Amanda by ROBIN KLEIN

   Amanda by ROBIN KLEIN 

The Text of the Poem:

 Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!

 Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!

 Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda!

 (There is a languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me— a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

 Did you finish your homework, Amanda?

Did you tidy your room, Amanda?

 I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!

(I am an orphan, roaming the street. I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet. The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!

Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,

Amanda!

 (I am Rapunzel, I have not a care; life in a tower is tranquil and rare; I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)

Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!

 You’re always so moody, Amanda!

 Anyone would think that I nagged at you, Amanda!

                                    

                                               Summary of the Poem

This poem is about a girl Amanda. Her mother often instructs her to do or not to do this and that. Her mother tells her to sit, stand and walk straight. She stops her from biting her nails. She also tells her to finish her home work, tidy her room and clean her shoes. It seems that Amanda does not like to do all this. She remains in her world of imagination to avoid listening to her mother’s instructions. Her mother calls her moody. She does not give reply to her mother. Amanda likes to be an orphan to enjoy peace and freedom. She knows that orphans do not have parents to stop them from doing what they want.

Short Answer-type Qs

Very Very Short Answer-Type Qs

1. How old do you think Amanda is? How do you know this?

2. Who do you think is speaking to her?

3. Why are Stanzas 2, 4 and 6 given in parenthesis?

4. Who is the speaker in Stanzas 2, 4 and 6?

 Do you think this speaker is listening to the speaker in Stanzas 1, 3, 5, and 7?

5. What could Amanda do if she were a mermaid?

6. Is Amanda an orphan? Why does she say so?

7. Do you know the story of Rapunzel? Why does she want to be Rapunzel?

8. What does the girl yearn for? What does this poem tell you about Amanda?

9. Read the last stanza. Do you think Amanda is sulking and is moody

Stanza 1

Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!

 Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!

 Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda!

Word-meaning: 1. Hunch: to bend forward 2. Slouching: to stand,sit and walk by bending your shoulders and also with your head slightly bent. It is a mal-posture

Explanation: It is Amanda’s mother who is speaking here. She instructs her not to bite her nails. She also tells her not to bend her shoulders forward. It does not seem nice to the mother, In a way she advises Amanda not to create mal posture while sitting, standing and even walking.

Stanza 2

(There is a languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me— a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

Word-meaning: 1. Languid: a slow way of speaking or moving  2. Inhabitants: those who live in at particular place 3. Mermaid : imaginary sea creature like a fish having upper part of a woman 4. Drift: float or move pushed by some outer force 5. Blissfully:  happily 6. Emerald: a precious stone of dark green colour 7. Sole: only

Explanation: The above lines have been put in parenthesis because these have been uttered by Amanda to herself. It may be possible that she thought about these lines in her imagination only. Amanda imagines that she is the only sea creature ‘mermaid’ moving peacefully and happily in the dark green water of the sea.

Stanza 3.

Did you finish your homework, Amanda?

Did you tidy your room, Amanda?

 I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!

Word-meaning: 1. Tidy: to set all the things in a proper arrangement that looks beautiful

Explanation: Amanda’s mother speaks these lines. She asks her if she has finished her home work. She also asks her if she has tidied up her room and clean her shoes.

Stanza 4.

(I am an orphan, roaming the street. I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet. The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

Word-meaning: 1. Orphan: a child whose parents have died 2. Roaming: wandering aimlessly 3. Pattern: to make design 4. Hushed: quiet 5. Bare feet: the feet without shoes

Explanation: It seems that Amanda at once enters the world of her imagination as soon as her mother starts instructing her or asking anything from her. She does not like her mother limiting her freedom. She thinks that her freedom is curtailed if her mother tells her anything to make amends in her behavior. Her reactions prove that she does not want to do any work. She always wants to remain in her own fantasies.

Here, in these lines, Amanda imagines herself to be an orphan. It shows that she does not like her parents. She imagines herself wandering in the street bare-footed. She also likes to make design in the soft dust. This is a very common activity among village children. She also says that silence is golden and freedom is sweet.

Stanza 5.

Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!

Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,

Amanda!

Word-meaning: 1. Acne; pimples

Explanation: Again, Amanda’s mother scolds her for eating chocolate. She shows her motherly concern by stopping her from eating sweets because it seems that the girl Amanda has acne on her face. It also shows that Amanda may be of 12 or 13 years because acne or pimples often grow on the faces o the youngsters in this age. The stanza also shows that Amanda does not looks at her mother when she instructs her against eating chocolate. The tone of the mother is polite as she uses ‘please’.

