The man was rich, but not content.
Morning, noon and night he went
To the Wish-yielding Tree and prayed:
‘O Kalpaka, I seek your aid;
All I want is a pot of gold.’
हिन्दी रूपांतर :- एक धनी व्यक्ति था लेकिन उसे संतुष्टि नहीं थी। वह दिन-रात कल्प- द्रुम के पास प्रार्थना करते रहता कि वह उसे सोने से भरा एक घड़ा वरदान – स्वरूप प्रदान करे ।
His prayer was granted sevenfold:
For as a gift to him was given,
Glistening gold in pitchers seven.
Seven silver pitchers were now with him
Each with gold coins filled to the brim.
हिन्दी रूपांतर :- कल्प- द्रुम ने उसकी प्रार्थना स्वीकार कर ली और उसे एक नहीं, बल्कि सात सोने से भरा घड़ा उसे उपहारस्वरूप प्रदान किया। सभी घड़े ( गगरा) चाँदी के बने थे। घड़ा काफी चमक रहा था।
But the Tree unkind took into its mind
To add an eighth, a half-full pot.
To fill this quick was his thought;
The seven full vessels he clean forgot,
The demon Desire now made him mad.
हिन्दी रूपांतर :- किन्तु पेड़ निर्दयी है ऐसा उसके मन में घर कर गया, एक आठवाँ देने पर, आधा भरा घड़ा पेड़ ने उसे दिया। यानी उसने आधा भरा एक और घड़ा उस व्यक्ति को प्रदान किया जिसे पूरा करने की प्रबल इच्छा उसे पागल बना दिया।
The Empty Heart in Hindi Explanation and Solutions
To mother, wife, children ‘good bye’ he bade
He rose before cock-crow, past midnight he worked;
Eating, drinking and sleep he shirked.
He wrecked his health, his conscience sold
And tried all tricks to gather gold.
हिन्दी रूपांतर :- उस धनी व्यक्ति ने अपनी माँ, पत्नी और बच्चों से अलग हो गया। मुर्गा के बाँगने के पहले वह जाग जाता और अर्द्धरात्री तक काम करता। उसने खाना, पीना और सोना को अपनी दिनचर्या बना लिया। उसने अपने स्वास्थ्य को भी खराब कर लिया। उसकी अन्तरात्मा जाती रही। सोना पाने के लिए हर तरीका अपनाने की कोशिश की।
Eager and anxious he shamelessly took
Each coin he could clutch by hook or crook.
Harder and harder he tried, but died
Before he could quite fill the pot.
Greed and endless, but life is not.
Nothing is wrong with a half-filled purse;
“Tis the void in the heart that is the curse.
हिन्दी रूपांतर :- उसके अन्दर लज्जा समाप्त हो गयी और चिंतित और अधिक पाने के भूख उसमें समा गयी। वह एक-एक पैसे को जोर से पकड़ने लगा लेकिन उसका दम निकल गया, और उसका आधा खाली घड़ा खाली ही रह गया। उसके अन्दर लालच समाप्त तो नहीं हुआ लेकिन उसकी जीवन लीला अवश्य समाप्त हो गया।
अतः कम धन में संतुष्ट रहना खराब बात नहीं है। हृदय में ज्यादा चाह होना एक श्राप से कम नहीं है।
Objective question
1. The poem “The Empty Heart’ tells about the problems caused (choose the correct option)
(B) content .
(C) greed.
(D) poverty
| Answer ⇒ C |
2. Who has written the poem, “The Empty Heart”?
(A) Vidyapati.
(B) Puran Singh
(C) Periasamy Thooran
(D) Amrita Pritam
| Answer ⇒ C |
3. What was the problem of the man?
(A) he was very dissatisfied .
(B) he was very much in threat
(C) he had a crisis of money
(D) None of these
| Answer ⇒ A |
4. What did he demand from the tree ?
(A) Pot of Gold
(B) Pot of Silver
(C) Pot of Bronze.
(D) Pot of Copper
| Answer ⇒ A |
5. What happened to his prayer ?
(A) Prayers were not granted
(B) Prayers were granted
(C) Prayers were neither granted nor refused
(D) None of these
| Answer ⇒ B |
6. What were in Pitchers?
(A) Gold Coins
(B) Silver Coins
(C) Copper Coins
(D) None of these
| Answer ⇒ A |
7. Greed is …………….. but life is not.
(A) Worthy
(B) Bad
(C) Good
(D) Endless
| Answer ⇒ D |
8. This poem tells about the problems caused by
(A) Sickness
(B) Poverty
(C) Overeating
(D) Greed
| Answer ⇒ D |
9. There was a ……………… which had the power to grant wishes.
(A) Snake
(B) Pigeon
(C) Tree
(D) Temple
| Answer ⇒ C |
10. The tree gave the man seven ……………. full of gold coins. .
(A) Pots/Pitchers
(B) Pans
(C) Bags
(D) Sacks
| Answer ⇒ A |
11. The man tried all tricks to gather
(A) Silver
(B) Diamonds
(C) Jewellery
(D) Gold
| Answer ⇒ D |
12. What made him mad ?
(A) His Greedy tendency
(B) His tendency of getting more & more ! (C) Sudden shock
(D) None of these
| Answer ⇒ B |
13. Periasamy Thooran was a …………..writer.
(A) Bengali
(B) Marathi
(C) Panjabi
(D) Tamil
| Answer ⇒ D |
14. Why was the man not content, although he was rich ?
(A) due to thirst of gold
(B) due to thirst of wealth
(C) (A) and (B) both
(D) none of these
| Answer ⇒ C |
15. Why was the tree called unkind ?
(A) because it raised the thirst of the man for wealth.
