Paper Boats

Rabindranath Tagore

Day by Day I Float My Paper Boats
One by one down the running stream.
In big black letters I write my name on them
And the name of the village where I live
I hope that someone in some strange
Land will find them and know who I am
I load my little boats with shiuli flowers from our garden
And hope that these blooms of the dawn will be carried safely
To land in the night.

यह कविता रबींद्रनाथ टैगोर ने लिखी है। एक बच्चा है जो रोज कागज की नाव बनाता है और उसे नदी में बहा देता है। हर नाव पर वह अपना और अपने गाँव का नाम बड़े बड़े अक्षरों में लिख देता है। बच्चे को उम्मीद है कि उसकी नाव एक दिन किसी सुदूर देश में पहुँचेगी जहाँ कोई न कोई नाव पर लिखा देखकर उस बच्चे के बारे में जानेगा। नाव पर वह शिउली के फूल भी रख देता है। शिउली के फूल सुबह सुबह खिलते हैं। बच्चे को पूरी उम्मीद है कि रात होने पर जब नाव अपनी मंजिल पर पहुँचेगी तब भी वे फूल तरोताजा रहेंगे।

Exercise Questions

Let’s Write

Question 1: Where did you go for an excursion/holiday?

Answer: Rishikesh

Question 2: With whom did you go?

Answer: I went with my parents.

Question 3: What did you take with you?

Answer: I carried my clothes and my sketchbook.

Question 4: What was the first thing you saw when you reached your destination?

Answer: Beautiful hills

Question 5: What did you like best about the place?

Answer: Fresh air

Question 6: How long did you stay there?

Answer: Three days

Question 7: What did you miss about home?

Answer: Food cooked by my mother

Question 8: Which do you think would be more fun – travelling by aeroplane or sailing on a ship? Write why do you think so.

Answer: I think sailing on a ship would be more fun. The ship will sail for many days. I will be adventurous to see huge waves.

Question 9: Fill in the blanks choosing group words from the words given below.

Clump, cluster, choir, bunch, flock, band

1. The travelers rested under the ……………of trees.
2. The …………..sang beautifully.
3. The ………….of flowers was lying on the table.
4. The girl looked up at the ………….of stars.
5. The …………of robbers escaped.
6. The hunter shot at the …………….of birds.

Answer: (a) cluster, (b) choir, (c) clump, (d) cluster, (e) band, (f) flock

Question 10: Some words describe actions. Many of them end in -ly. The girl danced beautifully.

Fill in the blanks by changing the word in the brackets suitably.

1. The girl slept ………………….(sound)
2. The children finished their work ……………….(quick)
3. The old man shouted ………………..(loud)
4. The boys played …………….(quiet)
5. Do you work ……………(neat)
6. I can do the sum …………(easy)

Answer: (a) soundly, (b) quickly, (c) loudly, (d) quietly, (e) neatly, (f) easily

Fun Time

Do you know that there are seven wonders in the world? Can you tell the name of the one which is in India? Find out and write the names of all the seven wonders and the countries they are located in.

Answer: