5.

The Highway
He remembered very well the incident of this pair of shoes. The
Ray Bradbury tyre had come into the hut with violence one night, exploding the

chickens and the pots apart. It had come alone, rolling swiftly.
The car off which it had come had rushed on, as far as the curve,
well known
Ray Bradbury (1920-- ) has written stories and novels but is more and hung a moment, headlights retlected, before plunging into
for his science fiction. He also has written about the arts and culture. He lives
the river. The
in Los Angeles, California. The story "The Highway' goes back to the dropping car was still there. One might see it on a good
of the two atom bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These two bombs caused day, when the river ran slow and the mud cleared. Deep under,
immense devastation and death. Ever since then, people all over the worid live shining its metal, long and low and very rich, lay the car. But
in mortal fear of an atomic war. This story is based on this sense of fear. People then the mud came in again and you saw nothing.
lace beca The following day he had carved the shoe soles from the tyre
in thousands are
feeing from the towns in search ot a saie e
atomic war has started. Those who live in agricultural land are not so worried

or aware of the danger. There is this contrast in perception and attitude in this
story but it also shows a way to hope.
The cooling afternoon rain had come over the valley, touching
the corn in the tilled mountain fields, tapping on the dry grass
roof of the hut. In the rainy darkness the woman ground corn
between cakes of lava rock, working steadily. In the wet lightless
rubber
He reached the highway now, and stood upon it, listening to
the small sounds it made in the rain.
Then, suddenly, as if at a signal, the cars came. Hundreds of
them, miles of them, rushing and rushing as he stood, by and by
him. The big black cars heading north towards the United States,
roaring, taking the curves at too great a speed. With a ceaseless

ness, somewlhere, a baby cried. blowing and honking. And there was something about the faces
Hernando stood waiting for the rain to cease so he might of thepeople packed into the cars, something which dropped
take the wooden plough into the field again. Below, the river him into a deep silence. He stood back to let the cars roar on.
boiled brown and thickened in its course. The concrete highway, He counted them until he tired. Five hundred, a thousand cars
river, did not ffow at all; it lay shining, empty. A
car passed, and there was something in the faces of all of them. But
another
had not come along it in an hour. This was, in itselt, of unusua they moved too swiftily for him to tell what this thing was.
interest. Over the years there had not been an hour when a car
had not pulled up, someone shouting, "Hey there, can we take
Finally the silence and emptiness returned. The swift long low
convertible cars were gone. He heard the last horn fade.
Someone with a box that clicked, and a coin in The road was empty again.
your picture?
his hand. If he walked slowly across the field without his hat, It had been like a funeral cortege. But a wild one, racing, hair
sometimes they called, 'Oh, we want you with your hat on. And Out screaming to some ceremony over northward. Why! He could
that told time, or only shake his head and rub his fingers softly, at his sides.
they waved their hands, rich with gold things
identified them, or did nothing at all but winked like spider's eyen Now, all alone,a final car.
There was
something very, very
his hat. inal, about it. Down the mountain road in the thin cool rain,
in the sun. So he would turn and go back to get
His wifespoke, "Something is wrong, Hernando?" fuming up great clouds of steam, came an old Ford. It was
Si. The road. Something big has happened. Something big to travelling as swiftly as it might. He expected it to break apart
make the road so empty this way. any instant. When this ancient Ford saw Hernando it pulled up,
He walked from the hut slowly and easily, the rain washing caked with mud and rusted, the radiator bubbling angrily
over the twined shoes of grass and thick tyre rubber he wore, May we have some water, please, senor?
A young man, perhaps twenty-one, was driving. He wore a
2
yellow sweater, an open-collared white shirt and grey pants. In the
53
topless car the rain fell upon him and five young women packed so
they could not move in the interior. They were all very pretty and This was bad. The others, at this, cried still harder, holding on
they were keeping the rain from themselves and the driver with
to each other, forgetting the newspapers, letting the rain fall and
old newspapers. But the rain got through to them, soaking their
bright dresses, soaking the young man. His hair was plastered
mingle with their tears.
Hernando stiffened. He put the rest of the water into the
with rain. But they did not seem to care. None complained, and radiator. He looked at the sky, which was black with storm. He
this was unusual. Always before they complained: of rain, of looked at the river rushing. He felt the asphalt under his shoes.
heat, of time, of cold, of distance. He came to the side of the car. The young man took his hand
Hernando nodded. "T'l
bring you water. and gave him a peso. "No, Hernando gave it back. 'It is my
Oh, please hurry,' one of the girls cried. She sounded very
high and afraid. There was no impatience in her, only an asking8
casure. '
"Thank you, you're so kind, said one of the girls, still sobbing.
out of fear. For the first Hernando ran when a tourist
time asked; Oh, Mama, Papa. Oh, I want to be home, I want to be home.
always before he had walked slower at such requests. Oh, Mama, Dad. And others held her.
lid of had
He returned a
full
with hubOne afternoon
water. This, too, been
it had sailed like
I did not hear, senor, said Hernando quietly.
a
git trom the highway. a
flung The war, shouted the young man as if no one could hear. "t's
coin into his field, round and glittering. The car to which it had come, the atom war, the end of the world.
belonged had slid on, oblivious the fact thatithad lost silver
to a
eye. Until now, he and his wife had used it for washing and
Senor, senor, said Hernando.
Thank you, thank you for your help. Good-bye,' said the
cooking; it made a fine bowl. young man.
As he poured the water into the boiling radiator, Hernando Good-bye," they all said in the rain, not seeing him.
looked up at their striken faces. 'Oh,
one of the girls.
thank
you,
"You don't know what this means."
you,'
thank said He stood while the car engaged its gears and rattled off down,
ding away, through the valley. Finally it was gone, with the
Hernando smiled. "So much trafic in this hour. It all goes one young women in it, the last car, the newspapers held and fluttered
way. North. over their heads.
He did not mean to say anything to hurt them. But when
he Hernando did not move for a long time. The rain ran very cold
looked up again, there all of them sat, in the rain, and they
were down his cheeks and his long fingers and into the woven garment
crying. They were crying very hard. And the young man was on
his legs. He held his breath, waiting, tight and tensed.
trying to stop them by laying his hands on their shoulders and He watched the highway, but it did not move again. He doubted
shaking them gently, one at a time, but they held their papers over whether it would move much for a very long time.
their heads and their mouths moved and their eyes were shut and The
rain stopped. The sky In ten
broke through the clouds.
their faces changed color and they cried, some loud, some soft. minutes the storm was gone, like a bad breath. A sweet wind
Hernando stood with the half-empty lid in his fingers. "I did blew the smell of the jungle up to him. He could hear the river
not mean to say anything, senor, he apologized.
That's all right, said the driver. moving gently and easily on its way. The jungle was
was fresh. He walked down
very green;
What everything through
the field to his
is wrong, senor house and picked up his plough. With his hands on it he looked
Haven't you heard?" replied the young man, turning, holding At the sky beginning to burn hot with the sun.
tightly to the wheel with one hand, leaning forward. "In's His wife called out from her work. What happened,
happened. Hernando?
54

55
 It is nothing,' he replied.
He set the plough in the furrow, he called sharply to his burro, e.
The... as a
stray one but had harmful consequences.
Burrrrrr-0. And they walked together through the rich field, . The principal .
the truth of the student' s statements.
under the clearing sky, on their tilled land by the deep river.
What do they mean, "the
world"? he said. Writing
a
on a highway once upon
Imagine you had a trightening experience
Glossary time. Narrate the incident.
Juneral cortege : procession of people who go along with a dead body
peso :a coin of low value used in Mexico
plough : a farming tool with a heavy cutting blade drawn by a
motor vehicle or animal
furrow : a
long narrow truck cut by plough in farming
a land
when the earth is turned for overseeds planting
burro Spanish for donkey

Comprehension
1. What is the picture of the valley painted'by the author?
2. Explain the feelings of Hernando's wife on the day described
here.
3. For the first time Hernando ran when a tourist asked... (for water).
Why?
4. Why were
5.
the girls in the car in a bad state?
why Hernando said, "What do
6.
Explain they mean, "the world"?"
Point out the significance of the title to the story.

