🌟 The Lamplighter
By R. L. Stevenson
The poem is about a child who watches a lamplighter named Leerie every evening.
The child sits at tea-time and watches Leerie walking along the street with his ladder and lantern. His job is to light the street lamps as darkness comes.
The child knows that different people dream of different professions. Tom wants to become a driver, Maria wants to go to sea, and the child’s father is a rich banker.
But the child has a different dream. When he grows up and becomes strong enough to choose his work, he wants to become a lamplighter like Leerie.
The child also feels happy when Leerie stops near his house to light the lamp. He hopes that Leerie will notice him and nod to him.
⭐ Main idea
The poem shows a child’s innocent fascination with a simple occupation. It teaches us that every person may have a different dream and that even ordinary jobs can be interesting and meaningful.
यह कविता एक बच्चे और लैम्प जलाने वाले व्यक्ति Leerie के बारे में है।
हर शाम चाय के समय बच्चा खिड़की से बाहर देखता है और Leerie को सड़क पर आते हुए देखता है। Leerie के पास सीढ़ी और लालटेन होती है और वह अँधेरा होने पर सड़क की बत्तियाँ जलाता है।
बच्चे के आसपास के लोग अलग-अलग व्यवसाय चुनना चाहते हैं। Tom ड्राइवर बनना चाहता है, Maria समुद्र में जाना चाहती है और बच्चे के पिता एक अमीर बैंकर हैं।
लेकिन बच्चे का सपना अलग है। जब वह बड़ा और मजबूत हो जाएगा और अपने लिए कोई काम चुन सकेगा, तब वह Leerie की तरह रात में घूमकर सड़क की बत्तियाँ जलाना चाहता है।
बच्चा यह भी चाहता है कि जब Leerie उसके घर के सामने की बत्ती जलाए तो वह उसे देखे और प्यार से सिर हिलाकर अभिवादन करे।
⭐ मुख्य भाव
कविता बच्चों की कल्पना और मासूम इच्छाओं को दर्शाती है। यह बताती है कि हर व्यक्ति का अपना सपना होता है और कोई भी ईमानदार काम छोटा नहीं होता।
📖
Stanza 1
The child is having tea in the evening. The sun has gone down, and he looks out of the window to see Leerie coming with his ladder and lantern.
Hindi:
शाम हो गई है और सूरज डूब चुका है। बच्चा चाय पीते समय खिड़की से बाहर देखता है और Leerie को सीढ़ी और लालटेन लेकर आते हुए देखता है।
Stanza 2
Different people have different career dreams. Tom wants to be a driver, Maria wants to go to sea, and the child’s father is a rich banker.
Hindi:
अलग-अलग लोगों के अलग-अलग सपने हैं। Tom ड्राइवर बनना चाहता है, Maria समुद्र में जाना चाहती है और बच्चे के पिता एक अमीर बैंकर हैं।
Stanza 3
The child wants to become a lamplighter when he grows up. He enjoys watching Leerie and wants to work with him.
Hindi:
बच्चा बड़ा होकर Leerie की तरह लैम्प जलाने वाला बनना चाहता है। उसे Leerie का काम बहुत अच्छा लगता है और वह उसके साथ काम करना चाहता है।
Stanza 4
Leerie lights the lamp near the child’s house. The child asks him to notice him and nod to him before moving on.
Hindi:
Leerie बच्चे के घर के सामने की बत्ती जलाता है। बच्चा चाहता है कि आगे जाने से पहले Leerie उसे देखे और सिर हिलाकर उसका अभिवादन करे।
📚 Important Word Meanings
| Word | Easy Meaning | Hindi |
|---|---|---|
| lamplighter | person who lights street lamps | बत्तियाँ जलाने वाला |
| lantern | a portable lamp | लालटेन |
| ladder | a tool used for climbing | सीढ़ी |
| tea-time | time for evening tea | चाय का समय |
| driver | person who drives | चालक |
| banker | person who works in a bank | बैंकर |
| sea | large body of salt water | समुद्र |
| stronger | having more physical strength | अधिक मजबूत |
| choose | select | चुनना |
| light | make something bright | रोशनी करना |
| nod | move the head to greet/agree | सिर हिलाना |
| vocation | occupation/profession | व्यवसाय/पेशा |
✏️ BACK EXERCISE / TEXTBOOK ACTIVITIES
Q1. What is the poem about?
Answer:
The poem is about a child who admires a lamplighter named Leerie and dreams of becoming a lamplighter when he grows up.
Hindi:
यह कविता एक बच्चे के बारे में है जो Leerie नाम के लैम्प जलाने वाले व्यक्ति को पसंद करता है और बड़ा होकर उसकी तरह लैम्प जलाने वाला बनना चाहता है।
Q2. Why does the child watch Leerie?
Answer:
The child watches Leerie because he is fascinated by his work of lighting the street lamps every evening.
Hindi:
बच्चा Leerie को इसलिए देखता है क्योंकि उसे हर शाम सड़क की बत्तियाँ जलाने का उसका काम बहुत आकर्षक लगता है।
Q3. What does Tom want to become?
Answer:
Tom wants to become a driver.
Q4. What does Maria want to do?
Answer:
Maria wants to go to sea.
Q5. What is the child’s father’s profession?
Answer:
The child’s father is a banker and is very rich.
Q6. What does the child want to become?
Answer:
The child wants to become a lamplighter and light the lamps with Leerie.
Q7. Why does the child want to become a lamplighter?
Answer:
The child finds Leerie’s work fascinating. He enjoys watching him light the lamps at night and wants to do the same when he grows up.
Q8. What does the child ask Leerie to do?
Answer:
The child asks Leerie to look at him and nod to him when he passes by.
🎯 Poem Appreciation
1. Who is the speaker?
Answer:
The speaker is a young child who is fascinated by the lamplighter’s work.
2. What is the mood of the poem?
Answer:
The mood is happy, innocent and playful.
3. What is the main theme?
Answer:
The main theme is childhood dreams and fascination with different occupations.
4. What does Leerie symbolise for the child?
Answer:
Leerie represents an interesting and attractive career that the child dreams of having.
5. What values does the poem convey?
Answer:
The poem conveys:
- respect for different occupations
- freedom to choose one’s profession
- importance of dreams
- childhood innocence and imagination
📝 Textbook Activity 2 – Vocation
The book asks you to choose one vocation and prepare a presentation explaining why you chose it and how it helps society and yourself.
Sample Answer – Teacher
My chosen vocation is teaching.
I want to become a teacher because I enjoy helping others learn new things. A teacher helps students gain knowledge, develop good values and become responsible citizens.
Teaching is useful to society because educated and responsible people help a country develop. It is also satisfying because a teacher can make a positive difference in students’ lives.
📝 Textbook Activity 3 – Haiku
The book asks students to create a Haiku. A Haiku has three lines with 5, 7 and 5 syllables respectively.
Example:
Moon shines in the sky
Stars sparkle all around me
Night is calm and bright
⭐ Exam Important Questions
Q. What does the child want to become when he grows up?
Ans. He wants to become a lamplighter like Leerie.
Q. Why does the child admire Leerie?
Ans. He admires Leerie because he finds his evening work of lighting the street lamps fascinating.
Q. What do Tom, Maria and the child’s father do/want to do?
Ans. Tom wants to be a driver, Maria wants to go to sea, and the child’s father is a banker.
Q. What is the central idea of the poem?
Ans. The poem celebrates a child’s innocent dream and shows that people can have different dreams and interests in life.
Q. What does the poem teach us?
Ans. It teaches us to respect different professions and appreciate the simple joys and dreams of childhood.
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