Class 7 — Honeycomb — Poem 1: The Squirrel
Original Text
Bilingual Explanation
Working with the Poem (Original Qs)
Intro (Original)
You may have seen a squirrel sitting on the ground eating a nut. What did it look like? Here is a poet’s description of just such a squirrel.
Original Poem — The Squirrel
He wore a question mark for tail, An overcoat of gray, He sat up straight to eat a nut. He liked to tease and play, And if we ran around his tree, He went the other way. — MILDRED BOWERS ARMSTRONG
Note: ऊपर कविता का मूल पाठ जस-का-तस रखा गया है (कोई बदलाव नहीं)।
Explanation • हिन्दी अर्थ (Bilingual)
ENGLISH
The poet paints a playful picture: the squirrel’s bushy tail curls like a question mark, its fur is a gray overcoat, it munches sitting upright, and teases children by circling to the opposite side of the tree. Tone: light, affectionate, full of movement.
हिन्दी
कवि गिलहरी को चंचल रूप में दिखाता है—उसकी घुमावदार पूँछ प्रश्नवाचक चिह्न जैसी, रोएँदार धूसर कोट-सा रंग, सीधा बैठकर मेवा चबाना, और बच्चों को छेड़ते हुए पेड़ के दूसरी ओर फुर्र से भाग जाना। भाव: हल्का-फुल्का, स्नेहपूर्ण, गतिशील।
Imagery: question-mark tail, gray overcoat, upright posture
Tone: playful & teasing
Rhyme: short, musical lines (AA BB CC feel)
Working with the Poem — Original Questions
1. Why does the poet say the squirrel “wore a question mark for tail”? Draw a squirrel, or find a picture of a squirrel sitting on the ground. How would you describe its tail?
2. Do we usually say that an animal ‘wears’ a tail? What do we say? (Think: Does an animal wear a coat? Consult a dictionary if you like, and find out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways.)
3. “He liked to tease and play”. Who is teasing whom? How ?
Hints (EN)
Q1: Tail curve shape → “?”; words like bushy, curled, flicking.
Q2: Usually we say animals have a tail; “wear” is a metaphor; note: “wear a smile/coat/colour”.
Q3: Squirrel teases children/speaker by darting to the opposite side of the trunk.
Q2: Usually we say animals have a tail; “wear” is a metaphor; note: “wear a smile/coat/colour”.
Q3: Squirrel teases children/speaker by darting to the opposite side of the trunk.
संकेत (HI)
प्र1: पूँछ का घुमाव “?” जैसा; शब्द: घनी/झबरी, मुड़ी हुई, फड़फड़ाती।
प्र2: आमतौर पर कहते हैं—जानवर के पास/उसकी पूँछ होती है; “wear” रूपक है (जैसे—wear a smile)।
प्र3: गिलहरी बच्चों/कवि को छेड़ती है—वे जिधर दौड़ें, यह पेड़ के उल्टी दिशा में घूम जाती है।
प्र2: आमतौर पर कहते हैं—जानवर के पास/उसकी पूँछ होती है; “wear” रूपक है (जैसे—wear a smile)।
प्र3: गिलहरी बच्चों/कवि को छेड़ती है—वे जिधर दौड़ें, यह पेड़ के उल्टी दिशा में घूम जाती है।
Answer 1 (EN)
Because the squirrel’s bushy tail curls over its back like a question mark. Its tail is curved, fluffy, and quick-flicking, giving a neat “?” shape when it sits.
उत्तर 1 (HI)
क्योंकि गिलहरी की झबरी पूँछ पीठ पर मुड़कर प्रश्नवाचक चिह्न जैसी दिखती है—घुमावदार, मुलायम, फुर्ती से हिलती।
Answer 2 (EN)
We don’t usually say an animal wears a tail; we say it has a tail. Here, wear is a playful metaphor—just as we say “wear a smile / wear one’s hair short”.
उत्तर 2 (HI)
सामान्यतः हम नहीं कहते कि जानवर पूँछ पहनता है; हम कहते हैं कि उसके पास/उसकी पूँछ होती है। यहाँ wear रूपक है—जैसे “wear a smile” (मुस्कान पहनना)।
Answer 3 (EN)
The squirrel is teasing the children/speaker—whenever they run around the tree, it playfully darts to the other side.
उत्तर 3 (HI)
गिलहरी बच्चों/कवि को छेड़ती है—वे जिधर दौड़ें, यह शरारत से पेड़ की दूसरी ओर घूम जाती है।
Poet • कवयित्री
Mildred Bowers Armstrong The poet captures small, lively details of everyday nature—here, the squirrel’s tail, posture and playful movement—through compact, musical lines.
माइल्ड्रेड बावर्स आर्मस्ट्रॉन्ग कवयित्री प्रकृति की नन्हीं हरकतों को सजीव रूप में दिखाती हैं—गिलहरी की पूँछ, बैठने का ढंग और शरारती दौड़—छोटी, लयात्मक पंक्तियों में।
“The Squirrel” — Hard Spellings • Meanings • हिन्दी अर्थ
Poem: The Squirrel (Mildred Bowers Armstrong)
Class 7 — Honeycomb
| Word (Spelling) | Meaning (EN) | हिन्दी अर्थ | Example (from/like the poem) |
|---|---|---|---|
| squirrel | Small, quick-moving rodent with a bushy tail. | गिलहरी | The squirrel sat up straight. |
| question | Something asked; here, a “?” shape. | प्रश्न | A question mark-shaped tail. |
| overcoat | Long warm coat; metaphor for grey fur. | ओवरकोट (गरम कोट) | An overcoat of gray. |
| straight | Not bent; upright. | सीधा / सीधा बैठा | He sat up straight to eat. |
| tease | To make fun playfully; to provoke in fun. | छेड़ना, चिढ़ाना | He liked to tease and play. |
| around | In a circular way; on every side. | चारों ओर, आसपास | We ran around his tree. |
| other | The second/remaining side or thing. | दूसरी (ओर) | He went the other way. |
| description | Account of what something looks like. | वर्णन | A poet’s description of a squirrel. |
| playful | Fond of games/joking; lively. | चंचल, शरारती | A playful little animal. |
| sitting | In a seated position. | बैठना/बैठे हुए | Sitting on the ground. |
| ground | The surface of the earth. | ज़मीन | On the ground eating a nut. |
| gray (BrE: grey) | Colour between black and white. | धूसर/स्लेटी | An overcoat of gray. |
| tail | Back appendage of an animal. | पूँछ | A question-mark tail. |
| wore (past of wear) | Had on the body; here, metaphorically. | पहन रखा था | He wore a question mark for tail. |
| nut | Edible seed with a hard shell. | मेवा/अखरोट-प्रकार | To eat a nut. |
Memory Tip: “squirrel” = skwir + rel (two beats), “straight” has silent gh, “wear/wore” works for clothes or metaphor (wear a smile).
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