Vocabulary
1. Use the following words and phrases in sentences of your own.

heading uusual exploding

screaming glittering rushing
2. Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases given below.
incident
plunge plastered
apologised doubted Swiftly
a.
ne Doats.
for the race
i t o the river when the siren blew
D. walls with cement.
C.
he mason ..thebad
Hari. behaviour
for his to his parents.
d. The boatman rowed the boat. ..
against the tide.

56
 7. Lawley Road

of published news.
rupees, for every inch
RK Narayan which paid me two

month, I could measure out about ten

inches of news in
Every
somewhat idealized account of
that paper, which was mostly a

R. K.
Narayan (1906-2001) is a famous writer of English fiction. Though municipal affairs.
he in and out of
was an Indian, he set the style of the English novel in lndia in simple, direct This made me a great tavourite there. I walked
English. His style of narration is almost impeccable, his characters almost Chairman's office constantly. Now he looked so

through his description, his settings vivid in imagination due to his alive theMunicipal
picturesque unhappy that I was forced to ask, *What is wrong, Mr. Chairman?
descriptions. His world of Malgudi is almost a fictional reality and the
are typical of a South Indian characters feel we have not done enough, he replied. "Enough of what?
town. His stories tingle with humour and irony.
The present story is about the
I
contemporary socio-political situation where I asked.
suitability for a purpose is of more value than He sat brooding and
honesty. Nothing to mark off the great event.
"Come what I am going to do something
then announced, may,
For years people were not aware of the existence of the Council,
Council in Malgudi. The town was none the
of a Municipal great." He called up an Extraordinary Meeting
decided to nationalize
worse for it. and harangued them; and at once they
Diseases, if they started, ran their course and disappeared, for the names of all the streets and parks, in
honour of the birth of
even diseases must end some
day. Dust and rubbish were blown independence. They made a start
with the park at the Market
away by the wind out of sight; drains ebbed and flowed and Square. It used to be called the Coronation Park-whose coronation

generally looked after themselves. The

Municipal Council kept God alone knew; it might have been the
coronation of Victoria
itself in the background, and remained so till about it. Now the old board was
the country got its or of Asoka. No one bothered
independence on the 15th of August, 1947. and a brand new sign stood up in its
History holds few uprooted and lay on the lawn,
records of such it henceforth to be Hamara Hindusthan Park.
jubilation as was witnessed on that day from place, declaring
the Himalayas to Cape Coinorin. not be so smoothly
Our Municipal Council caught The other transformations, however, could
the inspiration. They swept the streets, cleaned the
drains, and worked out. Mahatma Gandhi Road was the most sought-after
hoisted flags all over the place. Their hearts warmed name. Eight different Ward
Councillors were after it. There
up when
processions with flags and music passed through their streets. were six others wh0 wanted to call
the roads in front of their
The Municipal Chaiman looked down Subhas Bose Road. Tempers were
benignly from his houses Nehru Road or Netaji
balcony, muttering, "We have done our bit for this great occasion. rising andl feared they might come to blows. There came a poit
T believe one or two members of the Council went mad. It decided to give the
who were with him when, T believe, the Council just
Saw tears in his eyes. He was a man who had done himself
well as same name to four different
streets. Well, sir, even in the most
a supplier
of blankets to the army
during the war, later spending democratic or town, it is not feasible to have two
patriotic
roads
a great deal of his
gains in securing the chairmanship. That's an bearing The result was seen within a fortnight.
the same name.
epic by itself and does not concern us now. My present 1S story
The town became unrecognisable with new names, Gone were
different. The satisfaction the Chairman now felt was, however, the Market Road, North Road, Chitra Road, Vinayak
Mudali
short-lived. In abouta week when the the names, repeated in
bunting was torn off, he Street, and so on. In their place appeared
became quite dispirited. I used to visit him almost every day, ministers, and
four different places, of all the ministers, deputy
trying to make a living out of news
reports to an upcountry paper members of the Congress Working Committee.
a lot of hardship-letters went
where they
Of course, it created
64 not able to say where they lived
were not wanted, people were

85
 or direct others there. The town became a wilderness with all its
landmarkS gone.
The Chairman was gratified with his of the fate of their ancestors,
inspired work-but not They shuddered when they thoughtof this man.
for long. He became restless again and looked for fresh fields of who had had to bear the tyrannies
tenders. A dozen
action. Next the Municipal Council called for
At the estimate, the lowest standing at fifty
corner of Lawley Extension
and Market there was
a contractors sent in their
it to the
statue. People had got
used to it that they never bothered
so thousand rupees, for removing the statue and carting
ask whose it was or even look to where they were already worried about the
up. It was generally used by the Municipal Ofice,
and told me, "Why
birds as a perch. The Chairman
suddenly remembered that it housing of it. The Chairman thought it over
statue free if you
was the statue of Sir Frederick
Lawley. The extension had been don't you take it yourself? I will give you the then
named after him. Now it was
changed to Gandhi and Nagar, do no charge
us for
anythingremoving it.T had
thought till
it seemed friends mad, but now I foundI
impossible to keep Lawley's statue any longer
there. that only my municipal
were

The Council I began to calculate the whole affair

unanimously resolved to remove it. The Council could be just as mad as they.
with the Chairman sallied forth it cost me ive thousand rupees
triumphantly as a pure investment. Suppose
next morning and
statue (I knew. the contractors
were
circumambulated the statue. They now realised their mistake. The to dislodge and move the
thousand. About
statue towered twenty feet above them and seemed to as mental for six
rise overestimating), and-I sold it
a
from
pedestal of molten lead. In their imagination they had thought metal might fetch anything. OrI could probably sell
three tons of
that a vigorous resolution would be it to the British Museum or
Abbey. saw myself
Westminster I

statue of this
enough to topple down the
satrap. but now they found that it stood with the throwing up the upcountry paper job.
a resolution permitting
firmness of a mountain. They realised that Britain, when she
was The Council had no difficulty in passing
here, had attempted to raise herself on no mean foundation. But elaborate arrangements for the
me to take the statue away. I made
it made them only firmer in their resolve. f it was father-in-law, promising him
going to mean task. I borrowed money from my
blasting up that part of the town for the of
fantastic rate I recruited a team of fifty coolies to
interest,
purpose, they would do it. slave-driver and kept
For they unearthed a lot of
history about Sir Frederick hack the pedestal. I stood over them like a

He
Lawley. their implements at six in
was a combination of Attila, the scourge of Europe, and Nadir shouting instructions. They put down

