'The Nightingale and The Glow warm' Poem in English by William Cowper | Summary | Questions and Answers.
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The poem 'The Nightingale and The Glow warm' written by William Cowper is about a nightingale who used to make the people happy by singing songs throughout the day. one day it was looking for food and found a glow worm near the hawthorn tree. But the worm was clever, it tried to flatter the nightingale. It persuade the hungry bird with an elaborate speech and was able to save itself. The bird then let go of the insect and flew away to find food somewhere else.
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# Poem :
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- The Nightingale and The Glow worm -
A Nightingale that all day long
Had cheered the village with his song,
Nor yet at eve his
note suspendedSong stopped.
,Nor yet when
eventideEvening.
was ended,Began to feel, as well he might,
The keen demands of
appetiteHunger.
;When looking eagerly around,
He spied, far off upon the ground,
A something shining in the dark,
And knew the Glow-worm by his spark;
So
stoopingBending one's head or body forwards and downwards.
down from hawthornA small tree with thorns and white or pink flowers.
top,He thought to put him in his
cropA pouch located in a bird's throat to store food.
;The worm, aware of his
intentPurpose.
,HaranguedTried and persuaded someone to accept one's ideas in a forceful manner.
him thus right eloquentFluent; expressive
;Did you admire my lamp,'
quothSaid
he,'As much as I your
minstrelsySinging.
,You would
abhorDislike.
to do me wrong,As much as I to spoil your song,
For 'twas the self-same power divine
Taught you to sing, and me to shine,
That you with music, I with light,
Might beautify and cheer the night.'
The
songsterPopular singer.
heard his short orationSpeech.
,And
warblingSinging with high-pitched notes.
out his approbation,Agreement or approval.
Released him, as my story tells,
And found a supper somewhere else.
- William Cowper
William Cowper (1731-1800) was an English poet. He wrote about everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In 1773, Cowper began to write religious hymns. Some of his popular hymns are 'The Spirit Breathes Upon the Word' and 'What Various Hindrances We Meet'. His poem 'Light Shining out of Darkness' gave the English language the idiom 'God moves in a mysterious way'.
William Cowper (1731-1800) was an English poet. He wrote about everyday life and scenes of the English countryside. In 1773, Cowper began to write religious hymns. Some of his popular hymns are 'The Spirit Breathes Upon the Word' and 'What Various Hindrances We Meet'. His poem 'Light Shining out of Darkness' gave the English language the idiom 'God moves in a mysterious way'.
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# Summary :
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A nightingale used to make the people of a village happy by singing songs throughout the day; it sang even in the evenings.
One day, when the nightingale was feeling hungry, it began looking around for food. Far away above the ground it saw something shining in the dark. It understood from the spark that it was a glow-worm.
So, the nightingale flew down from the hawthorn tree to eat the glow-worm.
The worm understood that the nightingale was going to eat it and tried to persuade the hungry bird with an elaborate speech. The glow-worm tried to flatter the nightingale by asking whether the bird admired the insect's sparkling light as much it admired the bird's beautiful singing. The glow-worm argued that the nightingale would be wrong if it hurt the glow-worm. It was the same divine power that had taught the nightingale to sing and the glow-worm to glow. They were the gifts of the divine to make the days beautiful and the nights cheerful.
The nightingale listened to the glow-worm and let out a high-pitched note of approval. The bird then let go of the insect and flew away to find food somewhere else.
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# Word - Meaning :
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⚈ Note suspended : Song stopped.
⚈ Eventide : Evening.
⚈ Appetite : Hunger.
⚈ Stooping : Bending one's head downwards.
⚈ Hawthorn : Small tree with thorns and flowers.
⚈ Crop : A pouch in a bird's throat to store food.
⚈ Intent : Purpose.
⚈ Harangued : Induce him to accept idea forcibly.
⚈ Eloquent : Fluent; expressive.
⚈ Quoth : Said.
⚈ Minstrelsy : Singing.
⚈ Abhor : Dislike.
⚈ Songster : Popular singer.
