Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about To a Pair of Sarus Cranes from Class 10 English_FL. Before we begin our study of this beautiful and poignant poem, let us engage with a pre-reading activity. The textbook presents a profound quote by Mahatma Gandhi which states, The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I want you to pause and discuss this statement with your partner. Consider how true this is in our modern world. Does the way we treat animals reflect our collective humanity and ethical development? Keep this thought in mind as we explore the poem, which vividly illustrates this very theme through the tragic story of two Sarus cranes.
[CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us read the complete poem by Manmohan Singh. I will present every line exactly as it appears in your textbook. The male was shot as he necked to pull the reluctant sun out from the rim of horizon. She flew crying as he was picked up hands and jaws and a proud neck was humbled to lie like dirty linen in a coarse washing bag. She circled the sky in movements of grace over his disgraceful end. The killers went away and she returned to the death’s scene with grief that inscribed its intensity in dots and pits like the Morse code of bird’s sorrow transmitted to the air. With her beak she kissed a few feathers picked the ones that wind had not taken away and sat to hatch the blood stained feathers into a toddling chick. A wave of the seas she had never seen came to her from far away and carried her to him. She went away beyond Hume’s words, beyond the legends and fables of human love.
[CHECKPOINT]
Let us now break down the poem and understand its meaning, imagery, and literary devices. The poem opens with a powerful image. The male crane is shot precisely when he stretches his neck, as if trying to pull the sun out from the edge of the horizon. The poet uses the word reluctant to describe the sun, which is a personification, suggesting the sun is hesitant to rise, or perhaps reflecting the tragic mood of the scene. The hunters immediately pick up the dead bird with their hands and jaws, a detail that dehumanizes them and highlights their callousness. The proud neck of the majestic bird is humbled, meaning its dignity is stripped away, and it is compared to dirty linen in a rough washing bag. This simile emphasizes the disrespect and brutality of the act.
[CHECKPOINT]
The female crane reacts with profound sorrow. She circles the sky in movements of grace, which contrasts sharply with the disgraceful end of her mate. This contrast highlights the beauty of nature against human cruelty. After the killers leave, she returns to the scene of death. Her grief is so intense that it inscribes itself in the air through her cries. The poet uses a brilliant simile here, comparing her short and long cries to the Morse code of bird’s sorrow. Morse Code is a symbolic language using long and short signals, and here it represents the bird’s desperate, coded message of loss. In her overwhelming love and denial, she gathers the remaining blood-stained feathers and sits on them, hoping to hatch them into a walking chick. This heartbreaking act shows her refusal to accept his death and her desperate attempt to preserve their bond.
[CHECKPOINT]
The final lines describe her ultimate fate. A wave of the seas she had never seen comes from far away and carries her to him. This metaphorical wave represents death or overwhelming grief that finally claims her life. The poet concludes by stating that her devotion goes beyond Hume’s words, beyond the legends and fables of human love. This elevates the cranes’ bond above even human concepts of romance and loyalty, proving that animal love can be purer and more profound than human love. Now, let us carefully study the glossary provided in your textbook. I will give you each definition exactly as written. Reluctant means hesitant. Necked means stretched its neck. Rim means edge. Humbled means lowered the dignity of. Coarse means rough. Inscribed means wrote or cut words on something. Morse Code is a symbolic language invented by Samuel F B Morse (1791 to 1872) that uses a combination of long and short sounds or flashes of light for sending messages. Toddling means walking with short, unsteady steps. Dots and pits means short and long cries of the female bird.
[CHECKPOINT]
Continuing with the glossary, Hume’s words are quoted exactly as follows: They certainly pair for life. And probably exhibit great grief for their male keeping for weeks, at times, about the locality where their partner was killed and calling constantly. I have actually known the widowed bird to pine away and die. These words are taken from The Game Birds of India, Burma and Ceylon, published in eighteen eighty-one. Legends means stories from ancient times about people and events that may not be true. Fable means a traditional short story that teaches a moral lesson, especially one with animals as characters, for example, Panchatantra Tales and Aesop’s Fables. Let us now move to the comprehension questions. I will answer each one completely so you can use them for your exam preparation. Question one asks for the time of day suggested in the poem. The correct answer is sunrise, as the male is trying to pull the sun out from the rim of the horizon.