Shah, with the craftiness of a Machiavelli. He early

attack next day. They
subjugated Indians the evening, and returned to their limbs
with the sword and razed to the w e r e specially recruited
from Koppal, where the men's
ground the villages from which
in Mempi Forest.
he heard the of teak-cutting
slightest
murmur of protest. He never countenanced were hardened by generations
Indians except when they doubt we succeeded in chipping
approached him on their knes. We hacked for ten days. No
statue showed
People dropped their normal occupations, and loitered around the pedestal here and there, but that was all; the
the statue,wondering I feared'I might become bankrupt
how they could have tolerated if for so no sign of moving. At this rate
many years. The gentleman seemed to smile derisively at thee in a fortnight. I took permission
from the District Magistrate
nation now, with his arms cordoned off and the area,
locked behind and sword acquire a few
sticks of dynamic,
from his belt. There could be no doubt that he
dangling to
down the Knight from his pedestal
must have been the lighted the fuse. I brought
me three days to reach the
worst tyrant
imaginable; the true picture-with breeches and wig without injuring any limb. Then it took
and white waistcoat and that hard, determined out on a specially designed
look--of all that house with my booty. It was stretched
has been hatefully familiar in the British bullocks. The confusion brought
about
period of Indian history. carriage drawn by several
Market Road, the crowd that followed
by my passage along
and instructions I had to be
66
uttering jokes, the incessant shouting
 giving, the blinding heat of the day, sir F's carriage coming to
halt at every inconvenient spot and angle, moving neither
a
forward This heroic sentiment
nor backward, holding up the traffic on all sides, and
darkness impressed no one. Within a wek all the
coming on
suddenly with the statue nowhere near my home -all newspapers in the country were full of Sir Frederick Lawley. The
this was a
nightmarel wish to pass over. I mounted guard over public caught the enthusiasm. They praded n front of my house,
him on the roadside at
night. As he lay on his back, staring at shouting slogans. They demanded the statue back. I offered to
stars, I felt sorry for him and said, "Well, this is what you
the abandon it if the Municipal Council at least
get for paid my expenses in
being such a
haughty imperialist. It never In due bringing it here. The public viewed me as their enemy. "This man
he was
pays. course is trying to black-market even a
sately lodged in my small house. His head and statue, they remarked. Stung by
were in my front hall and the rest of him stretched out
shoulders 1t, I wrote aplacard and hung it on my door, 'Statue for sale. Two
into the and half tons of excellent metal. Ideal
street through the doorway. It was an
obliging community there sight for a patriotic friend.
at Kabir Lane and nobody minded Offers about ten thousand will be
This
this obstruction.
and made them want to kick me, but considered.
It infuriated them
Municipal
Council passed a resolution
thanking me for they had been brought up in
a tradition of non-violence
my services. I wired this to my paper, tacking on to it a ten and so they picketed my house;
inch lay
they
story of the statue. A week later the Chairman came to across my door in relays, holding a flag and shouting
in a state of
my house T had sent away my wife and children to the
slogans.
agitation. I seated him on the chest of the tyrant. He village in order to
said, T have bad news for you. I wish you had not sent make room for the statue in
up that my house and so this picketing did
not bother
news item about the statue. See these." He held
out a sheaf me-only I had to yse the back door a
great deal. The
of MunicipalCouncil sent me a notice of prosecution under the
telegrams. They were from every kind of historical society in
India, all protesting against the removal of the statue. We had Ancient Monuments Act, whichI
all repudiated in suitable terms.
been missed about Sir F. All the We were getting
into bewildering
present history
different Lawley, of the time of Warren Hastings. This
pertained to
between and the municipal
me
legalities -a
battle of wits

Frederick lawyer. The only nuisance about

it was that an abnormal
Lawley (of the statue) was a military governor who settled
down quantity of correspondence developed
here after the Mutiny. He cleared the jungles and almost built and choked up already congested household.
an
the town of T clung to my statue, secretly despairing hOW it was ever going
Malgudi. He established here the first
co-operative end. I
society for the whole of India, and the first canal system
to
longed to be able to stretch myself fully in my own
which thousands of acres of land were by house
irrigated from the Sarayu, Six months later, relief came. The Government
which had been dissipating itself till then. He established demanded a
he established that, and he died in the this, report from the Municipal Council on the question of the statue,
great Sarayu floods while and this together with other
attempting to save the lives of villagers living on its banks. lapses on the part of the Council
was the irst
He made them want to know
why the existing Council should not
Englishman to advise the British Parliament to
associate more and more be dissolved and re-election ordered. I called on the
Indians in all Indian affairs. In one
of Chairman
his and said, 'You will have to do something grand now.
dispatches he was said to have declared, "Britain must
quit Why not
a National Trust?"
India some day for her own
good. acquire my house
as
Why should 1?' he asked.
The Chairman said, "The Government have ordered us
reinstate the statue." to Because,' I said, 'Sir F. is here. You will never be able to cart
Impossible!" I cried. "This is my statue him, to his old place. It'll be a waste of public money.
and I shall keep it. I like to collect statues of national Why not
heroes! put him up where he is now?" He has stayed in the other place too
68 long. I'm prepared to give you my house for a reasonable price.

9
 But our funds don't permit it," he wailed.
T'm am sure you have
enough funds of your own. Why should
Sarayu the river which flows near Malgudi
you depend upon the municipal funds?" I'l indeed be a grand
Plcketing stopping the work or activity of
I
gesture on your part, unique in India." suggested
himself of
he ought to
of his old blanket gains. 'After all, how
prosecution the action of bringing a criminal charge against
relieve some
much more you will have to spend if you have to
someone
fight another
election!" t appealed to him. We arrived at a figure. He was
veryy Comprehension
happy when he saw in the papers a few days later: "The Chairman
of Malgudi Municipal Council has been able to buy back as a 1. What was the condition of Malgudi before Independence?
present for the nation the statue of Sir Frederick Lawley. He 2. What was the change when the country achieved independence?
3. Why did the Chairman wish to remove the statue of Sir Frederick
proposes to install it in a newly acquired property which is shortly Lawley?
to be converted into a
park. The Municipal Council have resolved 4. How was thethe operation of removing the statue put in motionm?
that Kabir Lane shall be changed to
Lawley Road." agree to removing the statue?
S.6. Why did reporter
What happened of
as a consequence removing
the statue?
Glossary 7. How the whole complex issue resolved and what the
Cape Comorin the old for
was
Outcome?
was
name Kanya Kumari, at the southern tip of
India 8. Write a note on the humour and the irony in the story.
benignly :in a
kind and gentle manner
bunting Woollen or cotton material used for
flags Vocabulary
harangued attacked or persuaded with a loud and scolding 1. Use the following words and phrases in sentences of your own.

speech resolution congestedcordoned

satrap :
originally governor of a province in ancient Persia
and India; now means a ruler of a
dependency and subjugated reinstate gratified

often despotic 2. Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases given below.
circumambulate: to go round and round something inconvenient passed a resolution grand gesture
Attila :
king of the Huns and a terror; he was called the hearts warmed up razed to the ground firmness of a mountain
Scourge of God
NadirShah a. Gandhi stood through the battle for independence with....
: (1688-1747); ruler of Persia. He invaded India in
b. Her tather
and burnt Delhi thought that it was for her to catch the
Machiaveli
1739
famous night train.
a Italian author and statesman; his famous
C. to amend the law of admission to
book called The Prince has made him a
symbol of Fariiament.
universities.
.
political cunning a.
loitered When the junior students put up
walked aimlessly a grand
function for the senors.
shuddered was frightened to think about
e. In presenting the retiring principal with
tender statement of the price one would
charge for providing
a gift of love, the
students
goods or services or for doing a job made a .
imate . He allowed his ancestral house to be
approximate value/price to build flats.
.. In order

placard large printed or written notice put up in

place
a
public
Writing
70 Present a dialogue between two students about civic sense.
 8. The Mother of a Traitor

delirious, the prayerS of women and the wailing of children.

Maxim Gorky People spoke in whispers, breaking off in the middle of a sentence,
tensely alert; was not that the enemy advancing?
Maxim Gorky (1868-1936) was the pen-name of Alexei Maximovich Peshkov
Worst of all were the nights; in the nocturnal stillness the
who was a great figure in Russian literature of the early part of the twentieth groans and cries were more distinctly audible; black shadows
century. His tatber died when he was very young and Gorky grew up in
his crept stealthily from the gorges of the distant mountains towards
grandfather's house and had a miserable life. Later he moved out and became the half-demolished walls, hiding the enemy camp from view,
a tramp for several years, suffering misery and poverty and seing lite in tne and over the black
ridges of the mountains rose the moon like a
raw. His experiences over these years
him the material and the characters 1or his
him in good stead
stoodfiction
which was
as they gave
peopled with the
lost shield dented by sword blows.
And the people in the city, despairing of succour, worn out
downtrodden and the lowly. He began writing in 1892 and his tirst works were toil and hunger, their hope of salvation
by
mainly romantic stories. Later he imoved to Chekhovian kind of stories about waning from day to day,
depressed and useless intellectuals. With his increasing interest in Bolshevism the people in the
city stared in horror at that moon, at the sharp-
and the Revolution his fiction became reflections of his anti-capitalistic atitudes. toothed ridges of the mountains, the black mass of
the gorges and
With the end of the Revolution, Gorky had immense power and influence
over the noisy camp of the
enemy. Everything spoke to them of death,
the arts and literature of Soviet Russia. He was later appointed the Head of the
and not star was there in the sky to give them consolation.
a
Soviet Writers' Union and founded the school of Soviet Realism.
They were afraid to light the lamps in the houses, and a heavy
darkness enveloped the streets, and in this
One can talk endlessly about Mothers. For several weeks enemy darkness, Iike a fish
hosts had surrounded the city in a tight ring of stirring in the depths of a river, a woman from draped head
steel; by night foot in a black cloak moved
soundlessly.
to

