Contents
Class 8 English Chapter 4 Poem
The Last Bargain Notes
| Text Book | NCERT |
| Class | Class 8 |
| Subject | English |
| Book Name | Honeydew |
| Chapter Name | The Last Bargain |
| Category | Class 8 English |
Summary of The Last Bargain Poem
The poem is about someone looking for a job. However, he wants to be hired without losing his freedom. The poet tells us that he received offers from the rich, the powerful and the beautiful. However, he turned them all down. At last he met an innocent child. He immediately accepted his offer. The first offer came from a king early in the morning. He had more power than wealth. He offered the man his power in return for the man’s labour. The man, however, felt that the king’s might was not worth much. So he refused the king’s offer.
The second offer came in the mid-day when it was really very hot. An old man offered him a lot of gold in return for his labour. The man was not much impressed. The wealth did not attract him. So he refused that offer. Then it was evening. There was natural beauty all around. There were flowers in the hedge. A beautiful girl came to the man. She gave a pretty smile. She offered to give the man her smiles in return for his labour. However, the man found that her happiness was only sorrow in disguise. So he refused that offer also.
Ultimately, the man came to the seashore. There he found a child playing with shells. The child offered to take his services in return for nothing. The man accepted the offer because while playing with the child he was still a free man.
Stanza 1
“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.
Early in the morning, a man walked along the stony roads of the city offering himself for a hire. Going in his Chariot, a king saw him. He offered to buy him offering his power in return. His power did not seem of much worth to the ma so he refused and the king moved on.
Stanza 2
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.
The man walked on in the heat of noon. He roamed about in crooked lanes. All the doors were shut. An old man came out with his bag of gold. He thought and then offered to hire the man with gold. This offer could also not attract the man and he went the other way.
Stanza 3
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.
Now it was evening time and the garden hedge was filled with flowers.A beautiful girl came to the man and offered him her smile in return for his work. Soon, however, her smile weakened and changed into tears. So she had to return along into the darkness.
Stanza 4
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.
The evening sun shone lustrously on the sand. The sea waves were breaking on the shore wilfully. There was a child playing with his shells. He lifted his head and looked at the man. He seemed to understand him. He offered to hire the man without payment. The man accepted the offer and from then onwards he played with the child. In doing so, he remained a free man.
Word Meanings
| Word | Meaning |
| Hire me | get my services in return for payment |
| stone paved road | the stony path |
| chariot | a horse-drawn open vehicle |
| held | kept |
| counted for naughty | was of no worth |
| crooked | not straight |
| pondered | thought |
| turned away | went to the other side |
| hedge | fence |
| aflower | filled with flowers |
| fair | beautiful |
| paled | became weak |
| glistened | shone lustrously |
| waves broke | the waves were disappearing by colliding |
| waywardly | in an erratic manner |
| henceforward | from now on |
| bargain struck | deal was made |
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