Stanza 6.

 (I am Rapunzel, I have not a care; life in a tower is tranquil and rare; I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)

When she was twelve years old, the fairy locked her in a tower that stood in a forest and that had neither a door nor a stairway, but only a tiny little window at the very top. When the fairy wanted to enter, she stood below and called out: Rapunzel,Rapunzel!

Word-meaning: 1. Rapunzel: She is a legendary girl. She was made prisoner by a fairy in her tower. She lived alone there. She had long bright hair. 2. Tranquil: peaceful

Explanation: Amanda imagines herself as Rapunzel. She loves living alone in a high tower like the legendary girl Rapenzel. Her life is peaceful and strange there in the tower. She also utters that she would surely not allow her hair to fall down from the tower. Rapunzel’s troubles started after she had falled her hair down from the tower.

Stanza 7.

Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!

 You’re always so moody, Amanda!

 Anyone would think that I nagged at you, Amanda!

Word-meaning: 1. Sulk: to remain in bad mood 2. Nag: to criticise/ irritate

Explanation: When Amanda does not respond to her mother’s instructions, she uses some anger in her words. She orders her not to sulk (to be in bad mood). She even calls her moody. She also tells Amanda that her sulking would make others think that she had been nagging (criticising/irritating for long) her.

Q1. What is the poem Amanda about? Or Write the central Idea of the poem Amanda.

Ans. This poem is about a girl, Amanda. Parents usually show much concern (worry) about their children. They keep on telling them to do this or not to do that. It irritates the children. In this poem Amanda seems to feel irritated at the nagging (irritating) nature of her mother.

Q2. How does Amanda imagine and describe herself an orphan? Why does she think so?

Ans. Amanda imagines herself to be an orphan. She thinks that she is wandering about in a street. She is bare-footed. She is walking slowly in soft dust and making designs from her feet. Freedom is sweet and silence is golden to her.

Q3. How does Amanda describe herself as a mermaid?

Ans. Amanda describes herself as a mermaid. She is the only inhabitant of the sea. She is drifting in a relaxed manner in the dark sea-green water. She yearns (desires) for freedom to go anywhere.

Q4. What did Amanda want to prove by imagining herself as Rapunzel?

Ans. Amanda imagined herself Rapunzel because she loved freedom and silence. She did not like her mother to nag her (irritate) by instructing her to do this and not to do that.

.

Q5.Who was Rapunzel? What kind of life did she live?

Ans. Rapunzel lived in a tower. It was built in an isolated area of a forest. When she was twelve years old, the fairy locked her in a tower. She lived a lonely life there.

Q6. What does the speaker say to Amanda about her nails?

Ans. The speaker says Amanda not to bite her nails.

Q7. What three things does Amanda’s mother say not to do?

Ans. Amanda’s mother tells her not to bite her nails. She advises her not to bend her shoulders forward. She also tells her to stop slouching while sitting, standing and walking. She stops Amanda from eating chocolate also.

Q8. What thing has Amanda been prohibited to eat?

Ans. Amanda has been prohibited (stopped) to eat chocolate. Her also reminds her to think about her acne on her face.

Q9. What things does Amanda’s mother ask her to do?

Ans. Amanda’s mother asks her to tidy up her room. She also tells her to complete her homework and clean her shoes.

Q10. What type of girl was Amanda?

Ans. Amanda is a moody and lazy girl girl. She does not want to do any physical activity. She does not obey her mother. She lives in the world of her imagination. She feels irritated if her mother asks her.

Q11. Why does Amanda say that silence is golden and freedom is sweet?

Ans. Amanda does not like her mother should say anything to her. She loves silence. She wants full freedom. So silence is golden and freedom is sweet to her.

6. Amanda: Stanzas for Comprehension

Stanza 1

Don’t bite your nails, Amanda!

 Don’t hunch your shoulders, Amanda!

 Stop that slouching and sit up straight, Amanda!

Q1. Name the poem and its poet.

Ans. The poem is Amanda and its poet is Robin Klein.

Q2. Who is the speaker here and who is the listener?

Ans. The speaker here is Amanda’s mother. The listener is Amanda.

Q3. What is Amanda’s mother telling her not to bite?

Ans. Nails

Q4. What bad habit does Amanda have?

Ans Nail-biting

Word-meaning: 1. Hunch: to bend forward 2. Slouching: to stand,sit and walk by bending your shoulders and also with your head slightly bent. It is a mal-posture

Stanza 2

(There is a languid, emerald sea, where the sole inhabitant is me— a mermaid, drifting blissfully.)

Word-meaning: 1. Languid: a slow way of speaking or moving  2. Inhabitants: those who live in at particular place 3. Mermaid : imaginary sea creature like a fish having upper part of a woman 4. Drift: float or move pushed by some outer force 5. Blissfully:  happily 6. Emerald: a precious stone of dark green colour 7. Sole: only

Q1. What is the colour of the sea shown here?

Ans. Emerald green (dark green)

Q2. How has the sea been shown here?

Ans. Moving in a relaxed manner.

Q3. What does Amanda imagine herself to be in the sea?

Ans. A mermaid

Q4. Who would be the sole inhabitant in the sea?

Ans. Amanda

Stanza 3.

Did you finish your homework, Amanda?

Did you tidy your room, Amanda?

 I thought I told you to clean your shoes, Amanda!

Word-meaning: 1. Tidy: to set all the things in a proper arrangement that looks beautiful

Q1. Who is the speaker and who is the listener in the above stanza?  Ans. Amanda’s mother is the speaker and Amanda is the listener in the above stanza.

Q2. What did the speaker ask the listener?  Ans. The speaker asked the listener if she had finished her home work, tidied up her room and cleaned her shoes.

Q3. Find out from the stanza the word that means ‘to set the things at their right places’ or ‘clean’.  Ans. Tidy

Q4. Do you think that Amanda would have cleaned her room?   Ans. No.

Stanza 4

(I am an orphan, roaming the street. I pattern soft dust with my hushed, bare feet. The silence is golden, the freedom is sweet.)

Word-meaning: 1. Orphan: a child whose parents have died 2. Roaming: wandering aimlessly 3. Pattern: to make design 4. Hushed: quiet 5. Bare feet: the feet without shoes

Q1. Why does Amanda suppose herself to be an orphan?

Ans. It is because she thinks that an orphan child enjoys full freedom.

Q2. Why does Amanda say that silence is golden and freedom is sweet?

Ans. Amanda does not like her mother should say anything to her. She loves silence. She wants full freedom. So silence is golden and freedom is sweet to her.

Q3. Which words in the above lines mean the following words/expressions? (i) to make designs  (ii) parentless child   Ans. (i) pattern  (ii) orphan

Stanza 5.

Don’t eat that chocolate, Amanda!

Remember your acne, Amanda!

Will you please look at me when I’m speaking to you,

Amanda!

Word-meaning: 1. Acne; pimples

Q1. Who is the speaker in the above lines?  Ans. Amanda’s mother is the speaker in the above lines.

Q2. What may be the age of the girl and why?  Ans. It may be 11 or 12 years because acnes appear on the faces of the youngsters in the age.

Q3. What is the response of the girl? Ans. She does not listen to her mother.

Q4. What does the speaker say to the listener not to do?  Ans. The speaker tells the listener not to eat chocolate.

Q5. What request does the speaker make to the listener?  Ans. the speaker requests the listener to look at her.

Stanza 6.

 (I am Rapunzel, I have not a care; life in a tower is tranquil and rare; I’ll certainly never let down my bright hair!)

Word-meaning: 1. Rapunzel: She is a legendary girl. She was made prisoner by a fairy in her tower. She lived alone there. She had long bright hair. 2. Tranquil: peaceful

Q1. Who was Rapunzel?  Ans. She was a beautiful legendary girl.

Q2. Why does Amanda suppose herself as Rapunzel?  Ans. She likes full freedom and silence. So she assumes herself as Rapunzel.

Q3. What type of life does the speaker want to lead at the tower?   Ans. A peaceful life having no care and worry

Q4. What does she not want to do?  Ans. She does not want to let her hair fall down from the tower.

Q5. What type of hair did Rapunzel have?  Ans. She had bright, long and beautiful hair.

Stanza 7.

Stop that sulking at once, Amanda!

 You’re always so moody, Amanda!

 Anyone would think that I nagged at you, Amanda!

Word-meaning: 1. Sulk: to remain in bad mood 2. Nag: to criticise / irritate

Q1. Name the poem and its poet.

Ans. The poem is Amanda and its poet is Robin Klein.

Q2. Who is the speaker and who is the listener here?