fires were lit and the flames peered through the inky blackness When they saw her, people whispered to one
at the walls of the city like a myriad
red eyes-they blazed Is it she?" another
malevolently, and their menacing glare evoked gloomy thoughts
It is she!'
within the beleaguered city.
And they withdrew into the niches under
From the walls they saw the enemy noose draw tighter; saw archways, or hurried

the dark shadows hovering about the fires, and heard the neighing past her with lowered heads. The patrol chiefs warned her
of well-fed horses, the clanging of weapons, the loud laughter sternly:
'Abroad again, Monna Marianna? Take care, you may be
and singing of man confident of victory-and what can be more
killed and nobody will bother to search for the
jarring to the ear than the songs and laughter of the enemy?
She drew herself up and stood culprit..
The enemy had thrown corpses into all the streams that fed but the waiting, patrols passed
water to the city, they had burned down the vineyards around the by, either not daring or else scorning to raise their hand against
her; the armed men avoided her like a
corpse and, left alone in
walls, trampled the fields, cut down the orchards-the city was the
now exposed on all sides, and nearly every day the cannon
darkness, she continued her solitary wanderings from street
and to street, sOundless and black ike the incarnation of the
muskets of the enemy showered it with lead and iron. city's
misfortune, while all about her, as though pursuing her, melancholy
Detachments of war-weary, half-starved soldiers trooped
sOunds issued from the night; the groans, cries,
sullenly through the narrow streets of the city; from the windows sullen murmur of soldiers who had lost all
prayers and the
of houses issued the groans of the wounded, the cries of the hope of victory.
A citizen and a mother, she
thought of her son and her country;
for at the head of the men who were
2
destroying her town was her

73
son, her gay, handsome, heartless son. Yet, not so long ago she
had looked upon him with pride regarding him
as
to her country, a beneficent force she had brought forth to
her precious Marianna covered her face and went on her
gift way. The next
aid the people of the city where she herself had been born and morning she appeared before the city's defenders and said:
reared. Her heart was bound by hundreds of invisible threads to My son has come to be your enemy. Either kill me or open
these ancient stones with which her forefathers had built their the gates that I may go to him..."
homes and raised the walls of the city: to the soil wherein lay They replied:
buried the bones of her the You are a human being, and your
kinsfolk, tothistheheart
And
legends,
had lost
songs
loved
a
and one
country must be
you; your son is as much an enemy to you as to each one of us."
precious
to
the hopes of the people. now

and it She weighed in her heart as on scales her love for I am his mother. I love him and feel that I am to blame for
wept.
her son and her love for lher native city, and she could not tell what he has become!"
which weighed the more. Then they took counsel with one another and decided.
And so she wandered thus by night through the streets It would not be honourable to kill you for the sins of
and
her
your son.
We know that you could not have led him to commit this terrible
many, failing to recognise her, drew back in fear inistaking
black figure for the incarnation of Death that was so near to all of sin, and we can understand your distress. But the city does not
them, and when they did recognise her, they turned silently away need you even as a hostage; your son cares
nought for you, we
believe he
from the mother of a traitor.
that has forgotten
you, fiend that he is, and there is
your punishment if you think you have deserved it! we believe
But one day in a remote corner by the city walls she saw
that is more terrible than death
another voman, kneeling beside a corpse, so still that she seemed itself!
Yes,'she said. "It is indeed more
part of the earth. The woman was praying, her grief-stricken face terrible.
to the stars. And on the wall overhead the sentries spoke And so they opened the gates and suftered her to leave the
upturned
cIty and watched long from the battlements as she departed from
in low tones their weapons grating against the stone.
her native soil, drenched with the blood her son had
now
The traitor's mother asked: spilt.
She walked slowly,
for her feet were reluctant to tear themselves
Your busband?"
"No. away from this soil, and she bowed to the corpses of the city's
Your brother? defenders, kicking aside a broken weapon in disgust, for all

My son. My husband was killed thirteen days ago, my son

weapons are abhorrent to mothers
She walked
save those that protect life.
today."
as
though she carrieda precious phial of water

said beneath and a drop

And rising from her knees, the imother of the slain man
her cloak feared to spill as her figure
and
grew smaller and simaller to those who watched from the city
humbly: wall, it seemed to them that with her went their dejection and
The Madonna sees all and knows all, and I am
grateful to her!"
For what?" asked the first, and the other replied: hopelessness.
Now that he has died honourably fighting for his country I
cloak
her pause halfwayatand throwing back the hood of her
They sawback
can say that I feared for him: he was light-hearted, to0 fond of turn and gaze long the city. And over in the enemy's
revelry and I feared that he might betray his city, as did the son camp they saw her alone in the filed and figures dark as her own
of Marianna, the enemy of God and Man, the leader of our focs,
approached her cautiously. They approached and inquired who
she was and whence she had come.
may he be so cursed and the womb that bore him!"
Your leader is my son,' she said, and not one of the soldiers
doubted it. They fell in beside her, singing his praises, saying how
74

75
clever and brave he was, and she listened to them with head proudly
raised, showing no surprise, for her son could not be otherwise.
And now, at last, she stood before him whom she had known
nine months before his birth, him whom she had never felt apart
from her own heart. In silk and velvet he stood before her, his
weapons studded with precious stones. All was as it should be,
thus had she seen him so many times in her dreams-rich, famous
and admired.
"Mother!' he said, kissing her hands. "Thou hast come to me,
thou art with me, and tomorrow I shall capture that accursed city!"
Intoxicated with his prowess, crazed with the thirst for more
glory, he answered her with the arrogant heat of youth:
I was born into the world and for the world, and I mean to
make the world quake with wonder of me! I have spared this city
for thy sake, it has been like a thorn in my flesh and has retarded
my swift rise to fame. But now tomorrow I shall smash that nest
of obstinate fools!"
Where every stone knows and remembers them as a child,"
he said.
Stones are dumb unless man makes them speak. Let the
mountains speak of me, that is what I wish!
'And what of men?" she asked.
Ah yes, I have not forgotten them, Mother. I need them too,
for only in men's memory are heroes immortal!'
She said: 'A hero is he who creates life in defiance of death,
who conquers death.
No!' he objected. The destroyer is as glorious as the builder
of a city. See, we do not know who it was t built Rome
Aeneas or Romulus-yet we know well the name of Alaric and
theWhich
otherheroes who destroyed the city
outlived all names, the mother reminded him.
Thus they conversed until the sun sank to rest; less and less
his wild lower sank her
frequently did she interrupt speech,
proud head.
A Mother creates, she protects, and to speak to her of
destruction means to speak against her; but he did not know this,
he did not know that he was negating her reason for existence.
A Mother is always opposed to death; the hand that brings
death into the houseof men, and
is hateful to Mothers.
abhorrent
But the son did not perceive this, for he was blinded by the cold
glitter of glory that deadens the heart.
Nor did he know that a Mother can be as clever and ruthless
as she is fearless, when the life she creates and cherishes is in
question.
She sat with bowed head, and through the opening in the leader's
richly appointed tent she saw the city where first she had felt the
sweet tremor of life within her and the anguished convulsions of
the birth of this child who now thirsted for destruction.
The crimson rays of the sun dyed the walls and towers of the
city blood-red, cast a baleful glare on the windowpanes so that
the whole city seemed to be a mass of wounds with the crimson
sap of life tlowing from each gash. Presently the city turned black
as a corpse and the stars shone above it life funeral candles.
She saw the dark houses where people feared to light candles
of the
sO as
not to attract the attention enemy, saw streets the
steeped in gloom and rank with the stench of corpses, heard the
mufled whispers of people awaiting death-she saw it all, all
that was near and dear to her stood before her, dumbly awaiting
her decision, and she felt herself the mother of all those people
in her city.
Clouds descended from the black peaks into the valley and
swooped down like winged steeds upon the doomed city.
We may attack tonight, said her son, "if the night is dark
enough! It is hard to kill when the sun shines your eyes and
the glitter of the weapons blinds you, many a blow goes awry,
he remarked, examining his sword.
The mother said to him: "Come, my son, thy head on my
lay
breast and rest, remember how gay and kind thou wert as a child,
and how everyone loved thee. .
He obeyed her, laid his head in her lap and closed his eyes,
saying:
I love only glory and I love thee for having made me as I
am.
And women?' she asked bending over him.
 They are many, one tires of them as of everything that 1s too

