2. Poem Class 8th Tulip Series
Porus and His Elephant
Hear ye a tale of the days gone by,
(Days whose recording is short and scant)
This is a tale that can never die,
Told of a king and
his elephant!
Out on the plain where the waters go,
Out on the banks of the Jhelum wide,
Porus the king went
to meet his foe,
Porus the king in his battle-pride.
Drawn up his elephants in array,
Standing in state, in unbroken rank;
While Alexander the Great, for fray,
Led up his troops on the other bank.
Fierce raged the fight; it was hard to tell
What would betide,
and they fought the more.
Till, from his
elephant, sudden fell
Porus the king, who was wounded sore.
Then did the elephant, faithful beast,
For his defence play a gallant part;
Standing above him, lest e'er the least
Harm should assail him, from blow or dart.
Trumpeting loudly, he held at bay
Foreman with arrow or spear or sword.
Challenged them all to approach their prey,
Dared them to injure his wounded lord.
Then at the last, with his mighty trunk,
Lifted him tenderly on his head,
Bore him in unconscious faintness sunk,
Where he could rest without fear or dread.
Ah ! these dumb things that but cry and pant.
They, too, can love, for God made them so;
Porus was saved; but
his elephant
Died from his wounds; thus the legends go.
(Mary Dobson)
Summary
The poem “Porus and His Elephant” is a lyrical ballad. It is written by Mary Dobson. The poem narrates a legend about a king named Porus and his faithful elephant. Porus is confronted with his enemy Alexander. They fought a fierce battle. Porus was fighting bravely on his elephant. But suddenly Porus got injured and fell down from his elephant. The faithful elephant came to his rescue. The elephant did not allow the enemy to come near Porus. Then the elephant took his master to safety. In this endeavor, the elephant received several wounds. Porus survived but his faithful elephant succumbed to his wounds/injuries. The beasts who are dumb also have feelings as proved by the elephant.
The poet wants to convey that these animals may seem dumb to us but even they can love and show their feelings by crying and panting. King Porus was saved but his elephant died from his wound. This story of animal faithfulness and bravery became a legend for the people to remember.
Questions Answers
Thinking about the poem
Q.1 How did the elephant save the life of Porus?
Ans. During the fierce battle between the armies of Porus and Alexander, Porus was wounded. When the wounded Porus fell down, his elephant provided him cover from the shower of arrows, spears, and swords. The elephant lifted Porus on his trunk and took him to safety. In this endeavor, the elephant received several wounds. The faithful elephant succumbed to his wounds, but his master survived.
Q.2 What does the poet mean by:
Ah! These dumb things that cry and pant,
They, too, can love, for God made them so.
Ans. In these lines the poet says that the beasts are unable to speak, but they too can feel pain and express their emotions. These creatures are also capable of loving because God also made them like that.
Porus and His Elephant
Q.3 Write the story told in the poem in your own words.
Ans. The poem “Porus and His Elephant” is a lyrical ballad. It is written by Mary Dobson. The poem narrates a legend about a king named Porus and his faithful elephant. Porus is confronted with his enemy Alexander. They fought a fierce battle. Porus was fighting bravely on his elephant. But suddenly Porus got injured and fell down from his elephant. The faithful elephant came to his rescue. The elephant did not allow the enemy to come near Porus. Then the elephant took his master to safety. In this endeavor, the elephant received several wounds. Porus survived but his faithful elephant succumbed to his wounds/injuries. The beasts who are dumb also have feelings as proved by the elephant.
The poet wants to convey that these animals may seem dumb to us but even they can love and show their feelings by crying and panting. King Porus was saved but his elephant died from his wound. This story of animal faithfulness and bravery became a legend for the people to remember.
Q.4 What is the rhyme scheme of Porus and His Elephant?
Ans. abab
Q.5 The poem reflects the faithfulness of an elephant towards his master. Explain.
Ans. The elephant, in the poem, stands on the epitome of faithfulness and of exemplary courage. The elephant risks his own life only to be loyal to his master. It testifies his faithfulness by laying his precious life for keeping his master breathing.
Q. 6. Tick the right answer:
a. Porus met his enemy on the bank of a. The Nile b. The Jhelum c. The Ganges d. The Satluj .
Ans. b. The Jhelum
b. Alexander in the poem is referred to as a. Friend b. Foe c. Brother d.Statesman
Ans. b. Foe
c. Who was wounded? a. Alexander b. Porus c. Both d. None
Ans. b. Porus
d. The wounded Porus is lifted by a. His own soldiers b. Soldiers of Alexander c. The Elephant d. None
Ans. c. The elephant
e. Who saves Porus? a. His Elephant b. His soldiers’ c. Both d. Villagers
Ans. a. His Elephant
LANGUAGE WORK
I. Use the following words, phrases, and expressions in your sentences:
Days gone by, fray, to hold at a bay, battle-pride, fought the more, gallant part, mighty trunk
Ans.
Days gone by: Days have gone by, since we met.
Fray: Alexander came to India for fray.
To hold at bay: Our soldiers hold at bay our enemies.
Battle-pride: Participation in the war was considered as battle-pride in olden times.
Fought the more: Porus fought the more against Alexander.
Gallant part: The elephant played a gallant part in the fight between Porus and Alexander.
Mighty trunk: The elephant lifted his master on his back with his mighty trunk to save him.
II. Use the following words as nouns and verbs in your sentences:
Record, Present, Object, Contest, Produce
Ans. Record:
(Noun) I keep the record of my all expenditures.
(Verb) In Kashmir, the maximum temperature was recorded as 35ºC.
Present:
(Noun) He gave me a present on my birthday.
(Verb) The student presented himself before the headmaster.
Object:
(Noun) Do not touch an unclaimed object on the road.
(Verb) He was objected by people in his rude language.
(Noun) A music contest was conducted at Radio Kashmir Srinagar on Saturday.
(Verb) He contested for writing an essay in English.
Produce:
(Noun) This year he obtained a sufficient produce from his farm.
(Verb) A large quantity of paddy is produced in Kashmir.