[CHECKPOINT]
Question two asks about the meaning of the reluctant sun. The correct option is that it was the bird’s feeling that the sun was reluctant to rise, reflecting the tragic atmosphere. Question three part a asks about exaggeration in the first four lines. The exaggeration lies in the image of the bird pulling the sun out of the horizon, which is physically impossible but emphasizes the bird’s majestic posture and effort. Part b asks for the figure of speech. It is personification, as the sun is given human reluctance, and hyperbole, due to the exaggerated action. Question four asks how the majestic neck was humbled by the hunter. The proud neck was humbled when the bird was shot, stripped of its dignity, and carelessly stuffed like dirty linen into a rough washing bag by the hunters. Question five asks what the expression picked up hands and jaws suggests. The correct answer is the callousness of the hunters, showing their lack of empathy and crude handling of the dead bird.
[CHECKPOINT]
Question six asks what is compared to dirty linen. The correct option is the dead body of the bird, specifically its proud neck and form, which is treated without respect. Question seven asks about the meaning of sitting to hatch blood stained feathers into a toddling chick. The correct answer is the intense love of the female bird towards its male partner, showing her desperate, grief-stricken attempt to keep him alive through their shared feathers. Question eight asks how the end of the female crane is suggested in the poem. Her end is suggested metaphorically through the line about a wave of the seas she had never seen coming to carry her to him. This implies she dies of grief, her life force overwhelmed by sorrow, finally reuniting with her mate in death.
[CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us tackle the close study section. The extract reads: A wave of the seas she had never seen came to her from far away and carried her to him. Part a asks what the wave of the seas refers to. It refers to the overwhelming force of death or profound grief that finally claims her life. Part b asks what the female bird had not seen before. She had never seen the actual sea, as Sarus cranes typically live in wetlands and marshes, not oceans. Part c asks for the figure of speech. It is a metaphor, comparing death or overwhelming sorrow to a distant, unseen ocean wave that sweeps her away. Next, we will address the paragraph writing section. I will provide complete one-paragraph answers as required. First, how is the callousness of the bird-killers brought out? The callousness of the bird-killers is brought out through their brutal and disrespectful actions. They shoot the male crane without warning, pick up his lifeless body with their hands and jaws like scavengers, and carelessly stuff his proud, majestic neck into a coarse washing bag as if it were mere dirty linen. This complete disregard for the dignity of a living creature highlights their moral emptiness and cruelty.
[CHECKPOINT]
Second, how does the poet bring out the agony and desperation of the female crane? The poet portrays her agony through vivid imagery and action. She flies crying, circles the sky in graceful movements over his disgraceful end, and returns to the death scene with overwhelming grief. Her cries are described as dots and pits like Morse code, showing a desperate attempt to communicate her sorrow. Her ultimate desperation is revealed when she sits on the blood-stained feathers, trying to hatch them into a chick, demonstrating her refusal to accept his death and her profound, heartbreaking devotion. Third, pick out two figures of speech and explain their effectiveness. The poet uses a simile comparing the dead bird to dirty linen in a coarse washing bag, which effectively highlights the hunters’ disrespect and the tragic fall from grace of a majestic creature. He also uses a simile comparing her cries to the Morse code of bird’s sorrow, which effectively conveys the structured, desperate, and communicative nature of her grief, making her sorrow deeply palpable to the reader.
[CHECKPOINT]
Now, let us discuss the project section. You are given three tasks to complete in groups over one week. First, browse the internet to collect information on any national or international organization working for the prevention of cruelty to animals, and prepare a class presentation. Second, collect information on Sarus Cranes from the internet or other sources and present it to the class. Third, if and when you visit the Mysore Zoo, take pictures of the Sarus cranes on your mobile and share them with your classmates. Let us now look at the note on the poet. Manmohan Singh is an officer of the Indian Administrative Service and a contemporary poet. His poems have been published in a number of magazines. This particular poem is chosen from his book titled Village Poems. Finally, the textbook suggests a reading for your enrichment: In London Town by Mary E. Coleridge. I encourage you to read it to broaden your literary exposure. As we conclude this lesson, remember that this poem is not just about birds. It is a powerful commentary on empathy, the sanctity of life, and the moral responsibility of humans toward nature. The cranes’ devotion transcends human understanding, challenging us to reflect on our own treatment of the natural world. Make sure you practice the comprehension answers and paragraph writing points regularly for your examinations.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]