Sweet. 2. What did the people of the city think of the woman in the story?
"And dost thou not desire children?' she asked finally.
What for? That they might be killed? Someone like Why?
me will 3. What did the patrol chiefs warn her about and why did nothing
kill them; that will give me pain and I shall be too od and feeble
to avenge them. nappen?
4. Describe the attachment of the woman to the city.
Thou art handsome, but as barren as a streak of lightning8
5. How did the people of the city punish her?
she said with a sigh. 6. Sketch the woman's feelings with regard to her
Yes, like lightning.. he replied, smiling. son.
Y. How did the woman take fate into her own hands?
And he dozed there on his mother's breast like a child. 8. Is there tragedy in the story? If so, can you pinpoint the tragic
Then, covering him with her black
cloak, she plunged a knife
into his heart, and with a shudder he died, for who knew better
aspects in the story?

than she where her son's heart beat. And, throwing his corpse at Vocabulary
the feet of the astonished sentries, she said addressing the city: 1. Use the following words and phrases in sentences of your own.
As a Citizen, I have done for my country allI could: as malevolent wailing
a Mother I remain with my son! It is too late for me to bear hosts
incarnation bencficent reluctant
another, my life is of no use to anyone.
2. Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases given below.
And the knife, still warm with his blood, her she blood, plunged
with a firm hand into her own breast, and again she struck true, abhorrent ognise intoxicated despair
for an aching heart is not hard to find. glorious opposed dejection distress
a. It was not possible to . the thief in disguise.
Glossary b. The king w a s . . t o Parliament and that was the
reason tor the civil war,
:a large mumber
myriad c. Drunk and. . with his own glory, the leader brought
malevolently :
spitefully and trying to cause harm to others
beleagured besieged or surrounded by the army about his own fatal end.
d. When he lost his mother, he went into a spell of . . . trom
jarring unpleasant and irritating which it was difficult for anyone to pull him out.
delirious related to or typical of delirium which is an excited or
. Though tragic, Gandhi's death was a glorious one as he gave up
dreamy state in illness
a narrow opening (usualy between mountains) his life for peace in the country
gorge
f. Being unjust and cruel to the underprivileged is a n . . .
envelopedcovered attitude.
Succour solace, refuge
g. It was pitiable to watch the. . of the war widows.
Madom Mary, mother of Jesus
abhorrent distasteful h. War leads people to hopelessness a n d . . because one
: evil and harmful sees the futility of all human effort in the face of such cruelty.
baleful
g0 awry : to go wrong
Writing
Comprehension Imagine another tragic tale of motherhood and write about it.
1. What was the enemy doing to the city?

78
9
 the tavern. Did he repay his
6. Describe the last visit of Kong Yiji to

debts? 10. Princess September

Vocabulary
1. Use the following words and phrases in sentences of your own. Somerset Maugham
flavoured leisure inspected
intelligible occasional invariaby of
is a
below. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965). novelist and playwright, master
2. Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases give His amous novels are n e Moon and
English prose. Sxpence, Of Human
Cakes and Ale. He wrote the story, "Princess
surveillance immersion steadily pilfer Bondage, The Razor's Edge and

ignored discomfited scamper September

attackof
while he
malaria.
was staying
He
in a hotel in Bangkok and
"And becauseI had
said,
recovering from
to do except look over
nothing
an

a. The children... Off in a hurry when the gardener the river and enjoy the weakness that held me blissfuly to my chair, I invented
wanted to scold them for plucking flowers. 1s. It the qualities of a fairy story with a

b. The boy lis mother's chiding and ran off to

the
tairy story.In Here tithas cuombinesreads The moral is thatt
realistic
tale. tact,
a moral and like a parable.
trecdom is the true secret of happiness.
play.
C. There 1s need for strict. . of restless children who

have to be made to study. First the King of Siam had two daughters and he called them
d. The tramp was quite.. hen the family chased him he changed the names
Night and Day. Then he had two more, so
e.
off without a
paisa.
Madanlal's rise to fame was a n d surely achieved.
of the first ones and called the of four them after the seasons,
But in of time
Spring and Autumn, Winter and Summer. course
f. . is an abominable habit and needs to be checked in he had three others and he changed their names again and called
children at the very beginning.
all seven by of the
the days week. But when his eighth daughter
was born he did not know what to do till he suddenly thought of
Writing the months of the year. The Queen said there were only twelve
Can you write an essay on the importance and value of the right kind
and it contfused her to have to remember so many new names,
of education?
but the King had a methodical mind and when he made up it he
never could change it if he tried. He changed the names of all his

daughters and called them January, February, March (though of

course in Siamese) till he came to the youngest who was called
August, and the next one was called September.
That only leaves October, November and December,' said the
Queen. 'And after that we shall have to begin all over again.
No, we shan't, said the King, "because I think twelve daughters
are enough for any man and after the birth of dear little December
I shall be reluctantly compelled to cut off your head."
He cried bitterly when he said this, for he was extremely fond
of the Queen. Of course it made the Queen very uneasy because
she knew that it would distress the King very much if he had to
cut off her head. And it would not be very nice for her. But it

87
so happened that there was no need for either of them to worry
was the last daughter they ever had. The
because September sons after that and they were called by the letters go to bed without any supper. The Maids of Honour wanted to go
Queen only had
the for to a party, so they put the Princess September to bed as quickly as
of alphabet, there
so was
no cause there for a long
anxiety and her And while she lay in her bed,
time, since she had only reached the letter J. they could left by herself.
Now the King of Siam's daughters had had their characters erying still eventhough she left rather hungry, she saw a little
bird hop into her room. She took her thumb out of her mouth and
permanently embitiered by having to their names in this
change
way, and the older ones, whose names of course had been changed sat up. Then the little bird began to sing and he sang a beautiful
oftener than the song all about the lake in the King's garden and the willow trees
others, had their characters more permanentdy
embittered. But September, who had never known what it was to that looked at themselves in the still water and the goldfish that
glided in and out of the branches that were reflected in it. When
be called anything butSeptember of course by her sisters
(except he had finished, the Princess was not crying any more and she
who because their characters were embittered called her all sorts
of names), had a very sweet and charming nature. quite forgot that she had had no supper.

