Back to: Karnataka Board Class 6th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Introduction
The poem is about how we should show love and kindness to all animals around us. The poet has said how happy the animals get if we can assure them an environment where they can move freely without any sense of fear of getting hurt. The poet has also given instances of how we should be treating animals. It is very cruel to hurt animals in any way.
About the poet
The given poem ‘Kindness to animals’ is penned by an anonymous poet and thus nothing is known about the poet.
The theme of the poem
The poem highlights the importance of kindness and empathy towards animals. Just as human beings experience feelings of joy, pain, loneliness, anger, hate, and other such feelings, animals do have such feelings. Animals cannot express such feelings so it becomes our innate duty to develop feelings of compassion and empathy towards animals. It would not only make us good human beings but model citizens too.
Stanza 1
Little children, never give Pain to things that feel and live. Let the gentle robin come For the crumbs you save at home.
According to the poet, children never hurt animals intentionally. That’s because of their pure heart. Children have compassion for anything that is living and have feelings. The poet wants everybody to be as compassionate as the children towards all living beings including the animals and let them have the food or leftovers instead of throwing them away.
Stanza 2
As his meat you throw along He’ll repay you with a song. Never hurt the timid hare Peeping from her green grass lair.
The act of kindness is enough to make the robin (an animal) happy and make it repay us with a nice happy song. We should never hurt the fearful hare. The hare is said to be peeping from the green grass, where it has its hiding place.
Stanza 3
Let her come and sport and play On the lawn at close of day. The little lark goes soaring high To the bright windows of the sky.
We should let animals play happily in the open without the fear of getting hurt. Without any worries, it should be able to play in the open and on the lawn by the end of the day. The little lark is flying high in the sky with its untired wings.
Stanza 4
Singing as if 't were always spring And fluttering on an untired wing Oh! Let him sing his happy song Nor do these gentle creatures wrong.
The lark is flying and singing as if it is always spring. The happy songs sung by the lark make us feel that it is always spring. The happy songs sung by the lark make us feel that it is always spring around us. The poet has asked the readers to never cause any harm to these innocent creatures. They did no wrong, so we should not hurt them as well. They should be able to sing their happy notes and live their life.
