The
Frog and the Nightingale
By Vikram Seth
Analysis :
· The
poem ‘The Frog and The Nightingale’ composed by Vikram Seth is an allegory of
the real world, especially the artistic and professional world.
· The
poem mock at the system where talented individuals are exploited, authority is held
by the undeserving and success requires not just talent, but also confidence
and independence.
· Through
a simple yet powerful narrative, Vikram Seth exposes the darker side of society
where jealousy, greed, and manipulation overpower innocence and talent.
· Tone
of the poem is satirical and ironical mocking the false critics and untalented
authority who exploit real talent and fill their purse.
· The
poem follows a narrative style to tell a story with a clear beginning, middle,
and an end. The narrative style of the poem makes it sound like a fable or
ballad enhancing its storytelling quality.
· Humorous
yet serious tone makes the poem deep and impactful. The poem leaves a lasting
impression by blending humour with a tragic outcome.
· Use
of dialogue makes the poem lively and dramatic.
· The
poem is written in irregular meter, largely following a loose iambic rhythm.
· The
poem is written in rhyming couplets having the rhyme scheme : aa, bb, cc, dd,
ee, and so on. This rhyme scheme enhances the musical quality of the poem.
Line by Line Explanation
Lines 1-14
Once upon a time a frog
Croaked away in Bingle Bog
Every night from dusk to dawn
He croaked awn and awn and awn.
Other creatures loathed his voice,
But, alas, they had no choice.
And the crass cacophony
Blared out from the sumac tree
At whose foot the frog each night
Minstrelled on till morning night.
Neither stones nor prayers nor sticks,
Insults or complaints or bricks
Stilled the frog's determination
To display his heart's elation.
Explanation :
It is a story of a frog who used to live in a place
called Bingle Bog under the foot of a tree called Sumac tree. He kept croaking
loudly whenever he felt like singing. He croaked in his rough voice continuously
through the night without any pause. All the animals around the bog hated his
voice, but they didn’t have any choice and had to tolerate it. His harsh and
unpleasant noise spread loudly like unpleasant and harsh sound echoing
everywhere around the sumac tree. Each night the frog sat at the foot of the
tree and kept singing all the night, in his loud and harsh voice. Animals and
birds used to hate him and his harsh voice. The used to throw stones at him to
stop him from singing, also requested him not to sing for God’s sake. Some
threw sticks at him, but all was in vain. Nothing could stop him from singing
and expressing his happiness through his song. This the usual practice in the
bog every night.
Lines 15 – 32
But one night a nightingale
In the moonlight cold and pale
Perched upon the sumac tree
Casting forth her melody.
Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog.
And the whole admiring bog
Stared towards the sumac, rapt ,
And, when she had ended, clapped,
Ducks had swum and herons waded
To her as she serenaded
And a solitary loon
Wept, beneath the summer moon.
Toads and teals and tiddlers, captured
By her voice, cheered on, enraptured:
"Bravo!" "Too divine!"
"Encore!"
So the nightingale once more,
Quite unused to
such applause,
Sang till dawn without a pause.
Explanation :
But, one night, things changed completely when a
nightingale came in the Bingle Bog. It a beautiful and cold night with full of
moonlight. It sat on the Sumac tree and began singing beautifully out of her
habit and character. The frog was shocked to hear such melodious voice and became
silent as he has never heard such beautiful voice. All the animals in the bog
looked at the Sumac tree and listened to the nightingale with admiration as if
a spell was cast upon them and they were extremely happy. When she ended her
song, all applauded her whole heartedly. They started expressing their
happiness in their peculiar ways. Ducks started swimming in ecstasy, herons
walked in water and the solitary loon, which an aquatic bird, wept due to
extreme happiness after hearing the nightingale’s song. All the animals
gathered near the tree and were so mesmerised by her song that they started praising
the nightingale saying that her song is divine, out of the world and
marvellous. Then, they requested her to sing again. The nightingale wasn’t
habitual of such overwhelming praised. She felt happy and encouraged to sing.
