough
And depart peaceful, pacified, and thankless,
Into the burning bowels of this earth? 

Word Meaning:

Explanation: 

Here the poet confesses that he liked the snake. He was very glad to see the snake. He took the snake as a guest which came quietly to his water-trough to drink water and being satisfied it departed in a kingly manner peacefully to the interior part of the burning earth. 

 Was it cowardice, that I dared not kill him?

Was it perversity, that I longed to talk to him?
Was it humility, to feel so honoured ?
I felt so honoured.

Word Meaning:

Explanation:

 Here the poet interrogates himself whether it was cowardice that he dared not kill the snake. Whether it was perversity that he longed to talk to the snake. Whether it was humility to feel himself much honoured. He was feeling much honoured.

And yet those voices :

If you were not afraid, you would kill him!

 And truly I was afraid, I was most afraid.

But even so, honoured still more

That he would seek my hospitality

From out the dark door of the secret earth.

Word Meaning:

Explanation: 

Here the poet says that his inner voices representing common belief provoking him says that he became afraid of the snake otherwise he would have killed it. The poet says that really he became afraid and most afraid of the snake. Despite he was feeling still more honoured. He adds that due to his hospitality the snake out of the dark door of the secret earth would be missing his hospitality.

He drank enough
And lifted his head, dreamily, as one who has drunken,
And flickered his tongue like a forked night on the air, so black.

Seeing to lick his lips.
And looked around like a god, unseeing, into the air.

And slowly turned his head.
And slowly, very slowly, as if thrice a dream.

Proceeded to draw his slow length curving round
And climb again the broken bank of my wall-face.

And as he put his head into that dreadful hole.
And as he slowly drew up. snake-easing his shoulders, and entered farther.
A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing into that horried black hole.

Deliberately going into the blackness, and slowly drawing himself after.
Overcame me now his back was turned.

Word Meaning:

Explanation: 

In these lines the poet says that having quenched its thirst. the snake lifted its head like an intoxicated person and flickered its excessive black tongue like a forked night as if it were licking its lips. Afterwards, it looked around into the air like an unseeing god and very slowly turned its head as if it were in a dream and proceeded to turn its head. Finally, according to the poet, the snake climbed the broken bank of the wall-face of the poet passing where it came. As soon as the snake drawing up its shoulders slowly began to enter the hole deliberately and going farther inside, a sort of protest arose in the poet thinking why it was withdrawing into that dreadful black hole. It was slowly entering the hole. So far, the back of the snake was turned.

I looked round. I put down my pitcher.
I picked up a clumsy log

And threw it at the water-trough with a clatter. 

I think it did not hit him,

But suddenly that part of him that was left behind convulsed inundignified have 

Writhed like lightening, and was gone
Into the black hole, the earth lipped fissure in the wall front
At which, in the intense still noon. I stared with fascination. 

Word Meaning:

Explanation: 

Here the poet says that he looked round and putting dow his pitcher picked up a clumsy log and threw it at his water-trough (which produced a loud noise) aiming at the snake entering the hole. He though that his strike failed. But, suddenly the rest part of the snake's body which could not enter the hole began to convulse in undignified haste and writh like lightening. Anyhow the hurt-snake entered the hole the was made in the earth lipped fissure in the wall-front. It caused the poet to stare in fascination in the very intense noon.

And immediately I regretted it.
I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act !

I despised myself and voices of my accursed human education.
And I thought of the albatross
And I wished he would come back, my snake.

Word Meaning:

Explanation: 

Here the poet regretted his action calling it very paltry. vulgar and mean. He began to despise himself and his worldly education that 'kill the snake otherwise it will kill you'. He began to think about the lost sea-albatross of Coleridge's 'Ancient Mariner' and began to wish the coming back of that snake like the mariners of the 'Ancient Mariner' who expected the coming back of albatross.

For he seemed to me again like a king.
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again. 
And so,
I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life

And I have something to expiate:
A pettiness.

Word Meaning:

Explanation:

 Here the poet calling the snake the uncrowned and exiled king of the underworld says that now the snake due to be crowned again was looking like a king again. He missed the chance of meeting with one of the lords of life - the snake. Therefore, he is deeply regretted of his mean act.