On the Grasshopper and Cricket- By John Keats

On the Grasshopper and Cricket

                                                                                                    –  By John Keats

The Poetry of earth is never dead:
পৃথিবীর কবিতার কোনো মৃত্যু নেই

When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,
যখন সূর্যের প্রখর তাপে সমস্ত পাখিরা নিস্তেজ হয়ে পড়ে

And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
এবং আশ্রয় নে গাছের শীতল ছায়ায় , একটি আওয়াজ ভেসে উঠে

From hedge to hedge about the new-mown mead;
সদ্য কাটা সবুজ ছোট্ট ঝোপের এক প্রান্ত থেকে অন্য প্রান্তে

That is the Grasshopper’s—he takes the lead
এটা হল ঘাসফড়িংয়ের স্বর – সে ই এগিয়ে আসে

In summer luxury,—he has never done
গ্রীস্মকালকে সুন্দর আর বিলাসবহুল করে তুলতে – সে কখনো থেমে যায় না

With his delights; for when tired out with fun
তার আমোদ প্রমোদ চলতে থাকে ; ফুর্তি করতে করতে ক্লান্ত হয়ে পড়লে

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.
সে বিশ্রাম নেয় শান্ত কোনো আগাছার নিচে।

The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
পৃথিবীর কবিতার কোনো অন্ত নেই

On a lone winter evening, when the frost
কোনো এক একাকী শীতের সন্ধ্যায় – যখন তুষারপাত

Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills
নিয়ে আসে নিঃস্তব্ধতা , চুল্লি থেকে ভেসে উঠে উগ্র আওয়াজ

The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
তা ই হল ঝিঝি পোকার গান, এই বেড়ে উঠা উষ্ণতা

And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
কোনো তন্দ্রাচ্ছন্ন অবচেতন মানুষের কাছে মনে হয়

The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.
ওটা ঘাসফড়িংয়ের গান ভেসে আসছে কোনো তৃণাবৃত পাহাড় থেকে।

a) Answer the following questions.  2×5=10

(i) ‘The poetry of earth’ is not made of words. What is it made of, as suggested in the poem?

(ii) Where do grasshoppers take rest when he tired?

(iii) What is the meaning of the line: ‘The poetry of earth is never dead’?

(iv) ‘The poetry of earth continues round the year through a cycle of two seasons”. Mention each with its representative voice.

(v) In which season cricket sing?

b) Read the poem again, and identify 3 imageries and 2 similes used in the poem. Then explain the purpose of their uses. 10

c) Read the poem again and express your feelings. Or, Write the theme of the poem. 10

Answer:

Question 1. ‘The poetry of earth’ is not made of words. What is it made of, as suggested in the poem?

Answer:  ‘The poetry of earth’ is not made of words but it is made of the songs of a grasshopper and the cricket, thus it is made by the music sung by these insects.

Question 2. Where do grasshoppers take rest when he tired?

Answer: When grasshopper became tired, he rests ease beneath some pleasant weeds.

Question 3. What is the meaning of the line: ‘The poetry of earth is never dead’?

Answer: The poet wanted to say that poetry of nature is never going to end. No matter what the season is, whether it is the sweltering summer or the harsh cold winter, the music and the poetry of the nature is never dead.

Question 4. ‘The poetry of earth continues round the year through a cycle of two seasons”. Mention each with its representative voice.

Answer: The grasshopper’s takes the lead in summer. He is never done with his delight. On a long winter evening when the forest is silent, the cricket sing with its shrill voice from the stone.

Question 5. In which season cricket sing?

Answer: The cricket sing in winter. When it is very cold and quiet, the winter silence is broken by a shrill sound.

Question 6. What is main theme of the poem?

Answer: The main theme of poem is that poetry and music in nature do not perish.

Question 7. Where do birds take rest in hot summer day?

Answer: The birds took rest under shady trees to secure themselves from the scorching heat of the sun.

Summer:

John Keats’ poem “On the Grasshopper and the Cricket” employs various poetic devices, including extended metaphors, personification, and vivid sensory imagery, to highlight nature’s continuous beauty and sound. The metaphor “Poetry of earth” represents nature’s eternal music, withgrasshoppers and crickets symbolizing the earth’s enduring voice across seasons. Keats uses visual and auditory imagery to convey scenes of summer and winter, emphasizing nature’s resilience. The poem’s structure as a Petrarchan sonnet, with its rhyme scheme and volta, supports Keats’ theme of nature’s perpetual and joyous expression.

Theme:

Nature is always a spontaneous source of optimism and happiness is the theme of the poem. Nature never imparts pessimism and is never sad and is always singing. Change in situation on weather does not bring hindrances in the ever-continuous mirth of nature. Keats finds nature beautiful in all seasons, and the poem personifies the grasshopper and cricket to symbolize nature’s constant joy

Five Metaphor of the poem “Crossing the Bar”

Metaphor

A metaphor is a comparison between two things that are not alike, without using the words “like” or “as”. For example “Hope is the thing with feathers” Here hope is compared to a bird that sings in the storm.

Simile

A simile is a comparison between two things that are not alike, using the words “like” or “as”. For example, in the poem “A Red, Red Rose” the speaker compares his love to a rose and to a melody.

Imagery

Imagery is the use of descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. For example, in the poem “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth, the imagery is rich and colorful, as in “A host, of golden daffodils; / Beside the lake, beneath the trees, / Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

Symbolism

Symbolism is the use of an object, a person, a place, or an event to represent something else, such as an idea, a value, or a feeling. For example, in the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost, the speaker uses the road as a symbol of the choices and consequences in life.

Irony

Irony is a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens, or between what is said and what is meant. For example, in the poem “Richard Cory” Robinson describes Richard Cory as a wealthy, admired, and happy man, but in the last line, reveals that he killed himself.

Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, usually in poetry. For example, in the poem “The Raven” the words “weak”, “weary”, while and “wondering” alliterate with each other.

Rhyme

Rhyme is the repetition of similar or identical sounds at the end of words, usually in poetry. For example, in the poem “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the words “night”, “light”, “right”, and “flight” rhyme with each other.