That’s why she sang continuously till morning.
Lines 33 to 46
Next night when the Nightingale
Shook her head and twitched her tail,
Closed an eye and fluffed a wing
And had cleared her throat to sing
She was startled by a croak.
"Sorry - was that you who spoke?"
She enquired when the frog
Hopped towards her from the bog.
"Yes," the frog replied. "You see,
I'm the frog who owns this tree.
In this bog I've long been known
For my splendid baritone
And, of course, I wield my pen
For Bog Trumpet now and then".
Explanation
The next night, the nightingale was once again prepared
to sing as the previous night’s experience was unforgettable. She prepared
herself by shaking her head in determination and twitching or making a small
movement of her tail as a part of preparation for singing. She closed one of
her eyes and, fluffed and adjusted her feathers to become comfortable before
singing. Often, singers and performers prepare themselves before singing. Just
when she cleared her throat and started to sing wing, the frog interrupted her
with his peculiar croak, his unpleasant voice. When the frog hopped towards the
nightingale, she asked him if it was his voice and whether he wanted to say
something. The, the frog introduced himself as the owner of the tree and famous
singer of the bog. He also told that he was known for his medium range deep
male voice. He had also composed songs for his famous composition or album ‘Bog
Trumpet’.
Lines 47 to 62
"Did you…
did you like my song?"
"Not too
bad - but far too long.
The technique was fine of course,
But it lacked a certain force".
"Oh!" the nightingale confessed.
Greatly flattered and impressed
That a critic of such note
Had discussed her art and throat:
"I don't think the song's divine.
But - oh, well - at least it's mine".
"That's not much to boast about".
Said the heartless frog.
"Without Proper training such as I
And few others - can supply.
You'll remain a mere beginner.
But with me you'll be a winner".
Explanation :
Hearing that frog is the owner of bog and a famous
composer, she asked him to comment on her singing the previous night. She asked
if he liked her song and was eager to get the honest feedback. But, the frog
criticised her unfairly and mercilessly. He said, the song was not bad but it
was very lengthy. He added that her technique was alright but the song was weak
and didn’t have enough force. Hearing such technical words, the nightingale was
impressed to get a good critic of music, who knows, and can discuss her skill
and talent of singing as well as the quality of her voice. The nightingale very
humbly asserts that her song may not be extraordinary but she is proud that at
least her song belongs to her only and it is her own song. At this the frog
seemed to be angry and said that she shouldn’t boast of the originality of her
song rather she should try to be inimitable. The frog heartlessly belittles her
telling that she needs proper training otherwise there are many who can sing
like she does. The frog offers her coaching saying that without proper training
from a real master she will can never improve and she will remain a novice. If
she joins expert coaching given by the frog, she can perform like a winner and
succeed on the stage.
Lines 63 to 76
"Dearest frog", the nightingale
Breathed: "This is a fairy tale –
And you're Mozart in disguise
Come to earth before my eyes".
"Well I charge a modest fee.
Oh!... But it won't hurt, you'll see"
Now the
nightingale inspired,
Flushed with confidence, and fired
With both art and adoration,
Sang - and was a huge sensation.
Animals for miles around
Flocked towards the magic sound,
And the frog with great precision
Counted heads and charged admission.
Explanation :
The innocent nightingale felt too much impressed and
elated to find someone with great knowledge and experience of music that she
felt, it to be untrue like a fairy tale. She compared him to Mozart, the great
musician from Austria and became extremely happy to learn from such a great
composer. This shows that nightingale was too innocent and prone to be
influenced to the extent to become a fool. Breaking the bubble of fancy, the
frog said that I will charge small fee for the training. He also said that
paying fee won’t be difficult telling her the way to earn the fee. The
nightingale was so much inspired and excited to learn music that she started
singing with great passion and she was a huge sensation among the animals and
birds in the bog, who admired her and came from a great distance to listen to
her after getting attracted to her beautiful sound. She became even more
popular. But, the shrewd frog was making money with nightingale’s hard work and
animals’ love and adoration. Very precisely he counted heads who came to listen
to her song and charges money from each of them.
