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THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE by Vikram Seth by Vikram Seth
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Page 1: The Frog and the Nightingale

THE FROG AND THE THE FROG AND THE NIGHTINGALE NIGHTINGALE

by Vikram Seth by Vikram Seth

Page 2: The Frog and the Nightingale

PoemOnce upon a time a frogCroaked away in Bingle BogEvery night from dusk to dawnHe croaked awn and awn and awnOther creatures loathed his voice,But, alas, they had no choice,And the crass cacophonyBlared out from the sumac treeAt whose foot the frog each nightMinstrelled on till morning night

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Neither stones nor prayers nor sticks.Insults or complaints or bricksStilled the frogs determinationTo display his heart's elation.But one night a nightingaleIn the moonlight cold and palePerched upon the sumac treeCasting forth her melodyDumbstruck sat the gaping frogAnd the whole admiring bogStared towards the sumac, rapt,

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And, when she had ended, clapped,Ducks had swum and herons wadedTo her as she serenadedAnd a solitary loonWept, beneath the summer moon.Toads and teals and tiddlers, capturedBy her voice, cheered on, enraptured:“Bravo!” “Too divine!” “Encore!”So the nightingale once more,Quite unused to such applause,Sang till dawn without a pause.

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Next night when the NightingaleShook her head and twitched her tail,Closed an eye and fluffed a wingAnd had cleared her throat to singShe was startled by a croak.“Sorry – was that you who spoke?”She enquired when the frogHopped towards her from the bog.“Yes,” the frog replied. “You see,I'm the frog who owns this treeIn this bog I've long been knownFor my splendid baritoneAnd, of course, I wield my penFor Bog Trumpet now and then”

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“Did you… did you like my song?”“Not too bad – but far too long.The technique was fine of course,But it lacked a certain force”.“Oh!” the nightingale confessed.Greatly flattered and impressedThat a critic of such noteHad discussed her art and throat:“I don't think the song's divine.But – oh, well – at least it's mine”.

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“That's not much to boast about”.Said the heartless frog. “WithoutProper training such as I- And few others can supply.You'll remain a mere beginner.But with me you'll be a winner”“Dearest frog”, the nightingaleBreathed: “This is a fairy tale –And you are Mozart in disguiseCome to earth before my eyes”.

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“Well I charge a modest fee.”“Oh!” “But it won't hurt, you'll see”Now the nightingale inspired,Flushed with confidence, and firedWith both art and adoration,Sang – and was a huge sensation.Animals for miles aroundFlocked towards the magic sound,And the frog with great precisionCounted heads and charged admission.

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Though next morning it was raining,He began her vocal training.“But I can't sing in this weather”“Come my dear – we'll sing together.Just put on your scarf and sash,Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!”So the frog and nightingaleJourneyed up and down the scaleFor six hours, till she was shiveringand her voice was hoarse and

quivering.

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Though subdued and sleep deprived,In the night her throat revived,And the sumac tree was bowed,With a breathless, titled crowd:Owl of Sandwich, Duck of Kent,Mallard and Milady Trent,Martin Cardinal Mephis10to,And the Coot of Monte Cristo,Ladies with tiaras glitteringIn the interval sat twittering –And the frog observed them glitterWith a joy both sweet and bitter.

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Every day the frog who'd sold herSongs for silver tried to scold her:“You must practice even longerTill your voice, like mine grows stronger.In the second song last nightYou got nervous in mid-flight.And, my dear, lay on more trills:Audiences enjoy such frills.You must make your public happier:Give them something sharper snappier.We must aim for better billings.You still owe me sixty shillings.”

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Day by day the nightingaleGrew more sorrowful and pale.Night on night her tired songZipped and trilled and bounced along,Till the birds and beasts grew tiredAt a voice so uninspiredAnd the ticket office grossCrashed, and she grew more morose -For her ears were now addictedTo applause quite unrestricted,And to sing into the nightAll alone gave no delight.

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Now the frog puffed up with rage.“Brainless bird – you're on the stage –Use your wits and follow fashion.Puff your lungs out with your

passion.”Trembling, terrified to fail,Blind with tears, the nightingaleHeard him out in silence, tried,Puffed up, burst a vein, and died.

