Bihar Board Class 10 English Book Solutions Poem 5 The Empty Heart

Panorama English Book Class 10 Solutions Poem 5 The Empty Heart

Bihar Board Class 10th English Book Solutions

A. Answer the following questions briefly:

Question 1.
What is your opinion about a greedy man?
In my opinion, the greedy man always remains discontented. He always thinks restlessly for adding more wealth to his assets.

Question 2.
What does he do to satisfy his ambition?
He always runs after earning money, even though unfair practices, to satisfy his ambition even neglecting his own health and family’s welfare.

Question 3.
What ultimate result has to come across?
His ambitions for adding more wealth remains unfruitful and he meets a tragic end.

B.1. Write ‘T’for true and ‘F’ for false statement:

1. Periasamy Thoran has written the poem “The Empty Heart”.
2. Perisamy Thoran was a Bengali writer.
3. “The Empty Heart’ The poem was translated by S. Swaminathan.
4. The man was given six pots.
1. – T
2. – F
3. – T
4. – F

B.1.2. Answer the following questions very briefly:

Question 1.
Why was the man not content, although he was rich?
The man was not content, because he was greedy and desirous of adding more money and gold to his assets.

Question 2.
When was the gift given by the tree?
The gift was given by the tree when he went to the tree and prayed to give him a pitcher containing gold coins.

Question 3.
Why was the tree called unkind?
The tree was called unkind because it was not glad to see his greediness and had accepted his prayer not being pleased with him.

Question 4.
When did the man want one pot of gold?
The man wanted one pot of gold when he was not contented with his wealth and wanted to add more money and gold to his assets.

Question 5.
Why was he given seven pots?
The ‘Kalpaka’ tree found him much greedy and not satisfied with his wealth, gave him seven pots.

C.1. Long Answer Questions:

Question 1.
Explain the title “The Empty Heart” in context with the poem.
The title of the poem “The Empty Heart” is self-explanatory. The poem relates to the description of a rich but greedy man. he is not contented with his wealth. He wants to add more money and gold to his wealth. He prayed to the “Kalpaka” tree to give him a pot filled up with gold coins. The tree provides him seven silver pots full of gold coins. He was given one extra pot half-filled with gold coins. As he was a greedy man he works day and night to fill up the half-filled pot. But he does not succeed in his efforts and dies.

The whole affair shows that he had no human sentiments. His heart was empty. He had no feelings for noble acts.
Therefore the title of the poem is quite appropriate. It signifies the importance of contentment. There is a strong appeal in the poem related to; (i) not to be.greedy (ii) to lead a noble and virtuous life, (ii) to earn money by hard labour and legitimate means and (iv) desires are endless, but life is limited.

As such, if the purse containing money is even half filled it is not the matter of sorrow. But if the heart is empty then it becomes a curse.

Question 2. Is the name “Kalpaka” justified? Explain.
“Kalpaka” is the name of a tree which fulfills our needs if we pray for something to it. In our religious books, this tree is called “Kalpatru”.

As such in the poem, a rich but greedy person goes to “Kalpaka” tree and prays for giving him a pot filled up with gold coins. His prayer was granted and he was given not only one but seven silver pots full of gold coins as gift. He is also given one more pot half-filled with gold, in addition to those seven pots. Moreover, it has given many times more than he demanded.

Therefore the name ‘Kalpaka’ is justified in the poem because it not only solves the problems of the man who goes to it but also gives him many times more than what he demanded…’

Question 3.
Contentment is the style of life. Discuss.
Contentment is the real style of life. It is necessary to lead a happy life. Discontented man always remains unhappy. Money alone cannot provide us the real pleasure of life. It is evident from the poem, “The Empty Heart”.

A rich and greedy person always runs after earning more and more wealth. He spends his whole life in order to expand his assets. He works day and night to fulfill his desire. He loses his peace of mind. There has no pleasure in his life. One day he dies leaving all his wealth.

Thus we learn that contentment is the real style of life, as mentioned in the poem.

Question 4.
“Nothing is wrong with a half-filled purse; ‘T is the void in the heart that is the curse.” Why?
There is an underlying message in this statement. It very well makes us aware about the importance of contentment.

Discontentment is a vice whereas to live peacefully with the limited hard-earned money is a virtue.

The rich man was not contented with seven pitchers full of gold coins. He lost his life to fill the eighth pitcher, as his heart was empty.

Question 5.
What does the term silver pitcher symbolize?
The rich man was very greedy. Having so much of wealth he still desired to have more and more wealth. The ‘Kalpaka’ tree was very unkind. Out of unkindness, he gave him so much and extra seven silver pitchers to increase his greediness.

Therefore the term silver pitcher symbolizes the Kalpaka’s adding fuel of silver to the unlimited greed of the rich man.

