The Poem “Porus and His Elephant” is Poem 2 taken from Tulip Series English for students of Class 8 of JKBOSE. The poem is written by Mary Dobson. This particular post is about Porus and His Elephant Class 8 Summary and Questions. You will find difficult words and their meanings, a Summary of the poem Porus and his Elephant, and Question Answers to the poem Porus and His Elephant. In a previous post, I discussed Poem 1 A Nation’s Strength Summary and Questions with you. So, let’s get started with today’s post.
Porus and His Elephant Class 8 Summary and Questions
Introduction
The poem “ Porus and His Elephant” is an account of a brave elephant that saved the life of its wounded master on the battlefield. The elephant faces death to save Porus. The poem shows the loyalty of the elephant to its master and its courage to save his master. The animals like elephants show their emotions by crying or gasping just as humans express themselves in words.
Poem 2 Porus and His Elephant (By Mary Dobson)
Hear ye a tale of the days gone by,
(Days whose recording is short and scant)
This is a tale that can never die,
Told of a king and his elephant!
Out on the plain where the waters go,
Out on the banks of the Jhelum wide,
Porus the king went to meet his foe,
Porus the king in his battle pride.
Drawn up his elephants in an array,
Standing in the state, in unbroken rank;
While Alexander the Great, for fray,
Led up his troops on the other bank.
Fierce raged the fight; it was hard to tell
What would betide, and they fought the more.
Till, from his elephant, sudden fell
Porus the king, who was wounded sore.
Then did the elephant, faithful beast,
For his defence play a gallant part;
Standing above him, lest e’er the least
Harm should assail him from blow to dart.
Trumpeting loudly, he held at bay
Foreman with arrow or spear or sword.
Challenged them all to approach their prey,
Dared them to injure his wounded lord.
Then at the last, with his mighty trunk,
Lifted him tenderly on his head,
Bore him in unconscious faintness sunk,
Where he could rest without fear and dread.
Ah! these dumb things that but cry and pant.
They, too, can love, for God made them so;
Porus was saved; but his elephant
Died from his wounds; thus, the legends go.
Porus and His Elephant Class 8 Words Meanings
Word | English Meaning | Hindi Meaning | Urdu Meaning |
---|---|---|---|
Ballad | A story told in verse | गाथागीत | آیت میں بیان کی گئی ایک کہانی |
Tale | Narration, story | कहानी | کہانی |
Recording | Preserving | संरक्षण | محفوظ کر رہا ہے |
Foe | Enemy | शत्रु | دشمن |
Bank | Land along the edge of a river | तट | ساحل |
Battle-pride | Martial glory | युद्ध-गौरव | جنگ فخر |
Drawn up | Arrange troops in special order | तानना | تیار کی |
In state | In a dignified manner | पुरे रख रखाव के साथ | حالت میں |
Unbroken rank | Close order that is difficult for the enemy to breakthrough | न टूटने वाला | اٹوٹ |
Fray | Attack | लड़ाई | لڑائی |
Troops | Soldiers | सेना | سپاه |
Rage | Anger | क्रोध | غصه |
Betide | To happen | घटना | واقع ہونا |
Sore | Painful, hurt | पीड़ादायक | زخمی |
Gallant | Brave | बहादुर | بہادر |
E’er | Contracted form of ever | ||
Assail | Attack violently | आक्रमण करना | حملہ کرنا |
Dart | Move quickly and suddenly in a specified direction | झटपट चल पड़ना | جلدی |
Trumpet | To produce a loud call (especially an elephant) | ढिंढोरा पीटना | ڈرمنگ |
Foreman | The first or chief soldier in the army | मुख्य सैनिक | چیف سپاہی |
Hold at Bay | Keep back | रोकना | روکنا |
Approach | Come near | पास होना | قریب ہونا |
Pant | To breathe heavily | दम फूलना | سانس میں کمی |
Prey | Victim | शिकार | شکار |
Sunk | To go under the surface of a liquid or soft substance | धंसा | ڈوب گیا |
Dread | Fear | डर | خوف |
Dumb | Speechless | गूंगा | گونگا |
Legend | A story or set of stories from ancient times | किंवदंती | علامات |
Summary of the Poem Porus and His Elephant in English
The ballad “The Porus and his Elephant” has been written by Mary Dobson. It narrates the loyalty, love and courage of an animal towards its master. It is an account of the war between the armies of Alexander, the Great and Porus on the bank of river Jhelum.
