The Ant and the Cricket Poem Word-meaning Summary Question Answer

 The Ant and the Cricket Poem

A fable is a story, often with animals as characters, that conveys a moral. This poem about an ant and a cricket contains an idea of far-reaching significance, which is as true of a four-legged cricket as of a ‘two-legged one’. Surely, you have seen a cricket that has two legs!

A silly young cricket, accustomed to sing

Through the warm, sunny months of gay summer and spring,

Began to complain when he found that, at home,

His cupboard was empty, and winter was come.

Not a crumb to be found

On the snow-covered ground;

Not a flower could he see,

Not a leaf on a tree.

“Oh! What will become,” says the cricket, “of me?”

At last by starvation and famine made bold,

All dripping with wet, and all trembling with cold.

Away he set off to a miserly ant,

To see if, to keep him alive, he would grant

Him shelter from rain,

And a mouthful of grain.

He wished only to borrow;

He’d repay it tomorrow;

If not, he must die of starvation and sorrow.

Says the ant to the cricket, I’m your servant and friend,

But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend.

But tell me, dear cricket, did you lay nothing by

When the weather was warm?” Quoth the cricket, “Not I!

My heart was so light

That I sang day and night,

For all nature looked gay.”

“You sang, Sir you say?

Go then,” says the ant, and dance the winter away,”

Thus ending, he hastily lifted the wicket,

And out of the door turned the poor little cricket.

Folks call this sa fable, I’ll warrant it true:

Some crickets have four legs, and some have two.

-adapted from Aesop’s Fable

Word-meaning of The Ant and the Cricket 

ant - an insect, चींटी 

cricket - झींगुर

accustomed to sing -  habit of singing, used to sing, गाने के आदी - गाने की आदत, गाते थे

famine - scarcity of food, अकाल - भोजन की कमी

lay nothing by - save nothing, कुछ नहीं रखना - कुछ भी नहीं बचाना

quoth  (in old English) - (पुरानी अंग्रेज़ी में quoth) said, कहा

gay - two of same kind, एक ही तरह के दो

starvation - die of hunger, भुखमरी - भूख से मरना

set off - begin a journey, शुरू करना - एक यात्रा शुरू करना

warrant -  to make assure, true,आश्वासन देने के लिए, सच

Summary of The Ant and the Cricket 

"The Ant and the Cricket" poem is adopted from Aesop's Fables. A fable is a story, often with animals as characters, that conveys a moral.

In this poem there are two characters - the ant and the cricket. When it was sunny and warm and pleasant days of summer and spring, the cricket used to sing only.

When winter comes, the cricket found nothing to eat. The ground and even the trees were covered with snow.

The cricket went to his friend, the miserly Ant. The cricket asked for shelter and food. He wanted to borrow and would repay it.

The ant asked him what he was doing in summer days. 

The cricket told that it sang through the warm and sunny months of summer and had not stored any food for winter. 

So the ant tells the cricket to dance in the winter and made him out of his house.

The Ant and the Cricket Moral

People should prepare to face the adverse times. Always work hard. Should not waste time save everything.

Summary of The Ant and the Cricket in Hindi

कविता को ईसप की दंतकथाओं से अपनाया गया है, यह अक्सर जानवरों के चरित्र के रूप में एक नैतिक संदेश देती है।

इस कविता में दो पात्र हैं - चींटी और क्रिकेट। जब धूप और गर्मी और गर्मी और वसंत के सुखद दिन थे, तो क्रिकेट केवल गाता था।

जब सर्दी आती है, तो उसे खाने के लिए कुछ नहीं मिलता है। जमीन और यहां तक कि पेड़ भी बर्फ से ढके हुए थे।

क्रिकेट दोस्त चींटी के पास गया। क्रिकेट ने आश्रय और भोजन मांगा। वह उधार लेना चाहता था और उसे वह चुकाएगा।

चींटी ने उससे पूछा कि वह गर्मी के दिनों में क्या किया।

क्रिकेट ने बताया कि वह गर्म और धूप के महीनों के दौरान गाया और सर्दियों के लिए कोई भोजन संग्रहीत नहीं किया।

इसलिए चींटी ने क्रिकेट को सर्दियों में नृत्य करने के लिए कहा और उसे अपने घर से बाहर कर दिया।

The Ant and the Cricket Question Answer

Working With the Poem

1.The cricket says, “Oh! What will become of me?” When does he say it, and why?

Ans. – When the cricket found that there was nothing to eat ,then he said ,“Oh! What will become of me.” Because it was winter and the the ground, even trees were covered with snow.

2.(i) Find in the poem the lines that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” (Shakespeare).

Ans. - that mean the same as “Neither a borrower nor a lender be” are –

“But we ants never borrow; we ants never lend."

(ii) What is your opinion of the ant’s principal?

Ans. – Ant’s principal is very strict and harsh, but it is very true and important. Ants are hard-working. 

3.The ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”. Do you think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here? If so,why?

Ans. – The cricket told that it sang through the warm and sunny months of summer and had not stored any food for winter. So the ant tells the cricket to “dance the winter away”.

So, I think the word ‘dance’ is appropriate here.

4. (i) Which lines in the poem express the poet’s comment? Read them aloud.

Ans. – The lines in the poem express the poet’s comment are -

“Folks call this a fable. I’ll warrant it true:”

(ii) Write the comment in your own words.

Ans. – It means it is not only a story but a truth that people should be prepare to face the adverse times. Always work hard instead of being negligent. They Should not waste time save everything.