⚈ Oration : Speech.
⚈ Warbling : Singing with high-pitched notes.
⚈ Approbation : Agreement or approval.
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# Question Answers :
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# Choose the correct answers.
Q1. What made the Nightingale look around?
a. Village people
b. Note
c. Hunger ✅
d. Darkness
Q2. What did the Nightingale see in the dark?
a. A butterfly
b. A Glow-worm ✅
c. A light
d. A lamp
Q3. Where was the Nightingale perched?
a. On a hawthorn tree ✅
b. On a rock
c. On the ground
d. On the rooftop
Q4. Singing is to the Nightingale what is to the Glow-worm.
a. Minstrelsy
b. Shining ✅
c. Warbling
d. Beauty
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# Reference to the context.
Q.
'Did you admire my lamp,' quoth he,
'As much as I your minstrelsy... '
a. Who said these words and to whom?
Answer :
The glow-worm said these words to the nightingale.
b. What 'lamp' is the speaker referring to?
Answer :
The lamp refers to the glow-worm's natural light, a symbol of his own unique gift and inner beauty.
c. What is the speaker trying to do?
Answer :
The glow-worm is politely appealing to the nightingale's sense of fairness, suggesting mutual respect for each other's talents to avoid being eaten.
Q.
For 'twas the self-same power divine,
Taught you to sing, and me to shine
a. Who said this and to whom?
Answer :
These words were spoken by the glow-worm to the nightingale as part of his plea for mercy.
b. Which 'power' is being referred to here?
Answer :
The 'power' refers to God or the divine creator who bestowed unique gifts upon every creature.
c. What skill does the speaker exhibit in these lines?
Answer :
The glow-worm shows wisdom and persuasive reasoning by highlighting equality and divine purpose in all beings.
Q.
‘The songster heard his short oration,
And warbling out his approbation…’
a. Who is the songster?
Answer :
The Nightingale.
b. Whose oration did he hear?
Answer :
The glow-worm's oration is heard by nightingale.
c. Why was he impressed with the speech?
Answer :
The nightingale was ipressed with the speech as he had understood that every living being is different and has his/her unique quality and that the differences should be respected for peaceful co-existence.
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# Answer the following questions :
Q.
What was the Nightingale doing all day long?
Answer :
The nightingale spent the entire day singing melodious tunes that delighted the villagers. His sweet voice attracted much praise and admiration. Immersed in his song, he didn't notice the time passing. Singing brought him joy, but by evening, he felt tired and hungry after her long performance.
Q.
How did the Nightingale see the Glow-worm?
Answer :
While searching for food in the evening, the hungry nightingale noticed a soft glow in the grass. Curious, he moved closer and discovered a tiny glow worm shining gently in the darkness. Intrigued by its light, she considered eating it, not realizing it was a creature of beauty and purpose.
Q.
Did he eat the Glow-worm? Why?
Answer :
No, the nightingale did not eat the glow worm. The glow worm cleverly explained that both of them had divine gifts-he had voice, he had light. Taking a life that shared a divine talent seemed wrong. The nightingale, moved by this reasoning, spared him, understanding that all creation has value.
Q.
How did the Nightingale satisfy his hunger?
Answer :
After sparing the glow worm, the nightingale looked elsewhere for food. His hunger remained, but her conscience was clear. Eventually, he found something else to eat, choosing not to harm a fellow artist. This showed his ability to value life and wisdom over mere survival, guided by kindness and respect.
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# Learn More :
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| New Images | Class 8 English Syllabus |
|---|---|
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Poem : 'IF' by Rudyard Kipling. |
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Poem : 'The Nightingale and The Glow worm' by William Cowper. |
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Story : 'The Three Questions' by Leo Tolstoy. |
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Story : 'A Promise Not Kept' by Somdev Bhatt. |
 |
Story : 'A Robot in the House' by Dilip M Salwi. |
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Story : 'The Tea Kettle' by Priyankar Gupta. |
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Story : 'Paradise on Earth' by Medhavi Davda. |
