Bihar Board Class 12th English : FIRE-HYMN

Bihar Board Class 12th English : प्रिय विद्याथियों, “Mindbloom Study” (#1 Online Study Portal For Bihar Board Exams) आपके लिए लाया है बिहार बोर्ड कक्षा 12th अंग्रेजी के FIRE-HYMN

Introduction (परिचय)

KEKI N. DARUWALLA (b. 1937), the recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award (1984) and Commonwealth Poetry Award, is a landscape poet of eminence and a well known writer of short stories. His poetry is, in his own words, ‘a totally impressionistic recording of subjective responses’. He claims his poems to be ‘rooted in the rural landscape’ and hence ‘earthy’. He shuns sophistication, as he thinks that it, ‘while adding gloss, takes away the power of verse’. The themes of his poetry are love, death, domination, cynicism, plight of human society and violence. He writes with intensity and vigour involved in poetic creation. Since he had been in police service, violence is unavoidable in his poetry. His important volumes of verse include Under Orion (1970), Apparition in April (1971) and Crossing of Rivers (1976).

केकी एन. दारूवाला (जन्म 1937), जिन्हें साहित्य अकादमी पुरस्कार (1984) और राष्ट्रमंडल कविता पुरस्कार से सम्मानित किया गया, एक प्रख्यात परिदृश्य कवि और लघु कथाओं के जाने-माने लेखक हैं। उनकी कविताएँ, उनके अपने शब्दों में, ‘व्यक्तिपरक प्रतिक्रियाओं की एक पूरी तरह से प्रभाववादी रिकॉर्डिंग’ हैं। उनका दावा है कि उनकी कविताएँ ‘ग्रामीण परिदृश्य में निहित हैं’ और इसलिए ‘पृथ्वी से जुड़ी’ हैं। वह परिष्कार से दूर रहते हैं, क्योंकि उनका मानना है कि यह ‘चमक जोड़ने के साथ-साथ कविता की शक्ति को भी खत्म कर देता है’। उनकी कविता के विषय प्रेम, मृत्यु, वर्चस्व, निराशावाद, मानव समाज की दुर्दशा और हिंसा हैं। वह काव्य सृजन में शामिल तीव्रता और जोश के साथ लिखते हैं। चूँकि वे पुलिस सेवा में थे, इसलिए उनकी कविता में हिंसा अपरिहार्य है। उनकी कविता के महत्वपूर्ण खंडों में अंडर ओरियन (1970), अपैरिशन इन अप्रैल (1971) और क्रॉसिंग ऑफ़ रिवर्स (1976) शामिल हैं।

FIRE-HYMN

The burning ghat erupted phosphorescence:
and wandering ghost lights frightened passers-by
as moonlight scuttled among the bones.
Once strolling at dawn past river-bank and ghat
we saw embers losing their cruel redness
to the grey ash that swallows all, half-cooked limbs

bore witness to the fire’s debauchery.
My father said, “You see those half-burnt fingers
And bone-stubs? The fire at times forgets its dead!”
A Zoroastrian I, my child-fingers clenched
Into a little knot of pain,
I swore to save fire
From the sin of forgetfulness.

It never forgot, and twenty years since
As I consigned my first-born to the flames
The nearest Tower of Silence was a thousand miles –
The firm-hymn said to me, “You stand forgiven,”
Broken, yet rebellious, I swore this time
To save it from the sin of forgiving.