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Said the frog: “I tried to teach her,But she was a stupid creature –Far too nervous, far too tense.Far too prone to influence.Well, poor bird – she should have

knownThat your song must be your own.That's why I sing with panache:“Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!”And the foghorn of the frogBlared unrivalled through the bog.

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Word MeaningsWord Meanings

1.Loathed-hated 2.Crass-complete very great 3.Cacophony-a very loud unpleasant voice 4.Blared-uttered loudly 5.Minstrelled-sang continuously 6.Stilled-quitened 7.Determination-resolve 8.P9.Casting-spreading 10.Melody-sweet music 11.Dumb struck-unable to talk because of surprise 12.Rapt-totally interested, so that you cannot think of nothing else perched-sat

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13.Solitary-alone 14.Loon-a person or creature who behaved strangely 15.Toad 16.Teal-a small duck 17.Tiddler- very small fish 18.Captured-attracted 19.Enraptured-very much delighted 20.Encore-sing once more 21.Unused to-not used to 22.Applause-praise 23.Pause-stoppage 24.Twitch-pull with sudden jerk 25.Fluff-spread out 26.Startled-got alarmed 27.Croak-sound made by frog 28.Splendid-excellent -a kind of frog

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29.Baritone-male singing voice 30.Confessed-admitted 31.Flattered-pleased 32.Note-reputation 33.Divine-heavenly 34.Mozart-a great German music 35.Indisguise- in a different shape 36.Modest-small 37.Flushed- very excited and pleased 38.Fired with-inspired by 39.Adoration-Great admiration 40.Huge sensation- big excitement 41.Floacked-came in large number 42.Precision-exactness 43.Tiaras –metal badge

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The PoetThe PoetVikram Seth was born

in Calcutta in 1952. He left India to study

at Oxford His first novel, The

Golden Gate, is written entirely in tetrameter sonnets,

He won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in 1986and the Sahitya Academy award in 1988.

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The Frog The Frog The The BogBog

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The Nightingale The Nightingale

Polite, soft, timorous. – “sorry was that you who spoke”

Nervous and shy- “Did you, did you like my song”

Timid and polite – “This is a fairy tale. And you are Mozart in disguise..”

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The FrogThe FrogTerritorial and

boastful – I’m the frog who owns the tree. Technique was fine, But it lacked certain force

Patronizing – Without proper training …You’ll remain a beginner.

Possessive, greedy – “We must aim for better billings…..”

Arrogant and condescending – “I tried to teach her… a stupid creature”

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Introduction Introduction

This is a humorous poem , a satire in the style and mode of a fable in which birds and animals act and behave like humans . The poet, Vikram Seth, is well known Indian writer in English, famous for such works as The Golden Gate and A Suitable Boy. The poem shows nightingale as a naive, simple singer, easily fooled by the cunning frog who represents a music critic and trainer. He uses the nightingale to make money and then causes her death in order to himself become the king of “Bingle Bog”. The poem is full of witticisms and clever use of old and new words.

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SummarySummary

In Bingle Bog, a frog used to croak in his pleasant voice all night. Everyone hated his singing but could do nothing about it. Then, one night, a nightingale suddenly began to sing on the Sumac tree. All the creature welcomed this lovely voice and cheered her singing. Next night, the frog approached the nightingale and, posing as a music critic and trainer, offered to train the nightingale so that she could sing even more beautifully. Soon, the nightingale became famous throughout the forest and creatures came from miles away to hear her sing. The clever frog charged an admission fee from those who came

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to hear the nightingale’s singing and soon earned a lot of money. Wanting more money, the frog made the nightingale rehearse too much, sometimes even when it raining. As a result, the nightingales' voice lost its charm and the other creature stopped coming to hear her singing. Finally, as a result of overstrain, the nightingale burst a vein and died. Now, once again, the frog could sing in Bingle Bog unrivalled and without any competition. The nightingale died because she did not realize that ‘your song must be your own’.

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Comprehension Comprehension checkcheck1.“That's not much to boast about”. Said the heartless frog. “Without Proper training such as I - And few others can supply.a) Who is the frog speaking to? The frog is speaking to the

nightingale. The nightingale has impressed and won the hearts of everyone in the Bingle Bog by her melodious voice.

