Slave? No, Master

Glossary and Notes

• Slave - a person who is owned by someone

• Placard - sign, notice, poster

• Bid - auction, public sale of something or someone

• Spy - observe, see through, understand

• Submits - accepts the control and authority of somebody/something

• Humility - modesty, a lack of false pride

 

OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS

 

Q1 Who is the poet of the poem ‘Slave? No, Master’?

Ans. Dr. Bhai Vir Singh is the poet of the poem ‘Slave? No, Master’.

 

Q2 Who has translated the poem ‘Barda Ki Malik’?

Ans. Prof. Gurbachan Singh Talib has translated the poem ‘Barda Ki Malik’

 

Q3 Where did the man mentioned in the poem ‘Slave? No, Master’ enter?

Ans The man entered the market-place.

 

Q4 What words were hung about the man’s neck?

Ans. The words were – “I am a slave; who’ll bid for me?”

 

Q5 What is the greatest virtue in life?

Ans. Humility is the greatest virtue in life.

 

Q6 What does the presence of humility in a man symbolise?

Ans. It symbolises the presence of God-like qualities in him.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

 

Q1 Explain the symbolic significance of the poem in 50-60 words.

Ans. God, the real master of us all, is never arrogant or proud. All are equal in his eyes. His humble ways teach us that humility is the greatest virtue and we should follow it in life. Humility in a man symbolises the presence of God-like qualities in him. Such a humble man who offers himself to be auctioned as a slave is the master of us all as he has become God-like.

 

Q2 What is the secret of the man referred to in line 4?

Ans. The secret of a man referred to in line 4 is his humility. This man who offered himself to be sold in the market was not a slave. His offer showed his humility. Rather, he was the master of everyone as the humbler a person is, the more powerful he becomes.

 

Q3.Who is the ‘someone’ referred to in line 4?

Ans. The ‘someone’ referred to in line 4 is a person who read the strange words written on the placard of a man in the market-place. He seemed to have good insight and understanding of the human nature. He was immediately able to see through the greatness of this man. He pointed out that this man was not a slave. His offer showed his humility. Rather, he was the master of everyone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Dr. BHAI VIR SINGH

(1872 – 1957) Father Of Modern Poetry in Punjab

Born 5 December 1872

Amritsar, Punjab, British India

Died 10 June 1957 (aged 84)

Amritsar, Punjab, India

Occupation Poet, short-story writer, song composer, novelist, playwright and essayist.

Notable works Sundari (1898)

Bijay Singh (1899)

Satwant Kaur

Rana Surat Singh (1905)

Notable awards Sahitya Academy Award (1955)

Padma Bhushan (1956)

The Government of India released a stamp to commemorate Bhai Vir Singh’s birth centenary in 1972.

 

Slave? No, Master

(Barda Ki Malik)

Dr. Bhai Vir Singh

(Translated by Prof. Gurbachan Singh Talib)

 

There was a man entered the market-place,

These words were hung about his neck:

 

I am a slave; who’ll bid for me?

 

“Do you not spy his secret?” someone said; 4

 

“He surely is no slave whose soul submits

 

To such humility.

 

In truth, this slave is master of us all.”

EXPLANATION WITH REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

 

• Reference to the Context -These lines have been taken from the poem

‘Slave? No, Master’ written by Bhai Vir Singh .The poem is based on the idea that humility is the greatest virtue in life.

• Explanation (Lines 1-3) – In these lines, the poet says that once a man bantered the market-place. There was a placard hanging from his neck. Strange words were written on it. The words announced that he was a slave. He offered himself to be bought in the auction. His offer showed his humility.

 

• Explanation (Lines 4 -7) -Someone read the strange words written on the placard of a man in the market-place. He seemed to have good insight and understanding of human nature. He was immediately able to see through the greatness of this man. He pointed out that this man was not a slave. His offer showed his humility. Rather, he was the master of everyone. The humbler a person is, the more powerful he becomes.

 

CENTRAL IDEA OF THE POEM

 

Bhai Vir Singh’s poem ‘Slave? No, Master’ is a short poem with a deep meaning in it. The poem is based on the idea that humility is the greatest virtue in life. Its presence in a man is the sign of his greatness. The man who offered himself to be bought in the market was not a slave. Rather, he was the master of all. His offer showed his humility. The humbler a person is, the more powerful he becomes. A man who is free of arrogance and false pride is God-like. He is not a slave but master of us all

 

ØSUMMARY/SUBSTANCE/DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT

 

Slave? No, Master is a short poem written by Bhai Vir Singh. It was originally written in Punjabi under the title ‘Barda Ki Malik’. The poem appeared in Bhai Vir Singh’s first collection of forty- eight poems Tarel Tupke [Dew Drops], 1921). The poem was later translated into English by Prof. Gurbachan Singh Talib. The poem gives the message that humility is the greatest virtue in life. Its presence in a man is the sign of his greatness. Once a man entered the market -place. There was a placard hanging from his neck. Strange words were written on it. The words announced that he was a slave. He offered himself to be bought in the auction. His offer showed his humility. Someone read these strange words. He seemed to have good insight and understanding of human nature. He was at once able to see through the greatness of this man. He pointed out that this man was not a slave. His offer showed his humility. Rather, he was the master of everyone. The humbler a person is, the more powerful he becomes. A man who is free of arrogance and false pride is God-like. The poem opens with a mystery, but this mystery is resolved as we move over to the second stanza giving us a beautiful message.