C. 2. Group Discussion

Discuss the following in groups or pairs:

Question 1.
The greed for the accumulation of material wealth leads to destruction.
Contentment brings happiness. But there are people who are never .contented. The more they have the more they want. Such people are called greedy. They are never satisfied with what they have. Here goes a story of a King’s greed for gold. His name was Midas. He had much more gold than he needed. Yet he wanted more and more of it. He worshipped the god Mercury and prayed to fulfill his desire.

God Mercury granted him power of touching. Everything he would touch shall turn into gold. The King became glad. But what happened to him. His food, water, daughter everything turned into gold. Now that situation arose, is most unfortunate, he remained without food. So he prayed again to god Mercury to take back his given boon It was also granted. Midas stopped earing for gold. He realized that greed always brings unhappiness or destruction. So, we should never be greedy.

C.3. Composition:

Write a paragraph in about 100 words on each of following:
Question 1.
A rich man empty heart.
Human Character can create wealth but wealth can not create character, rather it gradually ruins it and creates conditions in which the basic virtues of existence decay or are destroyed. Human sympathy, compassion for the poor, the weak and the down-trodden, the elementary qualities of respect and reverence for elders, consideration for others and at times even the dictates of country, are clean forgotten when the obsession with wealth becomes a predominant trait of one’s character. Their hearts become empty from those virtues. Countless instances are known of wealthy people becoming proud, cruel and heartless.

D.1. Word Study

Correct the spelling of the following words:

Atteck apeal stalement
Bigin Change Compare
Grateful Surfer Report


Attack Appeal Stalemate
Begin Change Compare
Grateful Suffer Report

D. 2. Use the following words in sentences:

Care Bridge Demand Hope Guard
Fight Promise Profit Return Smell

Care : You should take more care over your work.
Bridge : There is a bridge over and across the railway.
Demand : It is impossible to satisfy all demands.
Hope : I hope to secure good marks at the examination.
Guard : The guard was not present at the door.
Fight : The dogs were fighting over alone.
Promise : She promised me to be here at 6 O’clock.
Profit : He makes a profit of two hundred rupees every day.
Return : I shall return within an hour.
Smell : Taste and smell are closely connected.


Translate into English:
1. मेरी माँ दयालु है |
2. वे सुबह में टहलते है |
3. तुम्हे आराम करना चाहिये |
4. वह कलम से लिख सकती है |
5. पटना बिहार की राजधानी है |
6. पटना गंगा के किनारे बसा हुआ है |
7. गंगा एक पवित्र नदी है |
8. गंगा को प्रादुपित नहीं करना चाहिये |
9. पटना एक पुराना शहर है |
10. उसने पटना के बारे में पत्र लिखा है |
1. My mother is kind.
2. They walk in the morning.
3. You should take rest.
4. She can write with pen.
5. Patna is the capital of Bihar.
6. Patna is situated on the bank of the Ganges.
7. The Ganga (Ganges) is a holy river.
8. The Ganga should not be polluted.
9. Patna is an ancient city.
10. He has written a letter about Patna.

Comprehensive Based Questions with Answers

1. The man was rich, but not content,
Morning, noon and night he went
To the wish-yielding Tree and prayed:
“O Kalpaka”, I seek your aid;
All I want is a pot of gold.”
(i) Name the poem and the poet.
(ii) What type of the rich man was?
(iii) Why did the man go to the ‘Kalpakitree?’
(iv) What did he get as a boon?
(i) The stanza has been taken from the poem “The Empty Heart” written by the poet Periasamy Thoran
(ii) The rich man was very greedy.
(iii) The man went to the Kalpaka tree to give him a pot of gold in aid.
(iv) He got seven silver pitchers full of gold.

Content (adj.) काँटेन्ट = संतुष्ट (satisfied), Wish-yielding (n)-विश-यील्डिंग = इच्छा की पूर्ति करनेवाला (one who fulfils the wish), Kalpaka (n)- कल्पका = कल्पतरु वृक्ष, धार्मिक तथा पौराणिक कथाओं में वर्णित एक वृक्ष जो मनोकामना पूरी करता है (Kalpatru tree that fulfils one’s wish)|

हिन्दी भाषान्तर :

  • वह व्यक्ति धनाढ्य था, किन्तु संतुष्ट (संतोषी) नहीं,
  • प्रात:काल, दोपहर तथा रात वह गया
  • इच्छा की पूर्ति करनेवाले वृक्ष के पास तथा उसने प्रार्थना की;
  • “ऐ कल्पक” मैं चाहता हूँ, आपकी सहायता
  • वह सब जो मैं चाहता वह है एक स्वर्ण कलश ।

2. His prayer was granted seven fold;
For as a gift to him was given,
Glistening gold in pitchers seven,
Seven Silver pitchers were now with him
Each with gold coins filled to the brim
But the tree unkind took into its mind
To add an eightech, a half full pot.