Ans. Amanda is the listener and her mother is the speaker.

Q3. Why does the call the listener moody?

Ans. It is because she neither looks at her mother nor does she reply to her.

Q4. Find out from the passage the words that mean the following:

(i)                 To remain in bad mood (ii) criticise

Ans. (i) sulk (ii) nag

Animals by WALT WHITMAN

Animals by WALT WHITMAN

Stanza 1

I think I could turn and live with animals,

they are so placid and self-contain’d,

I stand and look at them long and long.

Meaning: 1. Turn: change 2. Placid: peaceful self-contained: self reliant

Explanation: Walt Whitman wishes that he should be turned into an animal and start living with animals. In his opinion, the animals are peaceful and independent. The poet loves them very much. So he stands and looks at them for a long time.

Stanza 2

They do not sweat and whine about their condition,

They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,

They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,

Explanation: The poet now continues to explain the reason for his choice. He says that the animals never complain about their condition. They are contented in both good and bad conditions. They sleep peacefully and do not lie awake and shed tears at night on their sins as human beings do. They do not talk like human beings and make him feel bored by discussing with him about their duty towards God.

The Ball Poem By John Berryman

5. The Ball Poem By John Berryman

This poem is about a boy whose ball bounces down into the street and finally falls down into the water in the harbour. The poet watches the whole incidence. He watches the boy becoming sad and disappointed. He does not want to offer any consolation to the boy by saying that he would have him other ball, etc. He let the boy experience the pain at the loss of something dear to him. Thus the boy learns for the first time that one should not grieve too much over the loss of material things because these are only for some time with us.

Central Idea: We should not feel sad at the loss of our worldly possessions. Things come to us to go. Sometimes our dearest and the most precious possessions are also lost. It does not mean we should keep on weeping at the loss for ever. Life must go on without looking behind at the things that pain us.

Lines 1 – 4:

What is the boy now, who has lost his ball.

What, what is he to do? I saw it go

Merrily bouncing, down the street, and then

Merrily over—there it is in the water!

Word-meanings: 1. Merrily: happily 2. Bouncing: jumping

Explanation: In these lines, we come to know that the poet watches a little boy playing with a ball. After some time, the ball rolls down from him. It keeps on going towards water in the harbour. The ball crosses the street and finally falls into the water. The poet has seen all this occurring. The poet says that the ball was bouncing and rolling down merrily in the street and then in the water. Now the poet put a question to the reader as to what the boy should do now.

Deep Meaning: The poet  describes the state of mind of a young boy when he loses his ball for the first time. The ball stands for material possession. This is the common tendency that we all grieve over the loss of our dear possession. But the poet is of the opinion that the children must be taught not to grieve over material things. Our possessive nature for the things makes us sad.

Lines 5 – 10:

No use to say ‘O there are other balls’:

An ultimate shaking grief fixes the boy

As he stands rigid, trembling, staring down

All his young days into the harbour where

His ball went. I would not intrude on him,

A dime, another ball, is worthless. Now

Explanation: The poet says that there is no sense in giving false consolation to the little boy. His parents should not say that they would arrange for other balls to make the child happy. It would not benefit the boy in any way. After that the poet describes the condition of the boy after losing the ball. As the boy is sure that his ball is lost, it makes his body shiver in grief. This is his first experience of losing something he dearly loved. He stands like a statue staring down in the harbour where his ball had disappeared. It seems that the poet also remembers his childhood days passed on the harbour playing with balls. His balls had also rolled down there into the water. He had also had the same type of painful feeling when he had lost his ball for the first time. The poet decides not to intrude on him. Let him alone bear the loss of his dear possession. If a dime or another ball is given to him to reduce his pain, it will not do any help to him.

Lines 11-14

He senses first responsibility

In a world of possessions. People will take balls,

Balls will be lost always, little boy,

And no one buys a ball back. Money is external.

Explanation: In this stanza, the poet tells us as to how the little boy had learnt his first lesson of responsibility. This realisation must have come to the child after undergoing the process of grief that emerges in human heart at the loss of some dear possession. The boy understood that it was his responsibility to keep his things safe. The poet further says that in the world of possession, things do not remain in one’s possession forever. Things come and get lost. Sometimes things are snatched by others. One thing gets replaced by the other. Then the poet says that money can be used to purchase material things. But we cannot purchase emotions by money. No one keeps on weeping for ever over the things that are lost. Life goes on in this manner.

