Class 10 Poem – 1 The Frog
And The Nightingale by
Vikram Seth
Once
upon a time a frog
Croaked
(Deep Sound) away in Bingle (Single) Bog1
(an
area of land that is very wet and muddy)
Every
night from dusk (Evening) to dawn (Morning)
He
croaked (Deep Sound) awn2 (On) and
awn and awn.
5 Other creatures loathed3 (Hated) his
voice,
But,
alas (At Last), they had no choice.
And
the crass (Stupidly) cacophony4 (A Loud and Unpleasant Voice)
Blared
(Harsh Sound) out from the sumac tree (small tree of the cashew family)
At
whose foot the frog each night
10 Minstrelled5
(Sang) on
till morning night.
Neither
stones nor prayers nor sticks,
Insults
or complaints or bricks
Stilled
(Silenced) the frog's determination (Will
Power)
To
display (Show) his heart's elation6 (Great pride and joy).
15 But one night a nightingale
In
the moonlight cold and pale (Light in Colour)
Perched
(Came to Rest or Stay) upon the sumac tree
Casting
forth (Singing aloud) her melody (Sweet Song).
Dumbstruck
(Greatly Surprised) sat the gaping (Staring with an open mouth in surprise) frog.
20 And the whole admiring bog (All the creatures
living in the Bog admiring the Nightingale)
Stared
towards the sumac, rapt7 (totally interested),
And,
when she had ended, clapped (Clapping),
Ducks
had swum (Swim) and herons (Cranes like Bird) waded (walked through water)
To
her as she serenaded8 (Sang
Beautifully)
25 And a solitary (Lonely, Alone) loon9
(Large Water Bird)
Wept
(Started Crying), beneath (Under) the summer moon.
Toads
(Frog like animal) and teals10 (Small Duck) and
tiddlers(Very Small Fish), captured
By
her voice, cheered on, enraptured:11 (filled with fascination and delight)
"Bravo
(Well Done)!" "Too divine (Classic, Excellent)!" "Encore!"12
(sing
some more)
30 So the nightingale once more,
Quite
unused (Had Never) to such applause (Praise),
Sang
till dawn (Morning) without a pause (Stop).
Next
night when the Nightingale
Shook
her head and twitched (Gave a sudden jerk) her tail,
35 Closed an eye and fluffed (Spread out lightly) a
wing
And
had cleared her throat to sing
She
was startled (Greatly Surprised) by a croak.
"Sorry
- was that you who spoke?"
She
enquired when the frog
40 Hopped (Came jumping with all feet together)
towards her from the bog.
"Yes,"
the frog replied. "You see,
I'm
the frog who owns this tree.
In
this bog I've long been known
For
my splendid baritone13 (Male singing voice)
45 And, of course, I wield (Hold) my pen
For
Bog Trumpet ( An imaginary name for musical group) now and then".
"Did
you… did you like my song?"
"Not
too bad - but far too long.
The technique14
(a
method of doing something) was
fine of course,
50 But it lacked (Without) a certain force".
"Oh!"
the nightingale confessed (Admitted, Accepted).
Greatly
flattered (Pleased by Praised) and impressed
That
a critic (a person who expresses an unfavorable opinion of
something.) of such note
Had
discussed her art and throat:
55 (Nightingale Said) "I don't think the
song's divine.
But
- oh, well - at least it's mine".
"That's
not much to boast (Over Pride) about".
Said
the heartless (Unkind) frog. "Without
Proper
training such as I
60 - And few others - can supply.
You'll
remain a mere (Only) beginner.
But
with me you'll be a winner" (Better than all).
"Dearest
frog", the nightingale
Breathed
(Said Softly): "This is a fairy tale (Supernatural Story) -
65 And you're Mozart ( Austrian Composer , Great
Musician) in disguise (Appearing As)
Come
to earth before my eyes".
"Well
I charge a modest (Moderate) fee.
Oh!...