Lines 77 to 88
Though next morning it was raining,
He began her vocal training.
"But I can't sing in this weather".
"Come my
dear - we'll sing together.
Just put on
your scarf and sash ,
Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!"
So the frog and nightingale
Journeyed up
and down the scale
For six hours, till she was shivering
And her voice was hoarse and quivering .
Though subdued and sleep deprived,
In the night
her throat revived,
Explanation :
The next morning, it started raining heavily and the
weather became cold. The frog showed no mercy started training her strictly
even in bad conditions. When she pleaded that she can’t sing in cold weather,
the frog didn’t listen and forced her to continue the practice He asked her to
wear scarf and sash to protect her from cold and told her to sing with him and
they sang together and practised for six hours on various scales. Then, she started
shivering due to cold and her voice became hoarse and started quivering. At the
end, she was extremely weak and exhausted due to lack of rest and sleep. But,
somehow till it was night, she could revive the strength of her throat and she
was again ready for yet another music concert.
Lines 89 to 98
And the sumac tree was bowed,
With a breathless, titled crowd:
Owl of Sandwich, Duck of Kent,
Mallard and Milady Trent,
Martin Cardinal Mephisto,
And the Coot of Monte Cristo,
Ladies with tiaras glittering
In the interval sat twittering –
And the frog observed them glitter
With a joy both sweet and bitter.
Explanation :
Animals and birds came from far and wide. The birds
from important and renowned families came to listen to her. The were Owl of
Sandwich, Duck of Kent, Mallard and Milady Trent, Martin Cardinal Mephisto, And
the Coot of Monte Cristo. The gathering had titles to their credit and belong
to higher strata that’s why the females were beautifully dressed and adorned
with shining tiaras on their heads. In the interval, they were busy talking
about the concert. When the frog saw such high profile crowd come to listen to
the nightingale, he became jealous. The frog was experiencing a joy which was
both sweet and bitter. As he was getting the fame and money from the audience but
at the same time, he was also jealous of the nightingale’s growing popularity
and admiration.
Lines 99 to 110
Every day the frog who'd sold her
Songs for silver tried to scold her:
"You must practice even longer
Till your voice, like mine grows stronger.
In the second song last night
You got nervous in mid-flight.
And, my dear, lay on more trills :
Audiences enjoy such frills.
You must make your public happier:
Give them something sharper, snappier.
We must aim for better billings .
You still owe me sixty shillings."
Explanation :
Hence, the frog kept torturing the nightingale criticising
her for her weak voice. Every day he would train her and pushed her to work harder
and at night he would sell her song and earn huge money. He asked to practise
even harder so that her voice could become strong like his voice. He scolded
her saying that last night in the second song she became nervous in the middle
of her song. She should work on vibrating notes that repeat in quick succession
as the audience enjoy such exciting and decorative songs. He demands more effort
and perfection to make the public happier so that he can earn more money. He
pressured her for more money saying that she still owed him sixty shillings.
Lines 111 - 122
Day by day the nightingale
Grew more sorrowful and pale.
Night on night her tired song
Zipped and trilled and bounced along,
Till the birds and beasts grew tired
At a voice so uninspired
And the ticket office gross
Crashed, and she grew more morose –
For her ears were now addicted
To applause quite unrestricted, 120
And to sing into the night
All alone gave no delight.
Explanation :
Slowly, due to rigorous training and everyday concerts she became sad, weak and
exhausted. Her voice lost its melody and charm due to lack of rest and sleep.
