On the Grasshopper and Cricket (टिड्डे और झींगुर पर)
This poem by John Keats is a nature poem that uses the grasshopper and cricket as symbols of the “poetry of earth,” which never ceases, even during extreme seasons.
The Poetry of Earth is Never Dead: The poem begins by stating that the music of nature is eternal. Even when conditions are harsh, the sounds of nature persist.
Word Meaning:
Dead (मृत): No longer existing or active.
Poetry of Earth (पृथ्वी की कविता/संगीत): The sounds and music of nature.
Summer’s Voice – The Grasshopper: When the summer sun is intensely hot, making all the birds faint and seek shelter in cooling trees, the grasshopper’s voice takes over. It runs from one hedge to another, across the newly mown meadow, leading the chorus of summer. He never gets enough of his joyful activities, and when he finally tires, he rests comfortably beneath a pleasant weed. The grasshopper represents the vibrant, continuous song of nature in summer.
Word Meaning:
Faint (बेहोश/कमजोर): Feeling dizzy and likely to pass out; weak.
Mead (घास का मैदान): A meadow; an area of grassland.
Luxury (ऐशो-आराम/विलासिता): A state of great comfort or elegance; indulgence.
Delights (खुशियाँ/आनंद): Great pleasure or enjoyment.
Weed (खरपतवार): A wild plant growing where it is not wanted; a unwanted plant.
Winter’s Voice – The Cricket: The poem emphasizes that the poetry of earth is “ceasing never” (never stopping). On a cold, lone winter evening, when the frost has created a deep silence everywhere, the cricket’s sharp, clear song can be heard from the stone. His song brings warmth, growing louder and clearer. To someone feeling drowsy or half-asleep, the cricket’s song sounds like the grasshopper’s song among grassy hills, bridging the seasons and reminding us of nature’s endless music. The cricket symbolizes the enduring, comforting sound of nature in winter.
Word Meaning:
Ceasing (बंद होना): Stopping; coming to an end.
Frost (पाला/बर्फ): A deposit of small, white ice crystals formed on objects when the air temperature falls below freezing point.
Wrought (बनाया/उत्पन्न किया): Brought about; created.
Shrills (तीखी आवाज/करकस ध्वनि): Comes through loud and clear with a high-pitched sound.
Drowsiness (ऊँघना/तंद्रा): A state of being sleepy and lethargic.
Grassy hills (घास वाली पहाड़ियाँ): Hills covered with grass.
Extracted Questions with Easy Answers:
Question: According to the poem, what is “never dead”?
Answer: The poetry of earth.Question: Who sings when all the birds are faint from the hot sun in summer?
Answer: The grasshopper.Question: Where does the grasshopper rest when he is tired?
Answer: He rests beneath some pleasant weed.Question: Who sings on a lone winter evening when the frost has created silence?
Answer: The cricket.Question: What does the cricket’s song bring in winter?
Answer: It brings warmth.