The King of Siam had

a I think might be usefully
habit which That was a very nice song, she said.
The little
imitated in Europe. Instead of receiving presents on his birthday gave her a bow,
bird for artists have naturally good
manners, and they like to be appreciated.
he gaveto them, and it looks as though he liked it, for he used Would you care to have me instead of your parrot?' said the
otten say he was sorry he had only been born on one day
and so only had one birthday in the year. But in this way he little bird. It's true that I'm not so pretty to look at, but on the
managed in course of time to give away all his wedding presents other hand have a much better vo1ce.
The Princess September clapped her hands with delight and
and the loyal addresses which the mayors of the cities in Siam
then the little bird hopped on to the end of her bed and sang her
with and which has gone out
presented him
One year
allhishis own crowns sleep.
of fashion. on
birthday, not having anything else
handy, he gave each of his daughters a beautiful green parrot in When she awoke next day the little bird was still sitting there,
and as she opened her eyes he said good morning. The Maids
a beautiful golden cage.
There were nine of them and on each of Honour brought in her breakfast, and he ate rice out of her
the name of the month which was the name of
cage was written hand and he had his bath in her saucer. He drank out of it too.
the princess it belonged to. The nine princesses were very proud
of their parrots andthey spent an hour everyday (for like their The Maids of Honour said they didn't think it was very polite to
drink one's bath water, but the Princess September said that was
of in teaching them
father they were a methodical turn of mind)
to talk. Presently all the parrots could say God Save the King
the artistic temperament. When he had finished his breakfast, he
began to sing again so beautifully that the Maids of Honour were
in Siamese, which is very difficult) and some of them could
had never
say Pretty Polly in no less than seven Oriental languages. But quite surprised, for they
Princess
heard
and
anything like it, and the
day when the Princess September went to say good morning September was very proud happy.
one
to her
Now I want to show you to my eight sisters, said the
parrot she found it lying dead at the bottom of its golden princess.
She
cage. burst into a flood of tears, and nothing that her Maids She stretched out
the first finger of her right hand so that it
of Honour could say comforted what
her. She cried so much that the
Maids of Honour, not served as a perch and the little bird flew down and sat on it.
knowing to do, told the and
Queen,
the Queen said it was stuff and nonsense and the child had better Then, followed by her Maids of Honour, she went through the
palace and called each of the princesses in turn, starting with
on
January, for she was mindful of etiquette, and going all the way
8

9
down to August. And for each of the princesses the little bird
sang a different song. But the parrots could only say God Save
the King and Pretty Polly. At last she showed the little bird to the January sniffed, then February sniffed, then March sniffed;
in fact all the Princesses sniffed, but in their proper order of
King and Queen. They were surprised and delighted.
I knew I was right to send you to bed without any supper, precedence. When they had September asked them:
finished,
said the Queen. Why do you sniff? Have you all got colds in the head?
This bird sings much better than the parrots, said the King. Well, my dear,' they said, 'it's absurd to
talk of your bird
he likes.' They
I should have thought you got quite tired of hearing people when the little fellow flies in and out just as

think why those looked round the room and raised their eyebrows high that
so
say God Save the King,' said the Queen. I can't
wanted teach their it too." their foreheads entirely disappeared.
girls to parrots to say
You'll get dreadful wrinkles,' said September.
The sentiment is admirable, said the King, 'and I never mind
Do you mind our asking where your bird is now?' they said.
how often I hear it. But I do get tired of hearing those parrots say
He's gone to pay a visit to his father-in-law, said the Princess
Pretty Polly."
"They say it in seven different languages,' said the Princesses. September.
'And what makes you think he'll come back?" asked the
I daresay they do, said the King, "but it reminds me too much
of my councilors. They say the same thing in seven different Princesses.
He always does come back,' said September.
ways and it never means anything in any way they say it.
Well, my dear, said the cight Princesses, 'if you'll take our
The Princesses,
their characters as I have already said being advice you won't run any risks like that. If he comes back, and
naturally embittered, were vexed at this, and the parrots looked mind you, it he does you'll be lucky, pop him into the cage
and
very indeed. But the Princess
glum September ran all
through keep him there. That's the only way you can be sure of him.
the rooms
palaces, singing like a lark, while the little
of the
bird flew round and round her singing like a nightingale, which But I like to have him fly about the ro0om, said the Princess

indeed it was. September said her sisters ominously.

Things went on like this for several days and then the eight Safety first,
heads, their
Princesses put their heads together. They went to September and They got up and walked out of the room, shaking
to her that her
and they lett September very uneasy. It seemed
sat down in a circle round her, hiding their feet as is proper for
ittle bird was away a long time and she could not think what he
Siamese Princesses to do.
was doing. Something might have happened
to him. What with
My poor September,' they said. "We are sorry for the with never knew what trouble he
death of your beautiful parrot. It must be dreadful for you not
hawks and men snares you
take a
to have a pet bird as we have. So we have all put our pocker- might get into. Besides, he might forget her, or he might
that would be dreadful; oh, she wished
money together and we are going to buy you a lovely green 1ancy to somebody else;
he were safely back again, and in the golden cage that stood there
and yellow parrot. the
empty and ready. For when the Maids of Honour had buried
Thank you for nothing,'
but Siamese Princesses
are
(This waslittle
said September.sometimes
a
not dead parrot they had left the cage in its old place.
very civil of her, just behind her ear
short with one another.) "T have a pet bird which sings the most Suddenly September heard a tweet-tweet

and she saw the little bird sitting on her shoulder. He had come
to me and I don't know what on earth I should
charming songs
in so quietly and alighted so
softy that she had not heard him.
do with a green and yellow parrot. Twondered what on earth had become of
said the
you,
Princess.
30

91
 I thought you'd wonder said the little bird. "The fact is
that,
didn't
very nearly at all.
come back tonight father-in-law
was giving a party and they all wanted me to stay, but I thought
My
So he put his head under his wing and in a minute was fast

you'd be anxious. asleep. September went to sleep too. But when the dawn broke
she was awakened by the little bird calling her at the top of his
Under the circumstances this was a very unfortunate remark
forSeptember to make.
the little birdfelt her heart go thump, thump, against her voice:
Wake up, wake up,' he said. "Open the door of this cage and
chest, and she made up her mind to take no more risks. She let me out. I want to have a good fy while the dew is still on the

put of the ground.

up her hand and took hold This he was quite
bird.
used to, she liked feeling his heart go pit-pat, so fast, in the You're much better off where you are, said September. "You
hollow of her hand, and I think he liked the soft warmth of have a beautiful golden cage. It was made by the best workman
her kingdom, and was so pleased with it that
little hand. So the bird suspected nothing and he was so in my papa's my papa
surprised when she carried him over to the cage, popped him he cut off his head so that he should never make another.
in, and shut the door on him that for Let me out, let me out, said the little bird.
a moment he could think
of nothing to say. But in a moment two he
You'll have three meals a day served by my Maids of Honour,
or
hopped up on
the ivory perch and said:
What is the joke?"
you'll have nothing to worry you
you can sing to your heart's content
from morning till night, and
There's Let me out, let me said the little bird. And he tried to
no
joke,' said September, "but some of mamma's out,
cats are prowling about tonight, and I think slip through the bars of the cage, but of course he couldn't and he
you're much safer
n there. beat against the door, but of course he couldn't open it. Then the
T
can t think why the Queen wants to have all those cats,' said eight Princesses came in and looked at him. They told September
the little bird, rather she was very wise to take their advice. They said he would soon
crossly.
Well you see, they're to the cage and in a few days would quíte forget that he
very special cats,' said the Princess, get used
they have blue eyes and a kink in their tails, and they're a had ever been free. The little bird said nothing at all while they
speciality of the royal family, if you understand what I mean." were there, but as soon as they were gone he began to cry again:
Perfectly,' said the little bird, 'but why did you put me in this Let me out, let me
out.
cage without saying
of place I like."
anything about ir? I don't think it's the sort Don't be such an old silly, said September. "T've only put
you in the cage because I'm so fond of you.I know what's good
I shouldn't have slept wink all for you much better than you do yourself. Sing me a little song
a
night if I hadn't known you
were safe. and I'll give you a piece of brown sugar.
Well, just for this once I don't mind,' said the little bird, 'so But the little bird stood in the corner of his cage, looking out at
long as you let me out in the
morning. the blue sky, and never-sang a note. never sang
He all day.
He ate a very good supper and then began to sing. But in the What's the good of sulking?" said September. 'Why don't you
middle of his song he stopped. sing and forget your troubles?
I don't know what is the matter with How can I sing?" answered the bird. I want to see the trees
me,' he said, 'but I don't
feel like singing
tonight." and the lake and the green rice growing in the fields.
Very well', said September, 'go to sleep instead. If that's all you want I'll take you for a walk.' said September.
She picked up the cage and went out and she walked down
92 to the lake round which grew the willow trees, and she stood

