ICSE CHAMP

The Hero

by Rabindranath Tagore

(Mulberry) (Standard Version)

The Poem :

Mother, let us imagine we are travelling,

and passing through a strange and dangerous country.

You are riding in a palanquin¹ and

I am trotting by you on a red horse.

It is evening and the sun goes down.

The waste² of Joradighi³ lies wan⁴ and grey before us.

The land is desolate⁵ and barren.

You are frightened and thinking,

'I know not where we have come to.'

I say to you, 'Mother, do not be afraid.'

The meadow is prickly with spiky grass,

and through it runs a narrow broken path.

There are no cattle to be seen in the wide field;

they have gone to their village stalls.

It grows dark and dim on the land and sky,

and we cannot tell where we are going.

Suddenly you call me and ask in a whisper,

'What light is that near the bank?'

Just then there bursts out a fearful yell,

and figures come running towards us.

You sit crouched in your palanquin

and repeat the names of the gods in prayer.

The bearers, shaking in terror,

hide themselves in the thorny bush.

I shout to you, 'Don't be afraid, mother. I am here.'

With long sticks in their hands

and hair all wild about their heads,

they come nearer and nearer.

I shout, 'Have a care⁶, you villains!

One step more and you are dead men.'

They give another terrible yell and rush forward.

You clutch my hand and say,

'Dear boy, for heaven's sake, keep away from them.'

I say, 'Mother, just you watch me.'

Then I spur my horse for a wild gallop,

and my sword and buckler⁷ clash against each other.

The fight becomes so fearful, mother,

that it would give you a cold shudder

could you see it from your palanquin.

Many of them fly⁸, and a great number are cut to pieces.

I know you are thinking, sitting all by yourself,

that your boy must be dead by this time.

But I come to you all stained with blood,

and say, 'Mother, the fight is over now.'

You come out and kiss me, pressing me to

your heart, and you say to yourself,

'I don't know what I should do if I hadn't my boy to escort⁹ me.'

A thousand useless things happen day after day,

and why couldn't such a thing come true by chance?

It would be like a story in a book.

My brother would say, 'Is it possible?'

I always thought he was so delicate¹⁰!

Our village people would all say in amazement,

'Was it not lucky that the boy was with his mother?'

Glossary

1. palanquin – covered or box-like carriage carried on poles on the shoulders of bearers

2. waste – barren, bare land

3. Joradighi – name of a place

4. wan – dark and gloomy

5. desolate – lonely

6. Have a care – be careful

7. buckler – a round shield

8. fly – (here) run away

9. escort – (here) guard on a journey

10. delicate – (here) weak

Summary of the Poem

"The Hero" is a beautiful narrative poem by Rabindranath Tagore that captures the limitless imagination of a young child. The poem is narrated by a little boy who dreams of becoming a fearless hero capable of protecting his beloved mother from every danger. Through this imaginary adventure, Tagore presents the innocence, courage, and boundless fantasy that characterize childhood.

The poem begins with the boy asking his mother to imagine that they are travelling together through a strange, lonely, and dangerous country. His mother is comfortably seated in a palanquin while he proudly rides beside her on a magnificent red horse. As evening approaches, the sun sets, filling the surroundings with darkness. They pass through the desolate waste of Joradighi, where the land appears barren and grey. The lonely meadows are covered with prickly grass, the narrow path is broken, there are no cattle in the fields, and darkness gradually spreads across both the land and the sky. These vivid descriptions create a mysterious and frightening atmosphere.

The mother naturally becomes frightened because of the lonely surroundings. She worries that they may have lost their way. The little boy, however, behaves like a brave guardian. He confidently assures his mother that she has nothing to fear because he is by her side.

Suddenly, a terrifying yell breaks the silence. A group of fierce-looking robbers appears, carrying long sticks with their hair flying wildly around their heads. Their appearance frightens everyone. The palanquin bearers panic and hide themselves in thorny bushes, while the frightened mother begins praying to the gods for protection.

The little boy now imagines himself as a fearless warrior. Standing boldly before the robbers, he warns them not to take another step. When the robbers ignore his warning and rush forward, his mother desperately begs him not to risk his life. Nevertheless, the boy remains determined and tells her to simply watch him.

He spurs his horse into a fast gallop and attacks the robbers with his sword and buckler. In his imagination, a fierce battle takes place. The clash of weapons echoes through the lonely countryside. Many robbers are defeated, while the remaining ones flee in terror. The boy imagines himself victorious after displaying extraordinary courage and strength.

During the battle, the mother anxiously waits in her palanquin, believing that her son might have been killed. After the fight, however, the boy returns safely, covered with blood from the battle. He calmly tells his mother that the fight is over. Overwhelmed with relief and pride, she embraces him warmly, kisses him affectionately, and says that she cannot imagine how she would have completed the journey without her brave son to protect her.

In the final stanza, the poet gently brings the readers back to reality. The boy admits that such heroic adventures do not usually happen in everyday life. Yet he wonders why such an extraordinary event could not happen by chance. He imagines how amazed his brother and the villagers would be if they heard such an unbelievable story. This ending reminds readers that the entire adventure exists only in the fertile imagination of a child.

The poem beautifully celebrates the innocence of childhood, the natural desire of children to become heroes, and the deep love that a child feels for his mother. Although the adventure is imaginary, the emotions of courage, affection, protection, and devotion are genuine. Tagore shows that children's dreams are often filled with noble intentions, where they wish to prove themselves brave enough to protect the people they love most. The poem, therefore, is both a delightful fantasy and a touching expression of the loving bond between a mother and her child.