Frog and Nightingale

ABOUT THE POET....

Born in 1952 in Calcutta, India, Vikram Seth was educated at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, Stanford University and Nanjing University. His famous works in literature:

1. 2. 3.

The Golden Gate: A Novel in Verse (1986) A Suitable Boy (1993) An Equal Music (1999) and much moreSome of his achievements:

1. 2. 3.

1983 Thomas Cook Travel Book Award 1985 Commonwealth Poetry Prize (Asia) 1993 Irish Times International Fiction Prize

In the poem, The frog and the nightinagle a frog croaked all night, till morning in a bog, in a loud unpleasant voice much to the agony of all the other creatures. In anger, the creatures threw stones, sticks, hurled insults and complaints. They even begged him to stop the cacophony. The frog did not bother to listen to them.

SUMMARY (PART 2)One night, a nightingale began to sing. Its voice was so sweet that the creatures admired her voice and came from miles around to hear her singing. The frog became jealous and decided to introduce himself to the nightingale and talk to her about singing so that she could become the best singer.

SUMMARY (PART 3)

The nightingale was carried away by the frog's words and readily agreed to become the frog's disciple. The frog began to train the nightingale. He also charged an admission fee to the creatures who came to hear her concerts. This way, the frog became rich and his control over the bird increased day by day. The frog made the nightingale rehearse too much and her voice lost its beauty. The other creatures stopped coming to hear her sing.

SUMMARY (PART 4)

The frog did not bother to find out the reason behind this sudden reversal of fortune. He made the nightingale practice hard in the rain. Finally, the nightingale burst a vein and died. Now, the frog could once more sing at night in its bog, unrivalled. He said that the bird was a stupid creature who was 'Far too nervous, far too tense'.

The poet, Vikram Seth, very cleverly gives us a message of the importance of self-confidence and moral courage in his poem - The 'Frog and the Nightingale'. It is important to have worldly wisdom It is only one's individuality and reasoning that can save one from getting duped and exploited. One must know one's limitations and capabilities to be able to decide the course of one's life.

Here is a short glimpse to show what might have happened in the bingle bog..