93
at
the edge of the
could see.
rice-fields that stretched as far as the eye
Tl
take you out every day,' she said. "T love you and I only that are round the lake and fly over the green rice-fields. I love
want to make you happy. you enough to let you be happy in your own way.
It's not the same thing,' said the little bird. "The rice-fields She threw the window and gently placed the little bird on
open
and quite different when you the sill. He shook himself a little
the lake and the willow trees look bird,' she said. 'I will never
see them through the bars of a
cage. Come and go as you will, little
So she brought him home again and gave him his supper. But put you in a cage any more.
he wouldn't eat a thing. The Princess was a little anxious at this, I will come because I love you, little Princess,' said the bird.
and asked her sisters what they thought about it. the I I
You must be firm, they said.
And I will sing you're loveliest songs know. shall go tar
away, but I shall always come back and I shall never forget you.
But if he won't eat, he'll die,' shec answered. how stifffl
gave himself another shake. "Good gracious
He me,

That would be very ungrateful of him, they said. "He must am, he said.
know that you're only thinking of his own good. If he's obstinate Then he opened his wings and flew right away into the blue.
and dies it'll serve him right and you'll be well rid of him." But the little Princess burst into tears, for it is very difficult to
with and
September didn't see how that was going to do her very much put the happiness of someone you love betore your own,
good, but they were eight to one and all older than she, so she her little bird far out of sight she felt on a sudden very lonely.
said nothing. When her sisters knew what had happened they mocked her and
said that the little bird would return. But he did at last. And
Perhaps he'll have got used to his cage by tomorrow,, she never

said. he sat on September's shoulder and ate out of her hand and sang
and
And next day when she awoke she cried out good morning in a her the beautiful songs he had learned while he was iHlying up
cheerful voice. She got no answer. She jumped out of bed and ran down the fair of the world. September kept her window
places
her
to the cage. She gave a startled cry, for there the little bird lay, open day and night so that the little bird might come into
for her;
at the bottom, on his side, with his eyes closed, and he he felt inclined, and this was very good
looked room whenever

beautiful. And when she was old enough

as if he were dead. She opened the door and putting her hand in so she grew extremely
of Cambodia and was carried all the way
lifted him out. She gave a sob of relief, for she felt that his little she married the King
heart was beating to the which he lived on a whiteelephant. But her sisters
stil city in

with their windos open, so they grew extremely

"Wake up, wake up, little bird,' she said. never slept
She began to cry and her tears fell on the little bird. He opened well disagreeable, and when the time came to marry
ugly as as

them off they were given away to the King's Councillors with a
his eyes and felt that the bars of the cage were no longer roOund
him. pound of tea and a Siamese cat

I cannot sing unless I'm free, and if I cannot sing I die,' he

said. Glossary
in southeast Asta
The :now Thailand; a country
Princessgave a greatsob.
Then take your freedom,' she said, "I shut you in a golden
Siam
embittered :made harsh or bitter
weer-tweet : the chirp of a bird
cage because I loved you and wanted to have you all to myself.
But I never knew it would kill you. Go. Fly away among the trees 80 thump beatheavily
8o pit-a-pat
: throb, beat quickly
kink a back-twist
4
country near Thailand
Cambodia now Kampuchea; a
Comprehension
1. What did the kingg name his daughters after? What was the gift that
he gave each of them? What happened to September's gift?
2. Describe how Princess September then adopted the little bird as her

3.
Own. How did her sisters influence her about her little bird?
The little bird in the story almost becomes human. Point out all the
evidence that justifies this statement.
4. How did Princess September keep her bird finally even though she
took him out of the cage? What is the moral that the story teaches
here?
. What was the fate of Princess September and that of her sisters?
6. The bird symbolises freedom. How is this brought out at the end of
hetale?

Vocabulary
1. Use the following words and phrases in sentences of your own.

naturally compelled fashion

imitated methodical vexed

2. Fill in the blanks with the words and phrases given below.

bitterly comforted stretched embittered

etiquette admirable charming sulk
. She cried . when her pet dog died,
b.
The old mother was .. when she was able to see her
long-lost son just before her death.
c. Ravi's trait of meticulous hard work i15
d. Trainees of hotel management have to learn all the rules of
and good
. manners.
C. They had a , teacher who could make them listen
to her through sweet and encouraging words.
T h e cat. . Out its limbs just as it dropped off to sleep.
8. The prisoner led an . . life because he could not prove
his innocence at all.
h. The mother told the child that if she she would get punished.

Writing
Imagine a fairy tale princess in a faraway land who was entangled in a
Curse and how every bad thing came to an end finally and the princess
was rescued.

96
 5. The Wild Swans

W.B. Yeats I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,

And now my heart is sore.
All's changed I,
since hearing twilight,
at
The first time on this shore,
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was bom in Dublin and educated at Hammersmith
and Dubim. At the age ot 21, he chose the fielad ot iterature and wrote books and The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
edited works such as The Poems of william Blake (1893), The Works of William Trod with a lighter tread.
Blake (with F. J. Ellis, 1893)and Poems of Spenser (1906). He helped to found an
Irish Lterary Society in London in 1891 and another in Dublin in I892. He started
Unwearied still, lover by lover,
and in the latter, he achieved his own system of
writing both drama and poetry They paddle in the cold,
1s This underlies his
symbolisim which described imA V1sion (1925).
farmous poems. He received
t h e Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
symbolism Companionable streams or climb the air;
wild Swans is the
taken from longer
poem, Wild Swans at Coole'.
"The Their hears have not grown old;
t describes the youth and the beauty of the swans he sees at his friend Lady Passion or conquest, wander where they wil,
Gregory's house. Tthe poet talks about the Coole Park and the lake inside the park
where he sees them. The season is autmn, and the beauty of autumn can be seen
Attend upon them stil1.
in the trees and in the woodland paths. There are fifty-nine swans floating in the
water in the lake which is full. In the third and fourth stanzas he speaks of the But now they drift on the still water
swans they mount
as noisily and when they fly equally noisily. Yeats
into the air Mysterious, beautiful;
calls them brilliant creatures' and tells them that he had seen them earlier at the Among what rushes will they build,
same place. That was nineteen years ag0. The comparison is theretore between
By what lake's edge or pool
the feelings he had then, and the feelings he has now. While at that
time they Delight men's eyes, when I awake some day
brought him happiness, they now bring him the
opposite: they make him unhappy
is To find they have flown away?
CAnd ow my heart sore). While the swans have not grown old, he has, and
thismakes him unhappy. He now feels that he is not worthy of the companionship
of the swans because they are young while he is old. This makes him
unhappPY Glossary
The trees are in their autumn beauty,
woodland paths :paths in the dark
brimming overtlowing, full
The woodland paths are dry, wheeling :swinging round in a circle
Under the October twilight the water clamorous : noisy, that is noise caused by the beating of the
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
wings
Sore full of pan
Are nine and fifty swans. trod past tense of 'tread', that is, walked

The nineteenth Autumn has come upon me Comprehension

Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished, 1. What
What
is thethe
sightpoetthatmean
the
beholds
poet"the
by
as
seen in the first stanza?
nineteenth autumn'?
All suddenly mount
2. does
3. Explain: "And scatter wheeling in great broken rings/ Upon their
And scatter, wheeling, in great broken clamorous wings.
rings
Upon their clamorous wings. 4. What are the changes brought about in the poet with the passage of