Granted (v)- ग्रान्टेड = स्वीकार कर लिया (accepted), Gift (n)- गिफ्ट = उपहार (presentation), Pitcher (n)- पिचर = घड़ा, मिट्टी का कलश (an earthenware vessel) ।

हिन्दी भाषान्तर:

  • उसकी प्रार्थना स्वीकार कर ली गई सात गुनी :
  • क्योंकि एक उपहार उसे दिया गया,
  • सात घड़ों में चमकदार सोना
  • सात चाँदी के घड़े (कलश) अब उसके पास थे
  • प्रत्येक सोने के सिक्के से लबालब भरा था
  • किन्तु निर्दयी पेड़ ने अपने मन में विचार किया
  • एक आठवाँ भी आधा भरा हुआ घड़ा उसमें
  • जोड़ देने के लिए । (अर्थात् एक आठवाँ आधा भरा हुआ घड़ा भी उसको दे दिया ।)

3. To fill this quick was his thought;
The seven full vessels he clean forgot;
The demon Desire now made him mad :
The mother, wife, children “good bye” he bade.

Vessel (n) – वेसल = पात्र, घड़ा, कलश (an utencil for holding something), Demon (n)-डीमोन = शैतान, दुरात्मा, दुष्ट प्रवृत्तिवाला व्यक्ति (Wicked, an evil spirit), Bade (past tense of bid) (v)- बेड = कहा, आदेश दिया (told, commanded) ।

हिन्दी भाषान्तर:

  • शीघ्रातिशीघ्र उसे भर देने का उसका विचार था
  • सात भरे हुए घड़ों (कलश) को वह बिल्कुल भूल गया
  • उसकी कुत्सित मनोवृति न अब उसे पागल बना दिया था
  • माँ, पत्नी तथा बच्चों को उसने तिलांजलि दे दी थी।

4. He rose before cock-crow, past midnight he worked;
Eating, drinking and sleep he shirked.
He wrecked his health, his conscience sold
And tried all tricks to gather gold.
(i) What did the man do to gather gold?
(ii) What made him mad?
(iii) How did he wreck his health.
(iv) Find the word from the stanza which means: an evil spirii’.
Answers :
(i) The man to fulfill his desire forgot his family and since morning to late midnight, he worked. He avoided even taking food regularly.
He applied his all tricks either right or wrong to earn money.
(ii) Demon desire for gold made him mad.
(iii) To earn more and more gold he worked day and night, he forgot taking food regularly-So he wrecked his health.
(iv) The word is ‘Demon’.

Rose (past tense of rise) (v) रोज = बिस्तर से उठना (got out of bed), Shirk (v) शर्क = जान बचाना, काम से बचाना (to avoid doing), Wreck (n) रेक = नष्ट होना या करना (ruin or destruction), Conscience (n) कैन्सेस = भले- बुरे का ज्ञान (sense of right or wrong)

हिन्दी भाषान्तर:

  • वह प्रात:काल बिस्तर से उठ जाता था तथा आधी रात तक काम करता था;
  • खाना, पीना तथा सोना-इसकी उपेक्षा करना था
  • उसने अपना स्वास्थ्य नष्ट कर दिया तथा अच्छे-बुरे के ज्ञान को बेच (खो) दिया था ।
  • तथा स्वर्ण एकत्र करने के छलपूर्ण कार्य करता था।

5. Greed is endless, but life is not
Nothing is wrong with a half-filled purse;
‘Tis the void in the heart that is the curse.
Questions :
(i) Describe the word “Shamelessly.” (ii) What happened to the greedy man?
(iii) What does the poet comment at last?
(iv) Find the word from the stanza which means: “Large empty space”
(i) Shamelessly means to work dishonorably. A shameless man has nothing to shame. He considers even wrong thing right.
(ii) At last, the greedy man could not fill up the eight pitchers and died.
(iii) The poet comments “Nothing is wrong with a half-filled purse:
‘Tis the void in the heart that is the curse.
(iv) The word is void.

Word meaning:
Greed (n) ग्रीड = लालच, लोभ (strong desire for more food and wealth), Purse (n) पर्स = बटुआ, रूपये रखने का छोटा बैगा (small bag for keeping money), Void (n/adj.) वॉइड = रिक्त, एक खाली खुला स्थान (empty, a large empty space), Curse (n) कर्स = शाप, अभिशाप, destruction of somebody or something.

हिन्दी भाषान्तर:

  • लोभ अनन्त है, किन्तु जीवन नहीं है।
  • आधा भरा हुआ बटुआ रहना गलत (बुरा) नहीं है।
  • हृदय की रिक्तता (खालीपन) अभिशाप है |

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