Class 8 — Honeydew — Poem: The Last Bargain (by Rabindranath Tagore)
Original Text
Explanation + हिन्दी अर्थ
Hard Spellings
Q&A (Bilingual)
Summary & Poet
Original Preface (as in the book)
A bargain is an agreement in which both parties promise to do something for each other. Someone is looking for work, waiting to be hired. He strikes a bargain but thinks it worthless. He tries twice again but doesn't like either. Finally, in the last bargain, when he is hired for nothing whatever, he is happy as never before. What is the bargain, and why is it the best?
Original Poem Text
“Come and hire me,” I cried, while in the morning I was walking on the stone-paved road. Sword in hand the King came in his chariot. He held my hand and said, “I will hire you with my power,” But his power counted for naught, and he went away in his chariot. In the heat of the mid-day the houses stood with shut doors. I wandered along the crooked lane. An old man came out with his bag of gold. He pondered and said, “I will hire you with my money.” He weighed his coins one by one, but I turned away. It was evening. The garden hedge was all aflower. The fair maid came out and said, “I will hire you with a smile.” Her smile paled and melted into tears, and she went back alone into the dark. The sun glistened on the sand, and the sea waves broke waywardly. A child sat playing with shells. He raised his head and seemed to know me and said, “I hire you with nothing.” From henceforward that bargain struck in child’s play made me a free man. — RABINDRANATH TAGORE
Note: ऊपर दिया गया मूल पाठ जस-का-तस रखा गया है।
Explanation + हिन्दी अर्थ (Stanza-wise)
Stanza 1 — EN
The speaker offers himself to be hired. The King offers power, but the speaker feels that naked power cannot give inner freedom or happiness—so the bargain fails.
Stanza 1 — हिन्दी
कवि स्वयं को “रोज़गार” के लिए प्रस्तुत करता है। राजा “सत्ता/बल” देने का सौदा करता है, पर कवि समझता है कि केवल शक्ति से भीतरी आज़ादी नहीं मिलती—यह सौदा अस्वीकार।
Stanza 2 — EN
At noon an old man offers money. The speaker realises riches buy labour, not the self; so he turns away. Wealth without dignity is worthless.
Stanza 2 — हिन्दी
दोपहर में एक धनवान बुज़ुर्ग रुपये से “भर्ती” करना चाहता है। कवि जानता है कि धन से श्रम खरीदा जा सकता है, स्वत्व नहीं—इसलिए ठुकरा देता है।
Stanza 3 — EN
In the evening a fair maid offers love (“a smile”). But her smile melts into tears—love rooted in desire can turn to sorrow; that bargain too collapses.
Stanza 3 — हिन्दी
शाम को एक सुंदरी “मुस्कान” से सौदा करना चाहती है; पर मुस्कान आँसुओं में बदल जाती है—आसक्ति-आधारित प्रेम दुख में बदल सकता है, इसलिए यह सौदा भी अस्वीकार।
Stanza 4 — EN
By the sea, a child hires him “with nothing”. This playful, unconditional bond sets the speaker free—no price, no power, no possession—only joy.
Stanza 4 — हिन्दी
समुद्र-तट पर बालक उसे “बिना कुछ” के नियुक्त करता है। यह निस्वार्थ, निष्कपट बंधन कवि को स्वतंत्र कर देता है—न कीमत, न हुक्म, बस आनंद।
Hard Spellings • Meanings • हिन्दी अर्थ
| Word | Meaning | हिन्दी | Pronunciation (guide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| stone-paved | with a surface covered in stone slabs | पत्थरों से जड़ी सड़क | स्टोन-페व्ड |
| chariot | two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage (royal) | रथ | चैरि-अट |
| counted for naught | was of no value | किसी काम का नहीं | नॉट |
| crooked lane | bent/twisting alley | टेढ़ी-मेढ़ी गली | क्रुक्ड |
| pondered | thought deeply | गंभीरता से सोचा | पॉन्डर्ड |
| aflower | in bloom | खिले हुए फूलों से भरा | अ-फ्लॉर |
| paled | became faint or less bright | फीका पड़ जाना | पेल्ड |
| waywardly | in an unpredictable/capricious way | अनियंत्रित ढंग से | वे-वर्ड-ली |
| glistened | shone with reflected light | झिलमिलाना/चमकना | ग्लिसन्ड |
| henceforward | from now on | अब से आगे | हेन्स-फॉरवर्ड |
| bargain | deal/contract | सौदा/अनुबंध | बार्गिन |
Summary • सार
EN
The speaker rejects three bargains—power (King), money (old man), and desire-bound love (maid)—because each threatens freedom. A child hires him “for nothing”, i.e., without conditions. This unconditional, playful bond gives true joy and inner freedom; hence it is the “last” and best bargain.
HI
वक्ता तीन सौदे ठुकराता है—सत्ता, धन और आसक्ति-जन्य प्रेम—क्योंकि ये स्वतंत्रता छीनते हैं। बालक “बिना किसी मूल्य” के “भर्ती” करता है—यही निष्काम, निस्वार्थ संबंध उसे सच्चा आनंद और आत्मिक मुक्ति देता है; इसलिए यही सबसे अच्छा सौदा है।
About the Poet • कवि परिचय
Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941)
Poet, novelist, dramatist, composer; first Asian Nobel laureate in Literature (1913) for Gitanjali. Founded Visva-Bharati (Santiniketan). Themes: humanism, freedom, nature, and the innocence of childhood—as seen in “The Last Bargain”.
रवीन्द्रनाथ ठाकुर
कवि-कथाकार-नाटककार-संगीतकार; गीतांजलि के लिए 1913 में नोबेल साहित्य पुरस्कार। शांतिनिकेतन (विश्व-भारती) के संस्थापक। उनकी रचनाएँ मानवीयता, स्वतंत्रता, प्रकृति व बाल-निर्मलता का उत्सव हैं—जैसा इस कविता में भी है।
Comprehension Questions (Original) + Answers
1. Who is the speaker in the poem?
Answer The wandering job-seeker/poet-speaker himself who wishes to be “hired”.
उत्तर स्वयं कवि-वक्ता/रोज़गार-प्रार्थी, जो “hire” होने की इच्छा रखता है।
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.
Answer (ii) power (symbol of authority and command).
उत्तर (ii) शक्ति/सत्ता (आदेश व अधिकार का संकेत)।
3. The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. Why did he turn down the offer?
Answer Because money can buy labour, not freedom or the self; the speaker values dignity over riches.
उत्तर क्योंकि धन स्वतंत्रता/स्वत्व नहीं खरीद सकता; कवि के लिए मान-प्रतिष्ठा धन से ऊपर है।
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 (lines)
(i) “I hire you with nothing.”
(ii) “Her smile paled and melted into tears.”
(iii) “But his power counted for naught.”
(ii) “Her smile paled and melted into tears.”
(iii) “But his power counted for naught.”
उत्तर (पंक्तियाँ)
(i) “I hire you with nothing.” — देने को कुछ नहीं, केवल शुभभावना।
(ii) “Her smile paled and melted into tears.” — प्रसन्नता दुख में बदल गई।
(iii) “But his power counted for naught.” — राजा की शक्ति निष्फल सिद्ध हुई।
(ii) “Her smile paled and melted into tears.” — प्रसन्नता दुख में बदल गई।
(iii) “But his power counted for naught.” — राजा की शक्ति निष्फल सिद्ध हुई।
5. How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach?
Answer Happy and free—the child’s unconditional “hire” made him a free man.
उत्तर प्रसन्न और स्वतंत्र—बच्चे के निस्वार्थ “hire” ने उसे मुक्त कर दिया।
Quick Revision
Best bargain = unconditional freedom
Power ✖ Money ✖ Desire-bound love ✖
Child’s play = joy without price
Key images: chariot, gold, smile/tears, shells, sea