कविता का सारांश

यह कविता एक मार्मिक और गहन अनुभव को बयां करती है, जिसमें एक बच्चे के रूप में श्मशान घाट (बर्निंग घाट) देखने और बड़े होकर अपने ही बच्चे को अग्नि को समर्पित करने की पीड़ा शामिल है।
कविता की शुरुआत एक श्मशान घाट के भयावह लेकिन रहस्यमयी दृश्य से होती है, जहाँ रात में अस्थियाँ चमक रही हैं और भटकती हुई आत्माओं की रोशनी राहगीरों को डरा रही है। चाँदनी हड्डियों के बीच खेल रही है। एक सुबह, जब कवि अपने पिता के साथ नदी किनारे और घाट पर टहल रहा था, तो उन्होंने जलते हुए अंगारों को देखा, जो अपनी लालिमा खोकर राख में बदल रहे थे। कवि ने अधजले अंगों को देखा, जो अग्नि की “अय्याशी” के गवाह थे।
उनके पिता ने उन अधजली उंगलियों और हड्डियों के टुकड़ों की ओर इशारा करते हुए कहा कि कभी-कभी अग्नि अपने मृतकों को “भूल जाती है”। एक पारसी होने के नाते, कवि के बचपन की उंगलियाँ दर्द से मुट्ठी में बँध गईं और उन्होंने अग्नि को “भूलने के पाप” से बचाने की कसम खाई।
बीस साल बाद, जब कवि को अपने पहले बच्चे को अग्नि को समर्पित करना पड़ा, तो सबसे नज़दीकी ‘टावर ऑफ़ साइलेंस’ (पारसी समुदाय का अंतिम संस्कार स्थल) एक हज़ार मील दूर था। उस समय, अग्नि से निकलने वाले दृढ़-भजन ने उनसे कहा, “तुम क्षमा कर दिए गए हो।” टूटे हुए, लेकिन विद्रोही होकर, कवि ने इस बार अग्नि को “क्षमा करने के पाप” से बचाने की कसम खाई।
यह कविता आस्था, परंपरा, व्यक्तिगत त्रासदी और अग्नि के साथ एक जटिल रिश्ते को दर्शाती है, जहाँ अग्नि को कभी ‘भूलने’ तो कभी ‘क्षमा करने’ के ‘पाप’ से बचाने की कसमें खाई जाती हैं।

Summary

Fire-Hymn is heart-touching poem written by Keki N. Daruwalla. In this poem, the poet describes the scene of a burning ghat, where the dead body of a man is consigned (सुपुर्द करना) to the flame of fire. The poet says that when he was a child, he and his father used to visit the burning ghat of the Hindus. He says that the sight of the burning dead body becomes shocking (घिनौना) and dreadful (भयानक) at night. It frightens (डराना) passers-by (राही). Sometimes the limbs of a dead body are left half-burnt, and the redness of fire appears very cruel. The poet is a Parsi, who worships fire as a God, but he had to consign (डालना) his new born into fire, because there was no tower (मीनार) of silence there. Thus, this poem is a song in praise of fire. Here the poet shows the importance of fire for the Hindus after their death.

B.1. 1. Read the following sentences and write ‘T’ for true and ‘F’ for false statements:

a) The poem describes the scene of a burning ghat. → T
b) Passers-by tend to ignore the burning at the ghat. → F
c) The sight of burning becomes frightening at night. → T
d) The redness of fire appears cruel to the speaker. → T
e) The half-burnt limbs at the ghat suggest the true working of fire. → T
f) The speaker belongs to Zoroastrian religion. → T
g) The speaker is not pleased with the views of his father. → F
h) The ‘first-born child’ was consigned to fire under compulsion. → T

B.1. 2. Complete the following sentences on the basis of the poem:

a) The wandering ghost lights …frightened…. passer-by.
b) The grey ash that …..swallows….. all.
c) The ghat is littered with …..bones / half-cooked limbs…. .
d) The fire at times …forgets….. its dead.
e) I swore to save fire from the …..sin….. of forgetfulness.
f) The nearest …….Tower of Silence….. was a thousand miles.
g) The speaker consigned his ….first-born…. to the flames.
h) The speaker was broken yet …rebellious….
i) The second time the speaker swore to save the fire from the sin of ….forgiving….

B.1. 3. Answer the following questions briefly:

1) How did the passer-by get frightened?
Ans — The passers-by got frightened by the “wandering ghost lights” erupting from the burning ghat.

2) Which event does the expression ‘the burning ghat’ refer to?
Ans — The expression ‘the burning ghat’ refers to a cremation ground where bodies are burned.

3) Where do you think is the ghat located?
Ans — The ghat is likely located by a river-bank, as mentioned in the poem (“past river-bank and ghat”).