There was a fierce fight between the two. It was difficult to predict the aftermath of the war as they fought more and more. Suddenly Porus who was sitting on his faithful elephant fell wounded from his elephant. The enemy forces were greatly overjoyed as they thought that they could easily kill the king and end the war.
Then the elephant came to rescue his master showing his loyalty. The elephant stood like a guardian over the king. He trumpets and resists the enemies coming near his wounded master. He took all the attacks of enemies on his own body to save the life of his master.
At last, he lifts his master and keeps him on his head so that his master could rest there without any fear. The animal saves his master but loses his life.
The poet in the last stanza says that these beasts don’t speak like human beings but can cry and breathe heavily. They too can love because the Almighty has made them so. They cannot talk but they show their love and faithfulness by sacrificing their lives.
This is seen in the story where an elephant sacrifices his life to save his master. Porus is saved but the elephant died from the wounds it sustained in the defence of his master.
Summary of the Poem Porus and His Elephant in Hindi
गाथागीत “द पोरस एंड हिज एलीफेंट” मैरी डॉब्सन द्वारा लिखी गई है। यह अपने मालिक के प्रति एक जानवर की वफादारी, प्यार और साहस का वर्णन करता है। यह झेलम नदी के तट पर सिकंदर, महान और पोरस की सेनाओं के बीच युद्ध का लेखा-जोखा है।
दोनों के बीच जमकर युद्ध हुआ। युद्ध के परिणाम की भविष्यवाणी करना मुश्किल था। अचानक पोरस जो अपने वफादार हाथी पर बैठा था, अपने हाथी से घायल होकर गिर गया। शत्रु सेनाएँ बहुत खुश हुईं क्योंकि उन्होंने सोचा कि वे आसानी से राजा को मार सकते हैं और युद्ध को समाप्त कर सकते हैं।
तब हाथी अपनी वफादारी दिखाते हुए अपने मालिक को बचाने आया। हाथी राजा के ऊपर एक संरक्षक की तरह खड़ा था। वह दुश्मनों को अपने घायल मालिक के पास आने से रोकता है। उसने अपने मालिक की जान बचाने के लिए दुश्मनों के सारे हमले अपने शरीर पर ले लिए।
अंत में वह अपने स्वामी को उठाकर अपने सिर पर रखता है ताकि उसका स्वामी बिना किसी भय के वहां विश्राम कर सके। जानवर अपने मालिक को बचाता है लेकिन अपनी जान गंवा देता है।
अंतिम छंद में कवि कहता है कि ये जानवर जो इंसानों की तरह नहीं बोलते हैं लेकिन रो सकते हैं और जोर से सांस ले सकते हैं। वे भी प्रेम कर सकते हैं क्योंकि सर्वशक्तिमान ने उन्हें ऐसा बनाया है। वे बात नहीं कर सकते हैं लेकिन वे अपने जीवन का बलिदान देकर अपना प्यार और वफादारी दिखाते हैं।
इस कहानी में देखा जाता है जहां एक हाथी अपने मालिक को बचाने के लिए अपने प्राणों की आहुति देता है। पोरस बच गया लेकिन हाथी अपने मालिक की रक्षा में लगे घावों से मर गया।
Porus and His Elephant Central Idea of the Poem
This is a lyrical ballad which tells the story of king Porus and his elephant. It is an account of an elephant who saved the life of his master on a battlefield. The poem tells us about the loyalty and faithfulness of the animal towards its master. It explains that though animals do not have the power of speech they can love and care and have emotions for their master.
Thinking About the Poem
1. How did the elephant saves the life of Porus?
Ans. During his battle with the troops of Alexander the Great, king Porus fell down from the elephant and was wounded. The troops of the enemy were advancing to kill the king, and the elephant stood over the Porus (king) and defended him from the attack of the enemies by saving him from blows of arrows, spears and swords. He finally lifted him on his head and took him to a safe place.
2. What does the poet mean, by?
“Ah! These dumb things that but cry and pant,
They, too, can love, for God made them so.”
Ans. In these lines, the poet explains that though animals can’t speak and express their emotions with the help of speech they too can love and care. They can do anything for their master. Perhaps, God has made them loving.