(B) because it gave the man a half-full pot.
(C) because it gave the man a gift more than demanded.
(D) none of these
| Answer ⇒ A |
16. What is Kalpaka ?
(A) a tree
(B) a big tree
(C) a golden tree .
(D) wish-yielding tree
| Answer ⇒ D |
17. The man was rich, but …….
(A) content
(B) not content
(C) innocent
(D) dishonest
| Answer ⇒ B |
18. Morning, noon and ……………… he went.
(A) day
(B) afternoon
(C) night
(D) midnight
| Answer ⇒ C |
19. His prayer was granted……..
(A) eight fold
(B) seven fold
(C) six fofol
(D) five fold
| Answer ⇒ B |
20. For as a gift to him was …….
(A) granted
(B) gifted
(C) offered
(D) given
| Answer ⇒ D |
21. To fill this ……….was his thought.
(A) steadily
(B) quick
(C)sharply
(D) shortly
| Answer ⇒ B |
22. The seven full ……………… he clean forgot.
(A) pots.
(B) pitchers
(C) pictures
(D) vessels
| Answer ⇒ D |
23. Nothing is wrong with a half filled purse, “T’is is the void in the heart …………
(A) that is the curse
(B) that is the purse
(C) that is the gold
(D) that is the wealth
| Answer ⇒ A |
24. The demon …………….. now made him mad.
(A) fire
(B) gold
(C) silver pot
(D) Desire
| Answer ⇒ D |
25. Each coin he could clutch by hook or ……………….
(A) shook
(B) look
(C) crook
(D) took
| Answer ⇒ C |
26. The poem, ‘The Empty Heart’ is translated from
(A) English
(B) Oriya
(C) Bengali
(D) Tamil
| Answer ⇒ D |
27. Periasami Thooran was born in
(A) 1708
(B) 1809
(C) 1908
(D) 1988
| Answer ⇒ C |
28. Periasami Thooran, the poet died in
(A) 1908
(B) 1988
(C) 1987
(D) 1897
| Answer ⇒ C |
29. Periasamy Thooran first made his name as a writer of
(A) essay
(B) Short stories and poems
(C) Poem
(D) satire
| Answer ⇒ B |
30. ‘The Empty Heart talks about the problems caused by
(A) gold
(B) pot
(C) gold coins
(D) greed
| Answer ⇒ D |
31. The man’s prayer was granted
(A) quick
(B) late
(C) gold coins
(D) sevenfold
| Answer ⇒ D |
32. How many pitchers did the man get as a gift?
(A) One
(B) three
(C) Six
(D) Seven
| Answer ⇒ D |
33. Because he did not eat, drink or sleep properly, his health
(A) became sound
(B) got down
(C) broke down
(D) None of these
| Answer ⇒ C |
Subjective question
1. What is your opinion about a greedy man ?
2. When did the man want one pot of gold?
Ans. When he prayed a lot, he demanded a pot of gold.
3. Why was he given seven pots ?
Ans. The tree granted his promotion heartly .
4. When was the gift given by the tree ?
Ans. When he went to the tree day to night and prayed a lot.
5. Why was the man not content, although he was rich ?
Ans. He was greedy, so he was not content.
6. How much work did he do for getting gold ?
Ans. He used to get up before cock-crow and laboured hard till midnight.
7. Why was the tree called unkind ?
Ans. Because the tree gave him a half-filled extra pitcher to make him greedy.
8. Explain the nature of the man.
Ans. The man was rich but dissatisfied. Although he was given more than he desired, yet he was not content and this greed led to death.
9. What does “Silver pitcher” symbolize in the poem ?
Ans. Silver pitcher’ symbolizes enough wealth. It means if a person gets enough gold or money or property, he has silver pitcher.
10. Comment on the title of the poem. Is the title justified ?
Ans. The title is justified as the whole poem describes about the greed of a man. The man was rich enough. After all he prayed the ‘Wish-yeilding Tree’ to give him a pot of gold. He was given eight pots at the place of one, after all he was not satisfied.
11. What was the reason of the greedy man’s death ?
Ans. The man was very rich but he had no satisfaction. Although his demand was granted sevenfold, yet his desire shaped a demon. He was also given a half-full pot. He worked day and night to fill an empty pot and so he died helplessly.
12. What does the name “Kalpaka” evoke? What light does it throw on the character of the person?
Ans. ‘Kalpaka’ is a Tamil word means god, that has enough power to produce anything. A god should be generous and so it was. The man demanded only one pot of gold, and the tree gave him seven pots. Even an eight pot was given, though it was half filled. It explains the greed of the person.
13. Contentment is the style of life. Discuss in the light of the poem.
Ans. Contentment is the real wealth of human being. It is sure money is necessary, no doubt but how much money, cannot be limited. By our hard labour what we get is enough. We should have limited needs and desires.
14. Explain the following lines:
Nothing is wrong with a half-filled purse:
Tis the void in the heart that is the curse:
Ans. Desire is a restless bird that can’t be fulfilled even if the whole property of the world given to a single man. Each and every man needs some wealth; and it is enough to entertain our life in il good way; then why we need more ? So, it is said that our heart is empty, it is a curse.