4) What does the speaker see/observe in the morning at the ghat?
Ans — In the morning, the speaker observes embers losing their “cruel redness” to grey ash, and sees “half-cooked limbs” bearing witness to the fire’s “debauchery.”

5) Why does he say that the redness of the fire is cruel?
Ans — He says the redness of the fire is cruel because it is consuming human remains, suggesting the harsh and unsparing nature of cremation.

6) In what sense does the fire forget its dead?
Ans — The fire forgets its dead in the sense that it doesn’t completely consume the bodies, leaving “half-burnt fingers” and “bone-stubs,” as if incomplete in its task.

7) Why does the speaker reveal his religious identity?
Ans — The speaker reveals his religious identity as a Zoroastrian to highlight the profound contrast between his community’s reverence for fire (and their specific burial practices in Towers of Silence) and the cremation practices he witnesses, which deeply affects him.

8) Why did he consign his first born to the flames?
Ans — He consigned his first born to the flames because “The nearest Tower of Silence was a thousand miles” away, implying he had no other practical option for his child’s final rites in accordance with his faith.

9) What did the firm-hymn say to him?
Ans — The firm-hymn said to him, “You stand forgiven.”

C. 1. LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

1) What are the different forms and roles of fire at the ghat?
Ans — At the ghat, fire takes on several forms and plays complex roles, evolving from a destructive force to a symbolic entity. Initially, it’s presented as a source of “phosphorescence” and “wandering ghost lights,” creating a eerie, almost supernatural atmosphere that frightens passers-by. It’s the literal instrument of cremation, consuming bodies, yet paradoxically, it’s described as “cruel redness” and performing “debauchery” for leaving “half-cooked limbs.” In this sense, fire is a messy, incomplete, and somewhat barbaric force. Later, it becomes an entity capable of “forgetfulness,” as it fails to fully consume the dead. Finally, in the speaker’s adult experience, fire is personified again, offering “forgiveness” through a “firm-hymn,” but this forgiveness is also a burden he wishes to save fire from. Thus, fire at the ghat is not just a physical element but a dynamic force that evokes fear, cruelty, imperfection, and even a complex sense of moral agency.

2) How does the ghat appear to the common people?
Ans — The ghat, as described, appears to the common people as a frightening and unsettling place, especially at night. The “wandering ghost lights” that “frightened passers-by” suggest a sense of unease and a touch of the supernatural. It’s a place where the boundaries between life and death blur, marked by glowing bones and a pervasive sense of dread. Even in the morning, the sight of “embers losing their cruel redness” and “half-cooked limbs” implies a grim reality that would disturb many, reinforcing the idea that it’s not a pleasant or comforting sight for “common people.”

3) What is the fire’s debauchery?
Ans — The fire’s “debauchery” refers to its incomplete and grotesque consumption of the bodies, specifically leaving behind “half-cooked limbs,” “half-burnt fingers,” and “bone-stubs.” The word “debauchery” suggests excessive indulgence and lack of restraint, implying that the fire, in its destructive act, is not thorough or respectful. Instead, it acts in a crude and uncontrolled manner, leaving behind disturbing evidence of its incomplete work, which the speaker perceives as a moral failing or transgression on the fire’s part.

4) What has offended the religious sentiment of the speaker when he was a child?
Ans — As a child, the incomplete cremation and the father’s explanation deeply offended the speaker’s religious sentiment. Being a Zoroastrian, a faith that holds fire sacred but does not cremate their dead (instead using Towers of Silence for excarnation), the sight of “half-burnt fingers / And bone-stubs” was inherently disturbing. His father’s comment, “The fire at times forgets its dead!”, highlighted this perceived imperfection and negligence of the fire, clashing sharply with the reverence for fire in his own tradition. This stark contrast and the perceived “sin of forgetfulness” by the fire caused him profound “pain” and led him to swear to “save fire” from this perceived flaw.

5) Why do you think the speaker consigned his first born to the flames?
Ans — The speaker consigned his first born to the flames due to circumstantial compulsion. As a Zoroastrian, his religious tradition dictates that bodies are placed in a ‘Tower of Silence’ for natural decomposition, not cremation. However, the poem explicitly states, “The nearest Tower of Silence was a thousand miles -” This indicates that he had no practical means to perform the rites according to his faith due to geographical distance, leaving him with no option but to resort to cremation, despite it being contrary to his deeply held religious beliefs.

