Poem: The Magical Earth by Gulzar
There is something indeed in the earth of my garden
Is this earth magical?
The earth knows how to do magic!
If I sow a guava seed, it gives me guavas
If I put in a jamun kernel' it gives me jamuns
A bitter gourd for a bitter gourd, a lemon for a lemon!
If I ask for a flower, it gives me pink flowers
Whatever colour I give to it, it returns that to me
Has it hidden all these colours in the soil below?
I dug a lot but found nothing
The earth knows how to do magic!
The earth knows how to do magic
It shows so many tricks
When it balances these long coconut trees on its fingers
It does not even let them fall!
The wind does its best, but the earth does not let them fumble?!
A sherbet', or milk, or water
Anything may fall, it absorbs them all
How much water does it drink?!
It gulps down whatever you give
Be it from a jug or a bucket
Amazingly, its stomach never fills
I have heard that it can even hide a river inside!
The earth knows how to do magic!
Are there sugar godowns* under the earth?
Or rocks of lime"?
How does this earth put sweetness into fruits?
From where does it get all this?
Pomegranates, plums and mangoes—in all of them
Sweetness, but different kinds
The leaves tasteless but the fruits sweet
The musambi sweet, the lemon sour
Undoubtedly, it knows magic!
Otherwise, why is the bamboo tasteless,
and the sugarcane sweet?
List of Difficult Words with Definitions
- Magical - Having special, mysterious, or supernatural qualities.
- Kernel - The inner, softer part of a seed, nut, or fruit stone.
- Fumble - To handle something clumsily.
- Sherbet - A sweet flavoured drink.
- Absorb - To soak up or take in a liquid or substance.
- Jug - A large container for liquids, typically with a handle and spout.
- Bucket - A cylindrical container with a handle used for carrying liquids.
- Godowns - Warehouses or storage places, especially in South Asia.
- Lime - A white, caustic substance used in building and agriculture, derived from limestone.
- Musambi - Sweet lime, a citrus fruit.
- Undoubtedly - Without doubt; certainly.
Summary of "The Magical Earth" by Gulzar
In "The Magical Earth," Gulzar marvels at the mysterious and magical qualities of the earth in his garden. He observes how the earth seemingly performs magic by transforming seeds into plants, each true to its kind—guava seeds grow into guavas, jamun kernels into jamuns, and flowers bloom in the colours he plants. He wonders how the earth manages to do this and whether it hides colours within the soil.
The poem further explores the earth's abilities to balance tall coconut trees against strong winds, absorb various liquids without getting filled, and even hide rivers. Gulzar is fascinated by how the earth imparts different flavours to fruits, making some sweet and others sour. The contrast between tasteless leaves and sweet fruits, as well as between bamboo and sugarcane, leaves him convinced that the earth possesses magical powers.
Questions and Answers
This is a poem in praise of the magical powers of earth. Do you agree?
- Yes.
The word earth in the poem refers to:
- c. the substance that plants grow in.
Say whether the following statements are True (T) or False (F).
a. If you plant a guava seed, you will get a guava later.
- True.
b. If you plant the seed of a particular vegetable, the earth will give you that vegetable later.
- True.
c. If you want a flower of a particular colour, the earth will give you flowers of different colours.
- False.
d. When the wind does its best to make a coconut tree fall down, the earth prevents it from happening.
- True.
e. The earth absorbs only sweet-tasting liquids like sherbet.
- False.
f. The earth has huge quantities of groundwater.
- True.
g. The earth stores large quantities of sugar.
- False.
h. The earth puts the same sweetness into all fruits.
- False.
i. Even though both the bamboo and the sugarcane are tropical plants, only the latter tastes sweet.
- True.
- Personification is a literary device that poets use to represent an object as human. In this poem, the poet represents the earth as a magician who shows so many tricks. Pick out any two examples of the tricks that 'magician earth' performs.
Examples of Personification in "The Magical Earth"
Transformation of Seeds:
- "If I sow a guava seed, it gives me guavas / If I put in a jamun kernel, it gives me jamuns."
- This describes the earth's ability to magically transform seeds into plants bearing fruits.
Balancing Coconut Trees:
- "When it balances these long coconut trees on its fingers / It does not even let them fall!"
- This personifies the earth as a magician who skillfully balances tall trees, preventing them from falling even against strong winds.
