Chapter 1.3 - The Pilgrim
An old pilgrim is walking along a deserted highway. On a cold and gray evening, he reaches a deep and wide ravine. The old man crosses the ravine in the dim twilight. He is experienced and not afraid of it. However, when he reaches the other side safely, he stops and builds a bridge across the ravine and the flowing water.
A fellow traveller asks him why he is wasting his time building the bridge, for his journey is over and he will never pass that way again. The fellow traveller is puzzled and asks again why the pilgrim, who has already crossed the deep and wide ravine, is building a bridge so late in the evening.
The pilgrim raises his old, gray head and explains his reasons. He says that there is a fair-haired youth behind him who has to take the same path as him. The old pilgrim was experienced and was not afraid of crossing the ravine. However, the fair-hatred youth is inexperienced, and there may be traps ahead for him. He, too, would have to cross the ravine in the dim twilight, and the old man was building a bridge to help this youth.
The underlying meaning of the poem is that those who have faced the difficulties of life successfully and are experienced must be unselfish and help those who are experienced and may face difficulties.
chasm : ravine, a very deep, steep gap in the earth’s surface
span the tide : go across the tide
ye : (archaic) you
even tide : late evening
pitfall : trap
Warming up!
1. Make groups and discuss the following:
(a) What fatal dangers / problems did mankind face centuries ago, but are no longer a threat today?
Ans: Centuries ago, travellers did not have modern amenities like travelling in vehicles, knowing about the weather in advance, and other protective gear; they had to travel on foot without knowledge of the changing weather. The other danger would be animal attacks, as the earth was covered with dense forests everywhere. But the most fatal of them all were incurable diseases like tuberculosis and cholera.
(b) Name a few scientists / explorers / social reformers / inventors / discoverers, who spent most of their lives to find solutions to some major problems / setbacks that mankind faced.
Ans:
Scientist: Albert Einstein was a great Physicist and Mathematician who gave us the theory of relativity.
Inventor: Thomas Alva Edison invented the light bulb.
Explorer: Christopher Columbus explored America.
Social reformer: Mahatma Gandhi brought freedom from British Rule in India.
Discoverers: Roger Bacon discovered the magnifying glass.
(c) Did they themselves suffer from those problems / setbacks?
Ans: Yes, they did suffer problems and setbacks, but they strived hard to find a solution to these problems.
(d) What inspired them to spend the best part of their lives researching and share their findings?
Ans: The perseverance to help others may have inspired them to spend the best part of their lives researching and sharing their findings.
2. Read and understand the following poetic devices.
(A) If two or more words in the same line convey the same meaning, the Figure of Speech in that line is called Tautology.
For example:
It brought joy and cheer.
They groaned with aches and pains.
(B) Poets often change the proper grammatical order of words in the line of a poem, in order to make the lines rhyme or to emphasize upon something. The Figure of Speech in such lines is called ‘Inversion’ or ‘Anastrophe.’
For example :
Up came the sun.
Down the hill, it flowed.
(C) When a question is asked in order to create a dramatic effect and not to get an answer, in a line of the poem, the Figure of Speech used is called Interrogation / Rhetorical Question:
For example:
What is this life, if full of care?
When can their glory fade?
In Between The Lesson
Q1. What did the pilgrim do, although he had already crossed the chasm?
Ans: The old man had already crossed the chasm and probably would never pass that way again. So he had no need to build the bridge across the chasm.
Q2. What puzzled the fellow pilgrim?
Ans: The old pilgrim had already crossed the chasm and would never pass that way again. Yet he was building a bridge across the chasm. The fellow pilgrim could not understand the reason for this and was therefore puzzled.
Q3. Who could be the third pilgrim?
Ans: The third pilgrim could be a young, inexperienced youth.
ENGLISH WORKSHOP
1. Pick out words from the poem to fill in the web diagram. They should be related to the theme in the web.
Ans:
2. The entire poem is metaphorical (Implied comparison).
Match the words in Column A with what they imply in Column B.
| A | B |
|---|---|
(1) pilgrim | (a) threat to life |
(2) journey | (b) trap |
(3) evening or close of day | (c) life |
(4) chasm, deep and wide | (d) death |
(5) building a bridge | (e) old age |
(6) pitfall | (f) a dutiful man |
(7) close of day | (g) solving the problem / getting rid of threat to life |
Ans:
| A | B |
|---|---|
(1) pilgrim | (f) a dutiful man |
(2) journey | (c) life |
(3) evening or close of day | (e) old age |
(4) chasm, deep and wide | (a) threat to life |
(5) building a bridge | (g) solving the problem / getting rid of threat to life |
(6) pitfall | (b) trap |
(7) close of day | (d) death |
3. (A) Read the poem and write 3 qualities of each of the following.