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b) What has the listener have to say when the frog said that it is "not too much to boast about"?

The nightingale says that she knows that her songs is not divine but it is original. At this the frog says that being original is "not too much to boast about".

c) Why is the frog so heartless? The frog is very dismissive as he did not

want to rival against the nightingale. He wanted to show the nightingale that he was not impressed at all and was highly dismissive.

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2. “Dearest frog”, the nightingale Breathed: “This is a fairy tale – And you are Mozart in disguise Come to earth before my eyes”. “Well I charge a modest fee.” “Oh!” “But it won't hurt, you'll see”a) What light do these lines throw on the

bird's character? These lines show us that the bird was first

startled by the frog's croak, later gets impressed by his boasting and the way he boasted and told her about his famous baritone. The bird got impressed immediately and said that he was Mozart who had come to Earth in front of her eyes to teach him.

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b) What did the frog say to impress the nightingale?

The frog started out by telling the bird about his famous baritone voice. He also said that he used to write songs for the "Bog Trumpet" that is an imaginary magazine. When the bird asked the frog for training he asked for some fees not because he wanted the money but because he wanted to prove the authenticity and the quality of his training.

c) Why do you think the frog was charging a fee? The frog was charging a fee not because he

wanted the money but because he wanted to make tuitions sound more authentic. He only wanted the bird to know that he was a powerful frog that could turn a beginner into a winner

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3. with a breathless, titled crowd: Owl of Sandwich, Duck of Kent, Mallard and Milady Trent, Martin Cardinal Mephisto, And the Coot of Monte Cristo, Ladies with tiaras glittering In the interval sat twittering – And the frog observed them glitter With a joy both sweet and bitter.

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a) Why is there reference to a titled crowd? What do these names suggest?

The referenced to the names are actually real. The "Duck of Kent" was actually the "Duke of Kent". The "My Lord and My Lady Trent" were "Milord and Milady Trent" etc. These names are actually the names of the people who are highly ranked in England. The poet has added theses names to the rhyming schemes, to make the poem more interesting. Also, it shows that the crowd was rich and elite.

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b) Why was the frog's feeling been called both "bitter and sweet"?

The frog was happy that after his training there had been improvements in the performance of the bird. Thus, more people were coming to the show and thus he was getting more money at the ticket counter. The frog was sad as well as he wanted to be the one to be on the stage and be performing. He wanted to be famous thus his feelings were both, "bitter and sweet".

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4. Every day the frog who'd sold her Songs for silver tried to scold her: “You must practice even longer Till your voice, like mine grows stronger. In the second song last nighta) What is meant by, "who sold her songs for

silver"? The frog who charged fee realized that she

had to pay him back. So, he charged on entry from the animals. This way, he earned money from her show and thus, he "sold her songs for silver".

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b) Why does the frog says, "Till your voice, like mine grow stronger"?

The frog was realizing that she was becoming competition from him and that he has to remove her from his way. So, he keeps the training the bird beyond her limits in harsh conditions. This would make her voice loud and strong. Hence no one would like her anymore.

c) How does the training affect the bird? Due to the harsh conditions in which the frog

trained the bird, she got more sorrowful and pale and tired after each day. That bird one nigh killed herself by puffing up and bursting a vein.

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5. Now the frog puffed up with rage. “Brainless bird – you're on the stage – Use your wits and follow fashion. Puff your lungs out with your passion.” a) Why was the frog so angry with the bird? When the nightingale started singing

shrilly, the animals got tired of them and left. Hence, the money stated to lessen and this made the frog extremely angry.

b) What did he ask the nightingale to do? The frog ordered the nightingale to use

her wits and try to do something entertaining for the audience.

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Some point to be Some point to be noted are ….noted are ….The use of the rhyming scheme makes the

poem rhythmic and musical.The poet employs interesting comparison

like – the nightingale called the frog, Mozart.

The manner in which the frog trains the nightingale has been beautifully described.

The irony is that the creature which doesn’t even know what music is tries to teach music to a bird like nightingale who possesses a melodious voice.