After some time, the audience became bored of her song which was tired and
monotonous. She rushed through her notes and her song was fast, showy and
overdecorated. She was singing as a routine and there was no inspiration,
emotion and expression in her singing. Consequently, her popularity declined, the
audience left and money stopped coming which made the nightingale even more sad
and hopeless because till then she had become accustomed to claps and applause.
Now, when she sang alone at night without any audience, there was no joy which
made her depressed, dull and sorrowful.
Lines 123 to 130
Now the frog puffed up with rage.
"Brainless bird - you're on the stage –
Use your wits and follow fashion.
Puff your lungs out with your passion
Trembling, terrified to fail,
Blind with tears, the nightingale
Heard him out in silence, tried
Puffed up, burst a vein, and died.
Now, the frog became angry and started scolding her
calling her stupid. He pressurised her even more telling to work harder using
her brain and wit. He asked her to follow what was in trend and what the public
liked. He also asked her to put pressure on her lugs and use all the power of
her lungs. The nightingale was trembling and full of tears but she didn’t want
to fail and lose the audience so she listened to the frog silently and once
again tried to sing with full power of her lungs. But, when she puffed her
lungs and puts extreme pressure, due to over exertion, the vein of her lung got
burst, which caused her death.
Lines 131 to 140
Said the frog: "I tried to teach her,
But she was a stupid creature –
Far too nervous, far too tense.
Far too prone to influence.
Well, poor bird - she should have known
That your song must be your own.
That's why I sing with panache :
"Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!"
And the foghorn of the frog
Blared unrivalled through the bog.
Explanation :
Poor nightingale dies a tragic death due to exploitation of frog but the frog himself
calls her foolish and weak creature instead of accepting his fault. Frog said
that he had tried to teach her but she was so nervous and weak that she could
be easily influenced. Here, the frog is ironical because he himself forced his
opinion and style upon the nightingale whose style and capacity was completely
different. Ironically, he says she should have trusted herself and provided a
very good advice to the bird, but only after its death, that her song must be
her own though the same frog had been trying to change her song when she was
alive. Heartlessly the frog claimed to be original in his style and sing with
confidence. Then, he started singing in his loud and unpleasant voice which
echoed around the bog and now there is no rival of his to give him tension as
the nightingale had been dead. The frog resumed his loud and unpleasant
croaking as always.
Message
The poem teaches the innocent and talents people of
the dangers of blindly trusting the critics and exploitation by selfish people.
It teaches us to be aware of manipulators and false authorities
It highlights the importance of self confidence and
self belief that are essential for survival.
It makes the readers aware how talent can be destroyed
by pressure. It teaches us to believe in our own talent and judgment instead of
being easily influenced by others.
Rhyme
Scheme
The poem is written in rhyming couplets following
the rhyming scheme : aa, bb, cc, dd, ee, ff, gg and so on.
Themes of the Poem
Exploitation of the innocent talent
The frog takes advantage of the nightingale’s
innocence and talent. He uses her for money and fame without caring about her
well-being and life.
Lack of self confidence
The nightingale doubts her own ability and depends on
the frog’s opinion. Her insecurity ultimately leads to her downfall.
Power of manipulation
The frog manipulates the nightingale by pretending to
be an expert critic. He controls her through criticism and false promises. He
completely manipulates the nightingale who followed him without any doubt, which
proves fatal.
Commercialization of art
The frog turns the nightingale’s pure music into a
business by charging fees and focusing only on profit.
Jealousy and rivalry
The frog feels threatened by the nightingale’s natural
talent and popularity and sees her a potent rival, which drives him to dominate
and control her.
Importance of individuality
The poem suggests that one should remain true to one’s
own style through the ironical words of the frog, “your song must be your own.”
Cruelty of Society
The audience quickly shifts from admiration to
boredom, showing how society can be fickle and insensitive.
Corruption in art and criticism
The poem satirizes how critics without real talent
dominate and misguide artists.