Critical Analsys:: Here, the ball is just a symbol of a worldly possession. Human beings sometimes have to lose even their dearest and the most precious possessions. It is natural that one grieves over the death of someone near and dear. One has to bear that loss also. The loss of the ball was not a big thing that should make one grieve so much. But it was the first experience of the child when he has lost something he possessed so dearly. The poet did not want to disturb him because it was desirable for the child to learn his first lesson over losing his possession and learning the responsibility to keep it safe.

 Lines 15 – 20:

He is learning, well behind his desperate eyes,

The epistemology of loss, how to stand up

Knowing what every man must one day know

And most know many days, how to stand up.

And gradually light returns to the street,

A whistle blows, the ball is out of sight.

Word-meanings: 1. Desperate: feeling extremely sad and disappointed 2. Epistemology /ɪˌpɪs.təˈmɒl.ə.dʒi/; The study of knowing things 3. Gradually: slowly, at a slow pace

Explanation: The poet further says that the little boy is learning the knowledge of how one feels after something dear to him is lost. At the same time, the boy is learning how to overcome the emotions that makes one worried over the loss of something that has remained so much dear to him so far. This is a general truth that one must know to stand in life and resume his work without brooding over the loss occurred in the past.

After some time, the boy comes out of his grief and feels the present through his surroundings. He comes to know that there is a light in the streets. He listens to the whistle of a ship nearby. He also realises the truth that he cannot get back his ball as it has gone out of both, his sight and reach.

Lines 21 – 25:

Soon part of me will explore the deep and dark

Floor of the harbour. I am everywhere,

I suffer and move, my mind and my heart move

With all that move me, under the water

Or whistling, I am not a little boy.

Some Important Points in the poem for Multiple Choice Questions:

1. The little boy is confused and does not know what ot do when his ball is lost.

2. He trembles with grief at the loss of the ball.

3. The poet saw the ball merrily bouncing in the street and then falling into the water of the harbour.

4. Then the poet remembers all his young days.

5. There was no worth/use in offering new balls to the child.

6. The loss of the ball makes the boy learn the responsibility to keep his possessions safe.

7. The boy is also learning the lesson of beraring the loss of the things which are dear and precious to him.

8. Money is called external by the poet because we can buy only material things by it. But we cannot by emotions.

9.  John Berryman is the poet of this poem.

10.                  The boy lost his ball in the water of the harbour.

Short Answer-Type Questions

Q1. Why does the poet say, “ I would not intrude on him.” Why doesn’t the poet intend to offer him mney to buy a new ball?

Q2. What was the effect of losing the ball on the boy? Where did he lose the ball?

Q3. What is the main theme/idea/central idea of the poem?

Q4. Who loses the ball and where?

Explain the line, “And no one buys a ball back/money is external.”

Q5. What lesson does the boy need to learn by losing the ball?

Q6. What do the eyes of the boy see in the poem ‘The Ball Poem’? What lesson does he learn?

How to Tell Wild Animals by Carolyn Wells

How to Tell Wild Animals by Carolyn Wells

Stanza1.

If ever you should go by chance

To jungles in the east;

And if there should to you advance

A large and tawny beast, If he roars at you as you’re dyin’

You’ll know it is the Asian Lion...

Explanation: In the first stanza, the poet introduces us to the Asian Lion. It is found in the jungles of Eastern Asian countries. It is large in size and its colour is yellowish brown. It roars in such a way that the listener is about to die of its terror.

Stanza 2.

Or if some time when roaming round,

A noble wild beast greets you,

With black stripes on a yellow ground,

Just notice if he eats you.

This simple rule may help you learn

The Bengal Tiger to discern

Explanation: In the second stanza, the poet describes the Bengal Tiger. He has black stripes on his yellow coloured body. The poet calls him ‘a noble beast’. The reason may be that the tiger kills only when he is hungry.

Stanza 3.

If strolling forth, a beast you view,

Whose hide with spots is peppered,

As soon as he has lept on you,

You’ll know it is the Leopard.

’Twill do no good to roar with pain,

He’ll only lep and lep again.

Explanation: In the third stanza, we come to know about a leopard. His body is covered with black spots. He is very agile in attacking his prey. If he notices any human being, he will attack him by leaping. He will not roar but leap to attack his prey. He may kill even when he is not hungry.

Stanza  4.

If when you’re walking round your yard

You meet a creature there,

Who hugs you very, very hard,

Be sure it is a Bear.

