Lesson : 6

The Vagabond

Let's start : 🚀

Robert Louis Stevenson

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson (1850-1894) was a Scottish poet, novelist, essayist, and a travel writer. His famous works include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Let's share : 💬

• Have you ever travelled far?
• Name some places that you have visited.
• What are the other places you would like to visit?

Let's read : 📖

Give to me the life I love, Let the lave go by me, Give the jolly heaven above And the byway nigh me.

Bed in the bush with stars to see, Bread I dip in the river – There's the life for a man like me, There's the life for ever.

Let the blow fall soon or late, Let what will be o'er me; Give the face of earth around And the road before me. Wealth I seek not, hope nor love, Nor a friend to know me; All I seek, the heaven above And the road below me.

Or let autumn fall on me Where afield I linger, Silencing the bird on tree, Biting the blue finger. White as meal the frosty field – Warm the fireside haven – Not to autumn will I yield, Not to winter even!

Let the blow fall soon or late, Let what will be o'er me; Give the face of earth around, And the road before me. Wealth I ask not, hope nor love, Nor a friend to know me; All I ask, the heaven above And the road below me.

— Robert Louis Stevenson

Word Nest 📚

lave: stream; jolly: happy; nigh: near; afield: in the field; linger: spend a while; meal: grains of cereal after a coarse grinding; haven: a safe place; yield: surrender; blow: troubles and challenges

Let's do : 💪

Activity 1

Choose the correct answer from the given alternatives :

(a) The vagabond wishes to have his bed (i) in a frosty field (ii) in the bush (iii) at a roadside inn.

(b) The vagabond prays for a life (i) in close contact with nature (ii) devoted to social work (iii) spent in comfort and luxury

(c) The vagabond does not seek (i) the heaven above him (ii) wealth (iii) the road below him

Activity 2

Identify which of the following statements are True and which are False. Give a supporting statement for each of your answers:

(a) The vagabond wants the way to be far away from him. ( ) (b) The vagabond dips the bread in the river water. ( ) (c) When autumn comes the birds are going to be happy with their chirpings. ( ) (d) The vagabond will not fear to face Autumn or Winter. ( )

Activity 3

Complete the sentences meaningfully:

(a) The vagabond is a person who (b) The vagabond wants a life of (c) The vagabond asks for (d) The vagabond does not to know him.

Activity 4

Answer the following questions:

(a) What kind of a life does the vagabond want? (b) What are the things that do not interest the vagabond? (c) What would the vagabond do when winter falls? (d) How does the poet describe a field in autumn? (e) Why does the poet repeat the second stanza once again? (f) What message does the poet want to give through the poem?

Activity 5

Match the words in Column A with their meanings in Column B :

A	B
love	a stream or a rivulet
heaven	that which is near
nigh	a feeling of care and understanding
lave	a person who stands by at all times
frosty	covered with thin ice
friend	a place where a soul finds peace and his God

Activity 6

Fill in the blanks with the antonyms of the words given in brackets :

(a) There is a ____________ (warm) breeze blowing from the sea. (b) His coat is ____________ (white) in colour. (c) After spring comes ____________ (winter). (d) From the mountain top, I could see the river flowing ____________ (above). (e) I do not want to be ____________ (early) for the meeting.

Activity 7

Make as many new words as you can from the poem by adding suffixes. One is done for you:

(a) _y: wealthy, (b) _less: (c) _full: (d) _ly: (e) _th: (f) _side: (g) _er: (h) _r:

Activity 8 (a)

Find participle adjectives from the given sentences :

(a) He got down from a running bus. (b) The loaded truck hit the tree. (c) I met a charming woman today. (d) Don't eat rotten mangoes. (e) Cricket is an exciting game.

Activity 8 (b)

Make new sentences with the participle adjectives that you have found in Activity 8 (a).

Activity 9

Punctuate the following passage :

do you know Watson said Holmes as we sat together at the end of the garden in the darkness I have really some hesitation in taking you tonight there is a risk of danger

You know I welcome it but you have evidently seen more in these rooms than was visible to me You saw the ventilator Yes but I do not think that it is such a very dangerous or unusual thing to have a small opening between two rooms it was so small that a rat could hardly pass through

Activity 10

Complete the sentences with adjectives in their proper degree:

(a) Ram is ____________ (old) than Shyam. (b) Mt. Everest is the ____________ (high) peak in the world. (c) A mango is as ____________ (sweet) to taste as an apple. (d) Darjeeling is ____________ (cool) than Siliguri. (e) Kolkata is the ____________ (large) city in West Bengal. (f) Sita is ____________ (tall) than Reshma.

Activity 11

Fill in the blanks with the plural nouns given in the help box. There are some extra words.

species, headquarters, means, series, spectacles, tongs, congratulations

(a) You have won the match ____________ ! (b) The police ____________ were not far away. (c) He did not have the ____________, but he had the capacity to build an empire. (d) The test ____________ was so exciting that all were glued to the television. (e) He held the burning coal with the help of ____________.

Activity 12

Describe in a short paragraph (within seventy words) your experience of enjoying a picnic. You may use the following hints:

• place of the picnic
• time/season of the picnic
• your companions in the picnic
• games/events/activities
• your feelings after the picnic

Let's work together : 🤝

Framing a Picture 🖼️

• On a sheet of chart paper draw a colourful picture of the vagabond in a natural background.
• Collect at least eight sticks, four of these equal in measure to the breadth of the picture and the other four equal to the length.
• Fix the sticks to the margins of the pictures on all four sides.
• Make a loop of strong string and fix it to the top stick carefully so that the picture stays upright.
• Your picture is ready for hanging on the wall.