Poetic Devices
Once upon a time a frog - Repetition, Assonance
Croaked away in Bingle Bog - onomatopoeia, alliteration, Assonance, imagery
Every night from dusk to dawn - alliteration, imagery
He croaked awn and awn and awn. – repetition,
onomatopoeia
And the crass cacophony - alliteration
Blared out from the sumac tree - imagery
At whose foot the frog each night - alliteration, consonance, imagery
Minstrelled on till morning night. – assonance, alliteration
Neither stones nor prayers nor sticks, - humour, alliteration
Insults or complaints or bricks – humour, repetition
Stilled the frog's determination - humour
To display his heart's elation. - alliteration
But one night a nightingale – alliteration, consonance
In the moonlight cold and pale – imagery, consonance
Perched upon the sumac tree - imagery
Casting forth her melody. – assonance, imagery
Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog. – imagery, poetic
repetition
And the whole admiring bog – imagery, assonance
Stared towards the sumac, rapt , - alliteration, assonance, imagery,
poetic repetition
And, when she had ended, clapped, - consonance,
assonance, imagery
Ducks had swum and herons waded - imagery, alliteration, consonance
To her as she serenaded – poetic repetition, imagery
And a solitary loon - imagery
Wept, beneath the summer moon. - imagery
Toads and teals and tiddlers, captured – repetition,
alliteration, consonance
By her voice, cheered on, enraptured: - consonance,
imagery, personification
"Bravo!" "Too divine!"
"Encore!" – apostrophe, assonance
So the nightingale once more, -
assonance
Next night when the Nightingale – alliteration,
consonance, imagery
Shook her head and twitched her tail, - alliteration,
repetition, imagery, consonance
Closed an eye and fluffed a wing – imagery, consonance
And had cleared her throat to sing – consonance,
alliteration, imagery
She was startled by a croak. – onomatopoeia, imagery
"Sorry - was that you who spoke?" –
alliteration, assonance, personification
Hopped towards her from the bog. – alliteration,
assonance, imagery
I'm the frog who owns this tree. – assonance,
alliteration
In this bog I've long been known – assonance,
consonance, alliteration
For my splendid baritone – Hyperbole, assonance
And, of course, I wield my pen – consonance
"Did you… did you like my song?" –
repetition
"Not too
bad - but far too long. – repetition, consonance, alliteration
But it lacked a certain force". – consonance, irony
"Oh!" the nightingale confessed. – irony
Greatly flattered and impressed - irony, consonance
That a critic of such note - irony, assonance, metaphor
Had discussed her art and throat: - assonance, consonance,
alliteration, irony, personification
"I don't think the song's divine. – alliteration
But - oh, well - at least it's mine". –
consonance
"That's not much to boast about". – irony, consonance, personification
"Without Proper training such as I - irony
And few others - can supply. -
irony
You'll remain a mere beginner. – poetic repetition
But with me you'll be a winner". - irony
"Dearest frog", the nightingale - apostrophe
Breathed: "This is a fairy tale – irony, assonance, consonance
And you're Mozart in disguise - allusion, assonance, metaphor
Come to earth before my eyes". – imagery
"Well, I charge a modest fee. – irony, humour, personification
Oh!... But it won't hurt, you'll see" – consonance,
assonance, apostrophe
Now the
nightingale inspired, - alliteration, personification
Flushed with confidence, and fired - consonance, alliteration
With both art and adoration, - assonance, consonance
Sang - and was a huge sensation. – alliteration,
assonance
Animals for miles around - imagery, consonance
Flocked towards the magic sound, - imagery, consonance
And the frog with great precision – humour
Counted heads and charged admission. – humour, consonance, personification
Though next morning it was raining, - imagery, assonance
He began her vocal training. – alliteration
"But I can't sing in this weather". – assonance
"Come my
dear - we'll sing together. – Apostrophe, assonance
Just put on
your scarf and sash , - imagery,