The old pilgrim
Ans:
considerate
experienced
helpful
The fellow pilgrim
Ans:
curious
puzzled
thoughtless
The young pilgrim
Ans:
careless
frightened
inexperienced
(B) Answer in your own words.
(a) Why did the old man have no need to build the bridge across the chasm?
Ans: The old pilgrim had already crossed the chasm and would never pass that way again. Hence, the old man had no need to build the bridge across the chasm.
(b) What explanation did he give to the fellow-pilgrim for his thoughtful deed?
Ans: The old man said that though he had already crossed the chasm, there was a fair-haired youth who was about to pass that way. The old man was experienced and was not afraid of the chasm. However, the young man was inexperienced, and the chasm could prove to be a pitfall for him. He too had to cross it at twilight, and the old man was building a bridge to help this youth.
(c) What message does the poem convey to all of us?
Ans: The message that the poem conveys to us is that we must be generous and unselfish and think of others. We must try to help others who are not as experienced as we are.
4. (A) Note the rhyming words in the first stanza.
way – gray / wide-side- tide / dim -him.
The poet has used a deliberate pattern of lines that rhyme with other lines in the poem or the stanza. This pattern can be identified by giving the rhyming pairs of words the same letter of the alphabet.
For example:
1st stanza of this poem has the pattern AABCCBB
So, AABCCBB is called the Rhyme Scheme of the 1st stanza of the poem ‘The Pilgrim’.
4. Think and answer.
(a) What decision taken by Dick changed his fortune?
Ans: On hearing the church bells send out a message to him, Dick decided to retrace his steps and go back to Mr. Fitzwarren’s house instead of running away. This decision changed Dick’s fortune
(b) What message does this story bring out for youngsters?
Ans: The message that this story brings out for youngsters is that we must not run away from difficulties but face them bravely.
(B) Now write the Rhyme Scheme of the 2nd stanza …………. and 3rd stanza ………….
Remember that a line in the 2nd or 3rd stanza may rhyme with lines in the 1st stanza, too. You may use the same letter of the alphabet as used in the 1st stanza.
Ans:
(i) Rhyme Scheme of the 2nd stanza: DDAABB
(ii) Rhyme Scheme of the 3rd stanza: EEAAFFCC
(C) Find two lines that contain Inversion.
Ans:
(i) Came at evening, cold and gray. To a chasm, deep and vast and wide.
Explanation: The correct prose order is: I came on a cold and gray evening to a deep, wide, and vast chasm.
(ii) To the fair-haired youth, may a pitfall befall you.
Explanation: The correct prose order is: To the fair-haired youth, it may be a pitfall.
Pick out one line each that contains the following Figures of Speech.
(a) Tautology :
Ans: To a chasm, deep and vast and wide.
Explanation: The words vast and wide have similar meaning.
(b) Personification :
Ans: A pilgrim, going a lone highway.
Explanation: The highway is given the human quality of being lonely.
(c) Interrogation :
Ans: Why waste your time in building here?
Explanation: A question is asked to emphasize an idea.
5. Imagine that you are the fellow pilgrim and you wish to share your experience of the incident in the poem. Write a short article about it for a magazine / journal. Also convey what change it has brought in your life.
Ans:
The Turning Point
There are certain incidents in one’s life that have an impact on a person and prove to be a turning point in their lives. Let me narrate the incident that shook me awake.
I was on a hike in some hilly places when I had to cross a deep ravine that had a gushing river flowing through it. I managed to cross without any difficulty; to my surprise, an old man ahead of me also crossed it nimbly. As I was about to continue on my way, I saw the old man turn back and build a rough bridge across the water. It took a lot of effort, and I stood by wondering. Finally. I asked him, “Sir. It is late evening, and you are not likely to cross this way again. Why are you building a bridge now?”
The old man’s answer floored me. You are confused, child,” he said with a smile. “I have completed my journey. True. But behind me is a young boy who is inexperienced. He will soon reach this chasm, and he may have difficulty crossing it. I am building this bridge to help him.”
I stood still, amazed at the generosity and unselfishness of the old man, who was putting in time and effort to help someone he did not even know. He was building a bridge that he would never cross.
This incident left an indelible mark on my mind. Since that time, I have always tried to help others, even though it may not be beneficial to me in any way. However, it gives me something immeasurable: peace and happiness. Try it out, won’t you?