NCERT Solutions for Class VIII : Chapter 4 The Last Bargain (Poem) Honeydew English

Rabindranath Tagore

Page No: 75

Working with Poem

1. Who is the speaker in the poem?

Answer

The speaker in the poem is a man who is looking for work.

2. “The king, sword in hand” suggests
(i) wealth
(ii) power
(iii) more power than wealth
Mark the appropriate item in the context of stanza 1.
► (ii) power

3. The old man offered the speaker a lot of money.
Why did he turn down the offer?

Answer

The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. However, he turned it down becausehe realised that money cannot give him what he actually desires. He had not till then realised that what he actually desired was happiness. When the old man was counting the gold coins, the speaker realised that once the money was finished or the work the old man wanted to hire him for was done, he would again be out of work. More than that, he would be bound in this bargain. It did not satisfy him and therefore, he turned it down.

4. Find in the poem, lines that match the following. Read both one after another.
(i) I have nothing to give you
Except goodwill and cheer.
(ii) Her happiness was no more
Than sorrow in disguise.
(iii) The king’s might was not worth much.

Answer

(i) ‘I hire you with nothing.’
(ii) ‘Her smile paled and melted into tears’.
(iii) ‘But his power counted for naught’.

5. How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach?

Answer

After talking to the child on the beach the speaker felt extremely happy.