6) Why was the speaker ‘broken’ and how did he regard himself rebellious?
Ans — The speaker was ‘broken’ by the immense grief of losing his first-born child and the tragic necessity of consigning them to flames, an act directly contrary to his Zoroastrian faith. This act of cremation, forced upon him by circumstance, deeply wounded him. He regarded himself as ‘rebellious’ because, despite the “firm-hymn” telling him, “You stand forgiven,” he rejected this absolution. He was unwilling to accept that the fire could simply ‘forgive’ him or his act. Instead, in his profound sorrow and conviction, he swore to protect the fire from this perceived “sin of forgiving,” asserting his own moral judgment over what he felt was a superficial or inappropriate absolution. His rebellion lies in his refusal to passively accept the situation and the ‘forgiveness’ offered by the fire.

7) Why did he swear twice to save the fire from two different sins?
Ans — The speaker swore twice to save the fire from two different “sins” due to two distinct, profound experiences that challenged his perception of fire and its role:
i) First Vow :- To save fire from the “sin of forgetfulness.” This vow was made in childhood after witnessing incomplete cremations at the ghat. His father’s comment, “The fire at times forgets its dead!”, coupled with the sight of half-burnt remains, deeply disturbed him as a Zoroastrian who reveres fire. He felt fire was failing in its duty, leaving unfinished work, which he interpreted as a “sin.” His child-mind, perhaps, wanted to perfect fire’s role.
ii) Second Vow :- To save fire from the “sin of forgiving.” This vow was made as an adult when he was compelled to cremate his own first-born. Despite the “firm-hymn” offering “forgiveness,” he was “broken” by the act. He saw this “forgiveness” as another form of imperfection or moral failing on the fire’s part, perhaps because it seemed to absolve an act that caused him immense pain and went against his faith. He didn’t want the fire to be capable of such easy absolution, implying a desire for the fire to be held to a higher, perhaps more demanding, moral standard.
In both instances, the speaker projects human moral failings onto the fire, driven by his deeply personal and religious convictions, seeking to uphold a perceived integrity or ideal for this sacred element.

8) Though the poem reveals the religious leaning of a Parsi, it still has its human appeal. Justify it with your own comments.
Ans — The poem, while explicitly revealing the speaker’s Zoroastrian identity, transcends its specific religious context to possess a profound universal human appeal. This appeal stems from several key aspects:
Firstly, the poem vividly depicts grief and loss, which are universal human experiences. The ultimate tragedy of losing a “first-born” child is a sorrow that resonates with anyone, regardless of their background. The speaker’s “broken” state is a raw portrayal of parental anguish.
Secondly, it explores the clash between deeply held personal beliefs/traditions and unavoidable circumstances. The speaker’s dilemma of having to cremate his child against his religious tenets – “The nearest Tower of Silence was a thousand miles” – is a powerful representation of how life’s harsh realities can force individuals to compromise their core values, leading to immense internal conflict and pain. This struggle with compulsion and conscience is deeply human.
Thirdly, the poem delves into complex emotional responses to adversity. The child’s innocent vow to “save fire / From the sin of forgetfulness” evolves into the adult’s “rebellious” oath to save it from “the sin of forgiving.” This progression shows how individuals grapple with trauma and loss, finding agency and meaning even in their despair. The personification of fire, attributing human characteristics like ‘forgetfulness’ and ‘forgiveness’ to it, allows for a metaphorical exploration of profound moral and existential questions that extend beyond any single faith.
Finally, the imagery of the burning ghat itself is universally evocative of death and transformation. While specific to Indian culture, the act of cremation and the philosophical questions it raises about mortality, the body, and the afterlife are common to humanity. The poem uses this setting to explore themes of pain, defiance, and the enduring human spirit in the face of insurmountable tragedy, making it deeply relatable even to those unfamiliar with Zoroastrianism or Indian funerary rites.

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