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.