3. Write the story told in the poem in your own words.
Ans. The poem is a story of a war fought between the armies of king Porus and Alexander the Great on the bank of river Jhelum. The battle was a fierce one and it was difficult to predict the winner of the battle. Then suddenly Porus who was riding his faithful elephant fell down and he was wounded. When the enemy troop saw this, they were overjoyed by this sight as they thought that now they could easily kill the king and win the war but that was not so easy.
The elephant stood between them and king Porus. He stood over the king and defended him from the attack of the enemies around him. He shielded his master against the enemy’s arrows and swords. At last, he lifted the king on his back to a safe place. King Porus was saved but the elephant died due to wounds it sustained while defending his master.
4. What is the rhyme scheme of the poem?
Ans. The rhyme scheme of the poem is a b a b. It means the last word of the first line of the stanza rhymes with the last word of the third line of the same stanza and the last word of the second line of the stanza rhymes with the last word of the fourth line of the same stanza.
5. The poem reflects the faithfulness of an elephant towards his master. Explain.
Ans. The poem reflects the feeling of loyalty, courage and faithfulness shown by the elephant towards his master. The poet gives an account of the war between king Porus and Alexander the Great to explain this. During this war, Porus was wounded and he fell down from the back of his elephant. He was badly wounded and he could not rise from the ground. The enemy army was advancing toward the king to kill him and end the war but the elephant of the king Porus stood like a guardian over the wounded king and defended him against the attack of the enemy. He bore all the attacks on his body but protected his master. Finally, he lifted the king on his back to the safe place. Thus, he saved the life of his master though he died of wounds. He sowed his faithfulness to his master by sacrificing his life.
- Tick the right answer:
a. Porus met his enemy on the bank of:
a) The Nile
b) The Jhelum
c) The Ganges
d) The Satluj
Ans. b) The Jhelum
b. Alexander in the poem is referred to as:
a) Friend
b) Foe
c) Brother
d) Statesman
Ans. b) Foe
c. Who was wounded?
a) Alexander
b) Porus
c) Both
d) Neither
Ans. b) Porus
d. The wounded Porus is lifted by:
a) His own soldiers
b) Soldiers of Alexander
c) The Elephant
d) None
Ans. c) The elephant
e. Who saves Porus?
a) His Elephant
b) His soldiers’
c) Both
d) Villagers
Ans. a) His Elephant
Porus and his Elephant Class 8th Language Work
I. Use the following words, phrases, and expressions in your sentences:
Days gone by, fray, to hold at a bay, battle-pride, fought the more, gallant part, mighty trunk,
- Days gone by: Students have a deep respect for their teachers in the days gone by.
- Fray: A total of 15 candidates are in the fray for the assembly election.
- To hold at bay: The elephant holds the enemies at bay and saved the king.
- Battle pride: Every soldier is filled with battle pride while fighting for his country.
- Fought the more: They fought the more as they were fighting for their motherland.
- Gallant part: The elephant played a gallant part in saving the king.
- Mighty trunk: The elephant can uproot the trees with help of his mighty trunk.
II. Look at the following sentences:
- Hina has made good progress in learning English (N)
- We progressed slowly up the steep mountain slope. (V)
In sentence (a), the word ‘progress is used as a noun, while in a sentence (b), the same word is used as a verb.
Now, use the following words as nouns and verbs in your sentences:
Record, Present, Object, Contest, Produce
Record (Noun): The hospital keeps the record of their patient.
Record (Verb): The maximum temperature recorded today in Jammu is 39℃
Present (Noun): My friend gives me a beautiful birthday present.
Present (Verb): The student presented himself before the headmaster.
Object (Noun): Do not touch unattended objects.
Object (Verb): He objected to my proposal for the excursion.
Contest (Noun): The music contest was organised in the city.
Contest (Verb): He contested an essay writing competition.
Produce (Noun): Plants produce oxygen for breathing.
Produce (Verb): A high yield of apple crops is produced in Kashmir.
Let’s Write
Write a paragraph on your favourite animal.
An elephant is my favourite animal. It is the largest animal living on land. It is tall and bulky in size. It is found in the jungle and near rivers. It has two eyes, four legs, two large pinnae-shaped ears and a long tail. It uses its ears as a fan in summer. It is mainly black. It is herbivorous and eats plants and plant products. It likes to eat sugarcane.
The elephant is a very calm and friendly animal. It is used to carry a load and for riding purposes too. It is a very faithful and loyal animal.
That’s all about Porus and His Elephant Class 8 Summary and Questions. Hope it has helped. Do share your views about this post in the comment section below.
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