106 years?
5. Is there a hint of melancholy in the mood of the poet in this poem?
Why?
107
 7. The Little Waves of
Breffny
Eva Gore Booth
Comprehension
in the poem and explain each of
1. Pick out all the comparisons used
them.
2. What is the central idea of the poem?
Eva Gore Booth tells how
us interested she is in familiar things rather than in
unfamiliar 3. The poet thinks that the known and familiar are much more
things. She
talks about three things. "The little roads of from
are
compared to the 'grand road from the mountain' and the poet is Cloonagh pleasant than the unknown and the unfamiliar. Give evidence
more the poem to substantiate this.
affected by the "little roads' rather than the
grand road. "The haunted air of used in the poem? List them and explain their
twilight is
compared with the great storm 4. What are the images
that the winds of trom the Ocean and
the poet teels
significance for the meaning of the poem.
twilight
are dear to his heart. The "little waves of
are Breffny'
then compared to the great waves of the Atlantic. The "little
to be cioser to the
are found
poet's heart than the 'great waves of the Atlantic. It is thus
waves
that the known and the familiar are
closer to one's hecart than the distant even
though the distant may be bigger or more powerful. Beauty to an individual
theretore does
is
not depend on what is normally reckoned as beautiful but what
close to the heart and the
feelings.
The grand road from the
mountain goes shining to the sea,
And there is traffic in it and
a horse and cart,
many
But the little roads of
Cloonagh
And the little roads of
are dearer far to me,

Cloonagh go rambling through my

heart.

great storm from the ocean goes shouting o'er the hill,
And there is
glory in it and terror on the wind,
But the haunted air of
twilight is very strange and still,
And the little winds of twilight are dearer to
my mind.
The great waves of the Atlantic
sweep storming on their
Shining green and silver with the hidden herring shoal,way,
But the little waves of
Breffny have drenched my heart in
spray,
And the little of
waves Breffny go stumbling through my
SOul.

110

111
 8. The Best of School

D. H. Lawrence This morning, sweet it is

To feel the lads' looks light on me,
Then back in a swift, bright fluter to work:
one darting away with
D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) was born at Eastwood in Nottinghamshire. His
Each his
father was a coal-miner and that is the reason for characters in his novels who Discovery, like birds that steal and flee.
are from the same background. Lawrence has also written poetry, essays and
short stories. Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow and Women in Love are some of I feel them cling and cleave to mne
his famous novels. This poem is about his experiences as a school teacher at an As vines going cagerly up; they twine
school in
elementary
while the boys
Croydon. 1The teacher here is sitting in the class quietly
are writing their lessons. The boys looK at the teacher now My life with other leaves, my time
and then not because they would ike to ask him something, but out of sheer
Is hidden in theirs, their thrills are mine.
habit. The teacher feels delighted and pleased that the boys look up at him and
seemingly get answers to their doubts. The poet compares them to vines that Glossary
that the class is
creep aróund a tree and as the vine leaves cover the tree, the teacher finds his shores
of the class: refers to the poet's imagination
life and work entangled with that of the boys. As he says, "their thrills are a sea and that he is on the shore looking at the
mine. students. Refer again to the use of 'underwater
He hares his personal joys and sorrows with them as they are so
a part of his life. There is an intense attachment here on the part of the teacher
much
and 'ripples' which continues this metaphor.
with the students. The room that is described here is semi-dark and the boys
are quietly busy. There is an air of mystery in this and as the teacher watches
the boys from a distance, the distance vanishes and the teacher and the boys Comprehension
presented in the
almost become one. 1. Describe the classroom as
poem.
in a colourless gloom. ofunderwater
2.
Explain: "the boys and the room

The blinds are drawn because of the sun, ffoat:..

What is the teacher doing in the Is he enjoying what he is
And the boys and the room in a colourless gloom 3. poem?
Of underwater foat: bright ripples run doing? Give reasons for as
your answer.
write out their answers? How does
4. What do the students do they
Across the walls as the blinds are blown
the teacher find this thrilling?
To let the sunlight in; and I, that the poet presents about the children?
5. What is the comparison
As I sit on the shores of the class, alone, 6. Comment on the attitude of the teacher to the students.
Watch the boys in their summer blouses
As they write, their round heads busily bowed:
And one after another rouses
His face to look at mne,
To ponder very quietly,
As seeing, he does not see.

And then he turns again, with a little, glad

Thrill of his work he turns again from me,
Having found what he wanted, having got what was to be had.
112

113
 9. To the Indians who Died in Africa
(The warm or the cool hour, according to the climate)
T. S. Eliot Of foreign men, who fought in foreign places,
Foreign to each other.

T. S. Eliot major figure in A man's destination is not his destiny,

was a
English literature since the 1920s. He

was born in Misourie and educated in Harvard, the Sorbonne and Merton
His first major volume of verse
Every country is home to one man
College,
was
Oxtford. In 1914 he met
Ezra
Prufrock and other Observations
Pound. And exile to another. Where a man dies bravely
This (1917).
followed Poems
was by At one with his destiny, that soil is his.
(1919). He founded a quarterly called The Criterion and The Waste Land
appeared in its first issue. 7he Waste Land made him famous as the voice of
first Let his village remember.
a Later he the Faber and Faber,
disillusioned generation.
the of
became director of
in England. From this This was not your land, or ours; but a village in the Midlands,
which represented mainstream modern poetry
time onward, he was considered a great Cultural
authority and his inifuence And one in the Five Rivers, may have the same graveyard.
Eliot
was tremendous. was as a critic and a poet and wrote
equally infuential Let those who go home tell the same story of you:
in Literature in 1948.
prolifically. He was awarded the Nobel Prize
in Of action with a common purpose, action
To the Indians who Died Africa' written the
was at request of Miss
Cornelia Sorabji for Queen Mary's Book for India (Harrap & Co Ltd., 1943) None the less fruitful if neither you nor we 20
T dedicate it now to Bonamy Dobree, because he liked it and Know, until the judgement after death,
urged me to
preserve it. What is the fruit of action.
Here, the poet talks of all the people who have to fight in a foreign land
and die there unfortunately. Whether they are from England ('Midlands) or
rom India (FIve Rivers), they have the same fate. They have a common aim: Glossary
the poet is referring to the English and Indian soldiers who fought together the place to which somebody is going or is being
destination
in Africa aganst Hitler's army during the Second World War. The "common ent
the fireside representing the home and therefore
purpose was to defeat the Germans. 1he firststanza presents the and
simple life of a man. This is how the man lives in his own village and in his own
plain His own fire

Tamily, r he happens to be a retired soldier he may remember how he fought

refuge
the marks remaining on the surface after
SCarred referring to

with "foreign the

men', "foreigniftooneeach other. But a man's destination
is born
is not his
does not know where
an injury or a wound
destiny, says poet. Even in a village, one
one is going to die. For those who are joined in a common action/purpose
The warm o r : 'warm' referring to hotter countries; "cool reterring
to colder countries. It could also refer to the warm or
the cool hour
destination and destiny become one. It was so in the case of the soldiers who
fought together in Africa. cool hours of the day or memories which are either

or cOOl and quictening

hot and eXCiting
to each : the soldiers have not met one another before and so
A man's destination is his own village, Joreign
other are foreign to each other
His own fire, and his wife's cooking the Indians who died
your land India; the poem is addressed to
To sit in front of his own door at sunset
in Africa
AndPlaying
see hisingrandson, and his neighbour's grandson the midland countries of England
Midlands
the dust together. : the Punjab was originally the land of five rivers though
Five Rivers
Partition
later this got separated in the
Scarred but secure, he has many memories action none the : the usefulness of all action whether we know about
Which return at the hour of conversation, less fruitful it or not

14

115
Comprehenslon
1. What is the real destinationof man?
the poem show that this destination is that
2. How
does
person?
not
of every
3. What is the common purpose and action that is mentioned in the
poem?
4. How does the place of death become the destiny of a person as
shown in this poem?
5. Is the Indian who died in Africa turned into a hero here? How?
6. Explain: "Every country is home to one man. And exile to
another.

116