assonance, alliteration
Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!" – onomatopoeia
So the frog and nightingale – assonance
Journeyed up and down the scale – imagery
For six hours, till she was shivering – alliteration,
assonance
And her voice was hoarse and quivering . –
alliteration, repetition,
Though subdued and sleep deprived, - alliteration,
consonance
In the night
her throat revived, - consonance, assonance
And the sumac tree was bowed, - imagery
With a breathless, titled crowd: - consonance, imagery
Owl of Sandwich, Duck of Kent, - Allusion, repetition
Mallard and Milady Trent, - Allusion, consonance
Martin Cardinal Mephisto, - Allusion, Assonance
And the Coot of Monte Cristo, - Allusion, assonance
Ladies with tiaras glittering – imagery, assonance, metaphor
In the interval sat twittering – assonance, imagery
And the frog observed them glitter – alliteration,
consonance
With a joy both sweet and bitter. – Oxymoron
Every day the frog who'd sold her – assonance, enjambment, irony, consonance
Songs for silver tried to scold her: - alliteration,
consonance, irony, assonance
Till your voice, like mine grows stronger. –
assonance, inversion
In the second song last night – alliteration, consonance
You got nervous in mid-flight. – assonance, consonance
And, my dear, lay on more trills : - alliteration,
assonance, apostrophe
You must make your public happier: - alliteration,
consonance,
Give them something sharper, snappier. – alliteration,
consonance
We must aim for better billings . – alliteration
You still owe me sixty shillings." - alliteration, assonance, irony
Day by day the nightingale - repetition,
Grew more sorrowful and pale. – Assonance, consonance
Night on night her tired song - repetition, consonance
Zipped and trilled and bounced along, - Assonance,
consonance, Repetition, onomatopoeia
Till the birds and beasts grew tired – consonance,
alliteration, imagery
Crashed, and she grew more morose – alliteration,
consonance, enjambment
For her ears were now addicted – consonance,
And to sing into the night – assonance
All alone gave no delight. – poetic repetition
"Brainless bird - you're on the stage – Alliteration,
poetic repetition, apostrophe
Use your wits and follow fashion. – alliteration
Puff your lungs out with your passion – alliteration,
repetition,
Trembling, terrified to fail, - alliteration
Heard him out in silence, tried – alliteration,
consonance, assonance
Puffed up, burst a vein, and died. – assonance,
consonance, pathos
Said the frog: "I tried to teach her, -
alliteration, irony, consonance
But she was a stupid creature – Irony
Far too nervous, far too tense. – repetition,
consonance, anaphora
Far too prone to influence. – irony, alliteration,
consonance, assonance, anaphora
Well, poor bird - she should have known –
alliteration, consonance
That your song must be your own. – irony, repetition,
assonance, consonance, anaphora
That's why I sing with panache : - assonance, anaphora
"Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!" onomatopoeia
And the foghorn of the frog -
alliteration, assonance, repetition
Blared unrivalled through the bog. – alliteration,
consonance, irony
RTC (Reference to the Context)
“That’s not much to boast about,”
Said the heartless frog. “Without
Proper training such as I
And few others can supply,
You’ll remain a mere beginner,
But with me you’ll be a winner.”
Q1. Who does
the frog represent in these lines?
A. Exploiter
B. Exploited
C. Heartless authority
D. Both A and C
Q2. What
does the frog claim?
A. He is a great singer
B. He can train the nightingale
C. He owns the bog
D. All of the above
Q3. What
is the tone of the frog?
A. Humble
B. Encouraging
C. Arrogant and manipulative
D. Sympathetic
Q4. What
does this extract reveal about the frog?
A. He is kind
B. He is insecure and jealous
C. He is shy and sincere
D. He is honest
Q5. What
literary device is used in fifth line?
A. Repetition
B. Alliteration
C. Poetic Repetition
D. Metaphor
Answers :
1. D. Bothe A and C
2. D. All of the above
3. C. Arrogant and manipulative
4. B. He is insecure and jealous
5. C. Poetic
Repetition
