NCERT Solutions Class 9 English (Beehive (Poem))
The NCERT Solutions in English Language for Class 9 English (Beehive (Poem)) Poem – 2 Wind has been provided here to help the students in solving the questions from this exercise.
Poem – 2 (Wind)
Wind
Wind, come softly.
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.
There, look what you did — you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
crumbling hearts —
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.
He won’t do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.
Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.
The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.
– SUBRAMANIA BHARATI
[translated from the Tamil by A.K. Ramanujan]
Thinking about the Poem
I.
1. What are the things the wind does in the first stanza?
Answer – In the first stanza, the wind breaks the shutters of the windows, scatters the papers and throws down the books off the shelf.
2. Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field? What is the word in your language for winnowing? What do people use for winnowing? (Give the words in your language, if you know them.)
Answer – Yes, I have seen many women winnowing grain in villages. Pachhorana is the word in my language for winnowing. People use chaaj or winnowing fan for winnowing purpose.
3. What does the poet say the wind god winnows?
Answer – The poet says that the wind god winnows crumbling houses, doors, rafters, wood, bodies, lives and hearts and then crushes them all.
4. What should we do to make friends with the wind?
Answer – To make friends with the wind, the poet asks us to build strong homes, join the doors firmly and practice to make our bodies and hearts stronger.
5. What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you?
Answer – In the last four lines, the poet inspires us to face the wind, which symbolises the hardships of our lives, courageously. He tells us that the wind can only extinguish the weak fires; it intensifies the stronger ones. Similarly, adversities deter the weak-hearted but make stronger those who have unfaltering will. In such a case, befriending the wind or the hardships of life makes it easier for us to face them.
6. How does the poet speak to the wind — in anger or with humor? You must also have seen or heard of the wind “crumbling lives”. What is your response to this? Is it like the poet’s?
Answer – The poet speaks to the wind in anger. He highlights the destructive nature of the wind. He is angry when he finds the wind crumbling lives. He is unhappy when he notices that the wind is friendly with the strong ones and teases the weaklings. Yes, I have seen the wind crumbling lives. When it turns into a storm, it can blow big trees, houses and everything else. My response is similar to that of the poet.
II. The poem you have just read is originally in Tamil. Do you know any such poems in your language?
Answer – Yes, I have read another poem on wind. It is titled ‘Toofan’ and was originally written in Hindi by Naresh Aggarwal.
