JKBOSE 10th Class English Solutions chapter – 2 Miracles

According to the general view, miracles are things that happen, but are hard to believe. They are thought to happen very rarely. If ever they happen, people make much of them. But Whitman takes a different view and meaning of miracles. For him, there is nothing in miracles to make much of. For him, miracles are not rare things. For him, they happen every moment and everywhere around him. He sees them wherever he goes. He sees nothing but miracles wherever he is. To him, anything that gives him immense pleasure is a miracle. And there is nothing in the universe that doesn’t give him immense pleasure.

Miracles Summary in Hindi

साधारण विचार के अनुसार चमत्कार ऐसी बातें होती हैं जो घटित होती हैं, लेकिन जिन पर विश्वास करना कठिन होता है। ऐसा माना जाता है कि वे बहुत विरले ही होते हैं। यदि कभी वे हो जाते हैं तो लोग उनके बारे में बहुत उत्सुकता दिखाते हैं। किन्तु व्हिटमैन उनके बारे में एक भिन्न विचार रखता है और उनका एक भिन्न अर्थ लेता है। उसके लिए चमत्कार कोई विरले होने वाली चीज़ें नहीं होते। उसके लिए वे उसके चारों तरफ प्रति पल और हर जगह होते रहते हैं । वह जहां कहीं जाता है, इन्हें देखता रहता है। वह जहाँ कहीं भी हो, उसे चमत्कारों के अलावा और कुछ दिखाई ही नहीं देता है। उसके लिए जो कोई भी चीज़ उसे अद्भुत खुशी प्रदान करती है, एक चमत्कार होता है और ब्रह्मांड में ऐसी कोई चीज़ नहीं है जो उसे अद्भुत खुशी प्रदान नहीं करती है।

Why, who makes much of a miracle ?

As to me I know of nothing else but miracles;

Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,

Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,

Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water

Or stand under trees in the woods,

Or talk by day with anyone I love,

Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,

Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,

Or watch honeybees busy around the hive on a summer forenoon,

Or animals feeding in the fields,

Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright,

Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring.

Word-meanings : 1. make much of — बहुत महत्त्व प्रदान करना या बहुत उत्सुकता दिखाना ; 2. miracle—चमत्कार, अजूबा; 3. Manhattan – न्यूयार्क शहर का एक अति व्यस्त और भीड़-भाड़ वाला हिस्सा; 4. dart—फेंकना; 5. wade — पानी में पैदल चल कर जाना; 6. beach किनारा; 7. woods — जंगल; 8. the rest – बाकी के लोग; 9. car– भूमिगत रेल का डिब्बा; 10. hive— छत्ता; 11. exquisite — उत्कृष्ट l

Explanation : Some people make much of a miracle. The poet fails to understand why people do so. People think that miracles are things that happen unexpectedly and very rarely. But the poet does not agree with them. For him, every person and every thing that he sees around him is a miracle. He says that he sees nothing but miracles everywhere. He may be anywhere in the world. It may be the streets of Manhattan where he is walking. He sees miracles when he runs his eye over the roofs of houses and looks toward the sky. He sees miracles when he walks with naked feet at the edge of water on the beach. He sees miracles when he stands under trees in the woods. He sees miracles when during the day he talks to anybody he loves. The list of places where the poet sees miracles is endless because there is no place where he does not sees miracles.