But it won't hurt, you'll see"
Now
the nightingale inspired (Pleased),
70 Flushed15
(Excited) with
confidence, and fired (Enthusiasm)
With
both art and adoration (Love, Worship),
Sang
- and was a huge sensation (Excitement).
Animals
for miles around
Flocked
(Assemble) towards the magic sound,
75 And the frog with great precision (Accuracy)
Counted
heads and charged admission (Fee).
Though
next morning it was raining,
He
began her vocal (Singing) training.
"But
I can't sing in this weather".
80 "Come my dear - we'll sing together.
Just
put on your scarf and sash16 (a long piece of cloth that you wear
round the waist or over the shoulder),
Koo-oh-ah!
ko-ash! ko-ash!"
So
the frog and nightingale
Journeyed
up and down the scale17 (Practised for Singing, a
sequence of musical notes that go up and down, one after the other)
85 For six hours, till she was shivering (shake slightly and uncontrollably, Trembling)
and
her voice was hoarse18 (Rough) and quivering19.
(Trembling)
Though
subdued20 (quiet,
with little energy) and
sleep deprived (Not allowed to sleep),
In
the night her throat revived (Regained her normal health and strength),
And
the sumac tree was bowed (Bent),
90 With a breathless (Holding the breath due to
excitement), titled (Honoured) crowd:
Owl
of Sandwich, Duck of Kent,
Mallard
(Wild Duck) and Milady (Woman of Fashion) Trent,
Martin
(Bird) Cardinal Mephisto,
And
the Coot (Type of water bird with a white spot on the forehead) of Monte
Cristo,
95 Ladies with tiaras21
(a
semicircular metal band decorated with jewels and worn by wealthy women on
formal social occasions) glittering (Shining)
In
the interval (Between) sat twittering -
And
the frog observed them glitter (Shine)
With
a joy both sweet and bitter (Jealousy).
Every
day the frog who'd sold her
100 Songs for silver tried to scold her:
"You
must practice even longer
Till
your voice, like mine grows stronger.
In
the second song last night
You
got nervous in mid-flight.
105 And, my dear, lay on (Add) more trills22
(repeatedly
and very quickly):
Audiences
enjoy such frills (Additional Items).
You
must make your public happier:
Give
them something sharper (Better), snappier (Lively).
We
must aim for better billings23 (publicity for a concert).
110 You still owe (Return, Give) me sixty shillings.
(A former British coin and monetary unit equal to one
twentieth of a pound)"
Day
by day the nightingale
Grew
more sorrowful (Sad) and pale (Fear).
Night
on night her tired song
Zipped24
(sang
quickly) and trilled (Vibrating Sound) and bounced
along (Continue in a lively manner),
115 Till the birds and beasts (Animals) grew tired
At a
voice so uninspired (Dull)
And
the ticket office gross
Crashed
(Fell Down), and she grew more morose25
(miserable,
Sad)-
For
her ears were now addicted (Used to)
120 To applause quite unrestricted (Unlimited),
And
to sing into the night
All
alone gave no delight (Happiness).
Now
the frog puffed up (Breathed Loudly) with rage (Violent Anger).
"Brainless
(Stupid, Foolish) bird - you're on the stage -
125 Use your wits (Cleverness) and follow fashion
(In Singing).
Puff
(Expand) your lungs out with your passion."
Trembling
(Shook), terrified (Afraid) to fail,
Blind
with tears, the nightingale
Heard
him out in silence, tried,
130 (But When She) Puffed up, burst (Blast) a vein (any of the tubes forming part of the blood circulation system
of the body), and died.
Said
the frog: "I tried to teach her,
But
she was a stupid creature -
Far
too nervous, far too tense.
Far
too prone to influence (Easily influenced by others).
135 Well, poor bird - she should have known
That
your song must be your own.
That's
why I sing with panache26 (In a Confident stylish manner):
"Koo-oh-ah!
ko-ash! ko-ash!"
And
the foghorn27 (a
very loud, unpleasant noise) of
the frog
140 Blared (a very loud) unrivalled (incomparable
Singer) through the bog.
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