The Tiger and the Deer by Aurobindo
The Tiger and the Deer by Aurobindo
Brilliant, crouching, slouching, what crept through the green heart of the forest,
Gleaming eyes and mighty chest and soft soundless paws of grandeur and murder?
The wind slipped through the leaves as if afraid lest its voice And the noise of its steps perturb the pitiless Splendour,
Hardly daring to breathe. But the great beast crouched and crept, and crept and crouched a last time, noiseless, fatal,
Till suddenly death leaped on the beautiful wild deer as it drank
Unsuspecting from the great pool in the forest’s coolness and shadow,
And it fell and, torn, died remembering its mate left sole in the deep woodland,
– Destroyed, the mild harmless beauty by the strong cruel beauty in Nature.
But a day may yet come when the tiger crouches and leaps no more in the dangerous heart of the forest,
As the mammoth shakes no more the plains of Asia;
Aurobindo's
short poem 'The Tiger and the Deer' is a didactic poem. It is a contrast
between good and evil, innocence and experience, and life and death.
The poem
begins with a description of the tiger. The tiger crouches and slouches
brilliantly though the green forest. It has gleaming eyes, mighty chest and
soft soundless paws.
Generally,
people are afraid of the tiger. They hate it because it is rough and dangerous.
In the poem, the world of tiger stands for death, darkness and arrogance.
The innocent
deer drinks water from the great pool in the forest. It is unaware of the
tiger's plan of attack. The tiger crouches slowly to attack the deer.
Then the
fierce tiger has leaped up over the deer and torn it to pieces. The deer died
pathetically thinking about its mate.
The deer in
the poem suggests innocence, softness and love. The killing of the deer by the
tiger suggests the death and destruction of healthy values of life by the
cruelty of modern civilization.
The poet
closes the poem with a note of optimism. He says that in spite of the various
blows of death and darkness, life is a thing to be enjoyed. Sufferings are not
eternal. He teaches the lesson that those who harm others will be destroyed
like the mammoth. The mammoth shook the plains of Asia once upon a time. But it
is extinct now. Since the tiger kills and harms other animals, the same fate of
mammoth would come to it. But then the deer would drink without any fear in the
cool ponds of the forest. The poet beautifully tells,
"The
mighty perish in their might The slain survive the slayer".
Thus, the
poem expresses the poet's longing for a peaceful and harmless world.
Q. Answer
the following questions in 15-20 words:
(i) The
tiger stands for evil, cruelty, fear and oppression. / death, darkness and
arrogance.
(ii) The
deer stands for innocence, softness and love.
(iii) A
tiger’s paws are very soft thus making no noise while it walks. So the tiger
creeps noiselessly and hunts the deer.
(iv) “As the
mammoth shakes no more the plains of Asia” indicates the extinction of tiger
from Asia. They have been indiscriminately hunted.
Q. (i) “The
wind slipped through the leaves, as if afraid lest its voice and noise of its
steps perturb the pitiless Splendour.” Explain whose voice and noise of steps
perturbed the grandeur?
Answer: The
tiger is so cruel that even the wind does not dare to face him. It is blowing
above the leaves of the trees without making a noise. It is blowing so calmly
and silently as if it does not want to disturb the mighty tiger.
(ii)
“Destroyed, the mild harmless beauty by the strong cruel beauty in Nature.”
Explain the line.
Answer: The
strong cruel beauty in Nature i.e. the tiger kills the mild harmless beauty in
Nature i.e. the deer. Thus the evil wins over the good. The tiger crouches
slowly to attack the deer; the fierce tiger has leaped up over the deer and
torn it to pieces. The deer died pathetically thinking about its mate.
(iii) Which
expression in the poem reveals the optimistic mood of the poet?
Answer: “The
mighty perish in their might; The slain survive the slayer” is the expression
in the poem that reveals the optimistic mood of the poet. The poet envisions
the prevalence of goodness. He paints the bright future when the evil will be
exceeded by the good.
Answer
the following questions in 150 words each:
(a) How
would you relate the killing of the innocent deer by the tiger with the healthy
values of life by the cruelty of modern civilization or the materialistic mind?
Answer: the
tiger in the poem stands for death, evil and darkness whereas the dear is a
symbol of innocence, peace and soul. The tiger kills the deer and tears it
apart into pieces. This killing of the deer by the tiger suggests the death and
destruction of the healthy values of life by the cruelty of modern civilization
or the materialistic mind on the social and historical plane. It suggests
cremation of old ideals and traditions by the fire of modern science and
fashion. On the ethical and mystical
plane, it suggests the mass neglect of the voice of the soul by the various
waves of mind.
A true
happiness in this world is the right terrestrial aim of man, and true happiness
lies in the finding and maintenance of a natural harmony of spirit, mind and
body. A culture is to be valued to the extent to which it has discovered the
right key of this harmony and organised its expressive motives and movements.
And a civilisation must be judged by the manner in which all its principles,
ideas, forms, ways of living work to bring that harmony out, manage its
rhythmic play and secure its continuance or the development of its motives
(b) The poet
has presented a balanced picture of nature where both nectar and poison are
equally essential for the existence of life. Justify their significance.
Answer: Sri
Aurobindo has presented a balanced picture of nature where both nectar and
poison are equally essential for the existence of life. Everything which God
has made has some meaning. Perhaps this is why the poet has praised even the
cruel beauty of the nature i.e. a tiger in the poem. Even when describing the
tiger the poet uses the words ‘strong beauty’, ‘soft paws’, ‘mighty chest’ and
‘gleaming eyes’. He addresses the deer ‘wild deer’ two times thus reminding us
that both the tiger and the deer a part of the same nature. It reminds us of
the duality of nature and creation. Nature at the same is swift, fragile and cool
and calm, but at the same time tameless, swift and windy. Sometimes placid and
sometimes horrific, tempestuous and terrible is it unexpectedly. The tiger and
the deer elements are the aspects of the same creation. How to
upturn the process? What it is beautiful remains it not so unto the last. What
it strikes us is this that beauty is throttled and destroyed untimely. The
mighty believing in the victory of the sword finish it all in prowess, taking
them timid and cowardly. But that day too is not far from when the mighty will
perish in their might. They will appear helpless before and will have to hang
their swords.
(c) What
inspiring message does the poem convey?
Answer: The
poet compares the deer to attributes like love, softness and innocence. He
describes the tiger’s action as the end of good healthy values in life. Even as
he says that life is meant to be enjoyed, one cannot but help understand the
poet’s longing for a peaceful world without harm to anyone.
The poet
closes the poem with a note of optimism. He says that in spite of the various
blows of death and darkness, life is a thing to be enjoyed. Sufferings are not
eternal. He teaches the lesson that those who harm others will be destroyed
like the mammoth. The mammoth shook the plains of Asia once upon a time. But it
is extinct now. Since the tiger kills and harms other animals, the same fate of
mammoth would come to it. But then the deer would drink without any fear in the
cool ponds of the forest. The poet beautifully tells,
"The
mighty perish in their might The slam survive the slayer".
Thus, the
poem expresses the poet's longing for a peaceful and harmless world.
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