कुछ लोग किसी चमत्कार के बारे में बहुत उत्सुक हो उठते हैं । कवि को समझ नहीं आता कि लोग ऐसा क्यों करते हैं। लोग समझते हैं कि चमत्कार ऐसी चीजें होती हैं जो अप्रत्याशित रूप से होती हैं और बहुत कभी-कभार ही होती हैं। किन्तु कवि उनसे सहमत नहीं है। उसके लिए हर व्यक्ति और हर चीज़ जो वह अपने गिर्द देखता है, एक चमत्कार है। वह कहता है कि उसे संसार में चमत्कारों के अतिरिक्त और कुछ दिखाई ही नहीं देता है । वह किसी भी जगह पर हो। यह मनहट्टन की गलियां हो सकती हैं जहां वह चला जा रहा है। उसे चमत्कार दिखाई देते हैं जब वह मकानों की छतों के ऊपर से अपनी नज़र दौड़ाता है और आकाश की तरफ देखता है। उसे चमत्कार दिखाई देते हैं जब वह समुद्रतट पर पानी के अन्दर किनारे-किनारे नंगे – पांव चल कर जा रहा होता है। उसे चमत्कार दिखाई देते हैं जब वह जंगल में पेड़ों के नीचे खड़ा होता है। उसे चमत्कार दिखाई देते हैं जब वह दिन के समय किसी ऐसे व्यक्ति से बात कर रहा हो जिसे वह प्यार करता है। ऐसी जगहों की सूची जहां कवि को चमत्कार दिखाई देते हैं असीमित है क्योंकि ऐसी कोई जगह ही नहीं है जहां उसे चमत्कार नहीं दिखाई देते ।

These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,

The whole referring yet each distinct and in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,

Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,

Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same.

Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.

To me the sea is a continual miracle

The fishes that swim, the rocks, the motion of the waves, the ships with men in them,

What stranger miracles are there?

Word-meanings : 1. referring — वे चीजें जिनका जिक्र किया गया हो; 2. distinct – भिन्न, अलग; 3. the light and dark – दिन और रात; 4. cubic — घनीय, त्रिघाती; 5 interior — धरती का अन्दरूनी भाग; 6. swarms — भरा पड़ा है; 7. continual — निरन्तर रहने वाला ।

Explanation: The poet says that all the things he has referred to are miracles to him. And all the rest which he has not mentioned are also miracles to him. They are miracles, one and all. Although they are all miracles, each one is distinct from the other. Each one has its own individuality. Each one has its own place in the universe. Each one is important in its own right. The poet says that to him every moment of the day and night is a miracle. Every cubic inch of space is a miracle. It is the same with every square yard of the earth’s surface. It is the same with every foot of the interior of the earth. To the poet, the sea is a continual miracle. The fishes that swim in the sea, the rocks, the movement of the waves, the ships with all the men in them are all to him no less than miracles. The poet says that there could be no stranger miracles than these.

कवि कहता है कि वे सभी चीजें जिनका उसने ज़िक्र किया है, उसके लिए चमत्कार हैं। तथा शेष सभी जिनका उसने जिक्र नहीं किया है, वे भी उसके लिए चमत्कार हैं। वे सभी चमत्कार हैं, हर एक । यद्यपि वे सभी चमत्कार हैं, प्रत्येक दूसरे से भिन्न है। हर एक की अपनी एक अलग पहचान है। हर एक की ब्रह्मांड में अपनी अलग जगह है। हर एक अपने ही दम पर महत्त्वपूर्ण है। कवि कहता है कि उसके लिए दिन तथा रात का प्रत्येक पल एक चमत्कार है। अन्तरिक्ष का प्रत्येक घन इंच एक चमत्कार है। धरती के प्रत्येक वर्ग गज़ के बारे में भी यही बात लागू होती है। धरती के अन्दर के प्रत्येक फुट के बारे में भी यही बात सत्य है । कवि के लिए सागर एक निरन्तर रहने वाला चमत्कार है । वे मछलियां जो समुद्र में तैरती हैं, चट्टानें, लहरों की गति, जहाज़ और उनमें सवार सभी लोग चमत्कारों से कोई कम नहीं हैं। कवि कहता है कि इनसे बढ़ कर अद्भुत चमत्कार कोई अन्य नहीं हो सकते थे।

Ans. To Whitman, a miracle is not a thing that happens unexpectedly and very rarely. To him, each and every thing of the world that brings us joy and peace is a miracle. To him, every human being he meets with love is a miracle. Every object of nature he sees around him is a miracle.

Ans. Whitman finds miracles everywhere – in the world of men, in city life and in nature. For example, he sees miracles in people he talks to, miracles in people he dines with and miracles in people sitting opposite him in the subway train. He finds miracles in city life also. He walks in the streets of Manhattan and sees miracles. He looks at the roofs of houses and sees miracles. And then there is the world of nature – the trees in woods, the honeybees moving around their hives, the animals feeding in the fields, the beauty of the sunset and that of the new moon, the silent and bright stars – all these are miracles to the poet.