If you have any doubts, I guess

He’ll give you just one more caress.

Explanation: The stanza 4 introduces us to a Bear. We also come to know that a bear gives a very hard hug before killing his prey. He may squeeze second time also if he doubts that his victim in still alive.

Thus, the poet introduces us to the fact as to how the bear press the prey to his chest in order to kill.

Stanza 5.

Though to distinguish beasts of prey

A novice might nonplus,

The Crocodile you always may

Tell from the Hyena thus:

Hyenas come with merry smiles;

 But if they weep they’re Crocodiles.

Explanation: In the fifth stanza, the poet uses common sayings about hyenas and crocodiles. He says that hyena seems to laugh while eating their prey. The crocodiles seem to shed tears while swallowing their prey.

Stanza 6.

The true Chameleon is small,

A lizard sort of thing;

He hasn’t any ears at all,

And not a single wing.

If there is nothing on the tree,

’Tis the chameleon you see.

Explanation: A chameleon is a lizard-type creature. He has no ears. He has no wings either. But it is very difficult to find out a chameleon on a tree because he changes his colour in case of danger.

Word-meanings

Questions & Answers

Important facts to note:

Q1. How can you recognize the Asian Lion? Or what does the poet say about the Asian Lion in this poem?

Ans. The Asian lion is large in size. Its body is brownish yellow in colour. Its roar is horrible. It makes its prey almost die of fear.  It is found in the forests of the Eastern countries.

Q2. Where are the Asian Lions found?

Ans. Asian lion is found in the forests of the eastern countries like India, Bangla Desh and Sri Lanka.

Q3. How does the Bengal Tiger look? What is so distinct about it?

Ans. The poet calls the Bengal tiger ‘a noble wild beast’. It has black stripes on its yellow body. He at once jumps at its prey to eat.

Q4. Why does the poet say that a bear’s hug may confuse a novice?

Ans. A bear kills his prey by hugging and pressing hard. A novice may think it an act of love. Actually, the bear tries to kill the person by hugging hard.

Q5. Where the chameleon is generally found? Which two things does a chameleon not have?

Ans. A chameleon is generally found on the branches of a tree. It has no ears and wings.

Q6. How can you distinguish a crocodile from a hyena?

Ans. It is said that crocodiles shed tears before killing its prey. A Hyena laughs before killing its prey.

Q7. How can you distinguish a tiger from a leopard?

Ans. A tiger has black stripes on his body. A leopard has black spots on his body.

Q8. How can you distinguish a lion from a tiger?

Ans. A lion has large and brownish yellow body. It roars terribly before attacking his prey. A tiger has black stripes on his body. He does not roar while attacking his prey.

Stanzas:

Stanza1.

If ever you should go by chance

To jungles in the east;

And if there should to you advance

A large and tawny beast,

If he roars at you as you’re dyin’

You’ll know it is the Asian Lion...

Word-meanings: 1.advance: comes/moves 2. tawny: brownish yellow in colour

Stanza 2.

Or if some time when roaming round,

A noble wild beast greets you,

With black stripes on a yellow ground,

Just notice if he eats you.

This simple rule may help you learn

The Bengal Tiger to discern

Word-meanings : 1. Roaming: wandering about 2. Discern: notice

Stanza 3.

If strolling forth, a beast you view,

Whose hide with spots is peppered,

As soon as he has lept on you,

You’ll know it is the Leopard.

’Twill do no good to roar with pain,

He’ll only lep and lep again.

Word-meanings: 1. Strolling: wandering, roaming 2. Peppered: covered with spots  3. Lept (leapt): jumped 4. Lep (leapt): jumped

Stanza  4.

If when you’re walking round your yard

You meet a creature there,

Who hugs you very, very hard,

Be sure it is a Bear.

If you have any doubts, I guess

He’ll give you just one more caress.

!. yard: courtyard 2. Hugs: embraces 3. Caress: embrace

Stanza 5.

Though to distinguish beasts of prey

A novice might nonplus,

The Crocodile you always may

Tell from the Hyena thus:

Hyenas come with merry smiles;

 But if they weep they’re Crocodiles.

1.      Distinguish: differentiate/recognize 2. Novice: inexperienced person 3. Nonplus (nonplussed): confused

Stanza 6.

The true Chameleon is small,

A lizard sort of thing;

He hasn’t any ears at all,

And not a single wing.

If there is nothing on the tree,

’Tis the chameleon you see.