NCERT Solutions Class 8, English, Honeydew, Poem - 5, On the Grasshopper and Cricket.
Working with the poem
1. Discuss with your partner the following definition of a poem.
A poem is made of words arranged in a beautiful order. These words, when read aloud with feeling, have a music and meaning of their own.
Solution:
Very true. Poetry is different from prose because it arranges best words in a musical order. However, a poem being short, musical and interesting is easy to learn by heart and to remember for a long period.
2. ‘The poetry of earth’ is not made of words. What is it made of, as suggested in the poem?
Solution:
'The poetry of earth' is not made of words, but of the song and the rhythm produced by grasshoppers and crickets in various seasons. The music of the nature never loses its charm even with changing seasons. Summer and winter are the toughest seasons of the year. In summer it is extremely hot and in winter it is very cold. So in these two seasons there are rare songs of joy and music on earth. But here the poet points to the poetry of earth during summer and winter. In summer, the grasshopper seems to be excitedly hopping around, tirelessly, while even in lonely and dark winter nights, one can identify the shrill voice with which the insect cricket sings.
The poetry of earth is made of the chirping of birds in trees, and a grasshopper’s sound. They sing joyfully without a long break.
3. Find in the poem lines that match the following.
(i) The grasshopper’s happiness never comes to an end.
Solution:
In summer luxury — he has never done
With his delights,
(ii) The cricket’s song has a warmth that never decreases.
Solution:
The cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
4. Which word in stanza 2 is opposite in meaning to ‘the frost’?
Solution:
The word 'frost' in stanza 2 differs in meaning with the word 'grassy'. Frost has a chilly reference which means a degree or state of coldness sufficient to cause the freezing of water. This meaning lacks a green live feeling which is present in the word 'grassy'. Grassy means something which is like grass or pertains to grass.
5. The poetry of earth continues round the year through a cycle of two seasons. Mention each with its representative voice.
Solution:
The two major seasons in a year are summer and winter. Both are rich in music. In summer, the representative voice is that of the birds and the grasshoppers. In winter, the cricket is the prime singer.