Ans. These lines show that the poet has no prejudice against town life or its people. He feels as much at home in the streets of Manhattan as among the objects of nature. He sees miracles as he runs his eye along the roofs of houses. He sees miracles in people sitting opposite him in the subway train. He sees miracles in people sitting with him at the table for dinner. All this shows that Whitman is a great lover of people wherever he may be.

Ans. I must admit that I am not as cosmic in my vision as Whitman was. To me, a miracle is a happening that is beyond reason to explain. In my life, too, such a miracle has happened. Once I was at a railway platform waiting to board a train. When the train was steaming in, people began to jostle each other in order to get nearer to the edge of the platform. Thus they hoped to be the first to get in. As this was happening, someone pushed me and I fell right in front of the train that was hardly a yard away. I knew my end had come and knew nothing what happened after that. When I came to myself, I found I was lying in a hospital. I was told that I had fallen right in the middle of the rails and the train had passed over me, without giving me even a scratch. Not less than a miracle, I think!

Ans. My uncle is a doctor. He is a very noble person. A few months ago, he had a fit and fell down unconscious. He was at once taken to hospital. After a lot of tests, it was found that he had developed cancer in his brain. He is being given radiation treatment. Doctors have little hope of his survival. His condition is going from bad to worse. Usually, I don’t believe in talismans or any supernatural powers. But I love my uncle more than I love myself. For his sake, I have tried all these things also. I pray in my heart of hearts that some miracle happens and my uncle’s life is saved.

Ans. Images are pictures produced in the mind by the use of typical words. Some of the images used in this poem are –

(i) wade with naked feet along the beach.

(ii) stand under trees in the woods.

(iii) sit at table at dinn with the rest.

(iv) look at strangers opposite me riding in the car.

Ans. Whitman did not follow any rhyme scheme in his poetry. He wrote in free verse. It is a poem without any regular rhyme or rhythm.

Why, who makes much of a miracle ?

As to me I know of nothing else but miracles;

Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,

Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,

Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water

Or stand under trees in the woods,

Or talk by day with anyone I love.

A	B
(a) makes (b) nothing (c) naked (d) under	(i) above (ii) covered (iii) destroys (iv) everything

1. He draws his miracles from the city life.

2. Nature itself is a store of miracles.

3. is a miracle.

4. (a) makes = destroys (b) nothing = everything (c) naked = covered (d) under = above.

5. The name of the poet is Miracles’ and the poet is Walt Whitman.

The poet draws his miracles from (a) ………… life. The people and the city life are (b) ……………. miracles. Nature itself is a (c)………..of miracles. For him, walking down the streets of Manhattan is a miracle. The rooftops of the multistoreyed buildings, wading with naked feet along the (d) ………….  standing under the woods and looking at strangers in the sub way cars are all miracles. The creation and activities of honey bees, animals feeding in the fields, feeling the (e) ………… on our faces, watch the stars shining so quiet and bright, fine thin curve of the new moon in the (f) ……… are all miracles to him.

(i) greatly admire

(ii) run quickly

(iii) glance at

(iv) a way of saying

(v) walk through water.

I. (a) city (b) real (c) store (d) beach (e) air (f) sky.

II. (a) dart my eyes of — glance at (b) wade – walk through water (c) make much of – greatly admire.

Or watch honeybees busy around :

the hive on a summer forenoon,

Or animals feeding in the fields,

Or the wonderfulness of the sun down,

Or of stars shining so quiet and bright,

Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring.

1. The images used in the above lines are –

(i) watching honeybees moving around their hive on a summer forenoon.

(ii) looking at animals feeding in the fields.

(iii) looking at the wonderful beauty of the setting sun.

(iv) looking at the stars shining quietly and brightly in the sky.

(v) looking at the new moon in spring with its wonderful, delicate, thin curve.

2. Miracles are the things that happen but are hard to believe.

3. against town life or its people.

4. (a) exquisite = wonderful (b) delicate = tender (c) quiet = calm (d) busy = occupied.

5. Walt Whitman.