A common glow-worm in Södermanland County, Sweden. In Vincent Bourne’s The Nightingale and the Glow Worm, a glow-worm convinces a hungry nightingale not to eat him, on the eloquent grounds that the bird’s singing and insect’s radiance are complementary. In Raju’s Indian fable, however, the harsh croak of the jackdaw compels the little glow-worm to have recourse to a deception.
Introduction
William Cowper’s ‘The Nightingale and the Glow-Worm’ told how a glow-worm persuaded a hungry bird to spare his life because light and song complement each other so beautifully. In the following Indian fable by Ramaswami Raju (playwright, London barrister and Oxford professor of Telugu), the hard-pressed glow-worm does not have such dainty material to work with.
A JACKDAW once ran up to a glow-worm, and was about to seize him. “Wait a moment, good friend,” said the worm “and you shall hear something to your advantage.”
“Ah! what is it?” said the daw.
“I am but one of the many glow-worms that live in this forest. If you wish to have them all, follow me,” said the glow-worm.
“Certainly!” said the daw.
Then the glow-worm led him to a place in the wood where a fire had been kindled by some woodmen, and pointing to the sparks flying about, said, “There you find the glow-worms warming themselves round a fire. When you have done with them, I shall show you some more, at a distance from this place.”
The daw darted at the sparks, and tried to swallow some of them; but his mouth being burnt by the attempt, he ran away exclaiming, “Ah, the glow-worm is a dangerous little creature!”
Said the glow-worm with pride, “Wickedness yields to wisdom!”*
From ‘Indian Fables’ (1887) by P. V. Ramaswami Raju.
* See also William Cowper’s English verse-fable of The Nightingale and the Glow Worm.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Précis
A glow-worm menaced by a jackdaw offers to show the hungry bird where to find lots more tasty meals like himself. The jackdaw follows him to a woodland glade where sparks are flying upward from a forester’s fire; but when he snaps at the sparks, the jackdaw burns his tongue so badly that he swears off ‘glow-worms’ forever. (58 / 60 words)
A glow-worm menaced by a jackdaw offers to show the hungry bird where to find lots more tasty meals like himself. The jackdaw follows him to a woodland glade where sparks are flying upward from a forester’s fire; but when he snaps at the sparks, the jackdaw burns his tongue so badly that he swears off ‘glow-worms’ forever.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, despite, may, or, otherwise, ought, until, who.
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Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Away. Hear. Shall.
2 His. Lead. Seize.
3 Do. If. Yield.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Found. 2. Lead. 3. Live. 4. Point. 5. Fire. 6. Show.
Confusables Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that are similar to one another, but not exactly the same. Compose your own sentences to bring out the similarities and differences between them, whether in meaning, grammar or use.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1.
Each.
All.
2.
Fewer.
Less.
3.
Found.
Founder.
4.
Hear.
Listen.
5.
Lead.
Led.
6.
Me.
I.
7.
Pride.
Arrogance.
8.
Shall.
Should.
9.
Wood.
Wooden.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
stt (6+5)
astute. estate. settee. state. statue. stout.
satiate. sett. situate. stoat. suttee.
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