Razia, the Tigress Summary and Explanation
PSEB Class 10 English Poem 4 Razia, the Tigress Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings and Poetic Devices from English Main Course Book
Razia, the Tigress Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and Lesson explanation for Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 10 English Poem 4 – Razia, the Tigress from English Main Course Book. Get Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings
PSEB Class 10 English Main Course Book Poem 4 – Razia, the Tigress
by Keki N Daruwalla
[The present poem sketches before the reader a world of fast depleting natural resources which is threatening the wildlife around us. Razia, the tigress, is worried for her partner and two cubs who, like many other tiger cubs, are in danger of being poached and killed. The poem also shows how man has usurped all land and how he has plundered his natural resources. This has threatened both the wildlife as well as human life and environment.]
“Razia, the Tigress” by Keki N. Daruwalla is a poignant poem that highlights the grave threats faced by wildlife in today’s world of rapidly depleting natural resources. Through the story of Razia, a tigress who is worried about her partner, Sheru and her two vulnerable cubs, the poet draws attention to the dangers of poaching and how human exploitation of nature has endangered both wildlife and the environment itself.
- Razia, the Tigress Summary
- Razia, the Tigress Summary in Hindi
- Razia, the Tigress Theme
- Razia, the Tigress Explanation
- Razia, the Tigress Literary Devices
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Razia, the Tigress Summary
This poem describes the life of a tigress named Razia who lives alone with her two unnamed cubs after Sheru, a male tiger, has left. Sheru was a skilled and intelligent hunter who had deep knowledge of wind directions. He understood that if he approached the deer from upwind, they would smell his distinct tiger scent and escape. Therefore, he would carefully move in a circular path, staying downwind and hiding behind bushes. Once he was sure his scent wouldn’t reach the deer, he would attack suddenly and powerfully, crushing his prey with his strong claws.
Now that Sheru has gone, people no longer fear his paw prints in the forest. However, Razia is filled with grief and anxiety. She worries whether hyenas might attack her helpless cubs. She faces a difficult situation – when she goes out hunting for food, she must leave her young ones alone and unprotected. Most importantly, she lives in constant terror of the poachers who might return with their guns to kill them.
Summary of the Poem Razia, the Tigress in Hindi
यह कविता रजिया नामक बाघिन के जीवन को दर्शाती है जो अपने दो बिना नाम के शावकों के साथ अकेली रहती है। शेरू नामक नर बाघ अब उनके साथ नहीं है। शेरू एक कुशल और बुद्धिमान शिकारी था जिसे हवा की दिशाओं का गहरा ज्ञान था। वह जानता था कि यदि वह हवा की दिशा में हिरणों के पास जाएगा, तो वे उसकी विशिष्ट बाघ की गंध सूंघकर भाग जाएंगे। इसलिए वह सावधानीपूर्वक गोलाकार मार्ग से चलता, हवा के विपरीत दिशा में रहता और झाड़ियों के पीछे छिपता था। जब उसे यकीन हो जाता कि उसकी गंध हिरणों तक नहीं पहुंचेगी, तब वह अचानक हमला करता और अपने शक्तिशाली पंजों से शिकार को कुचल देता था।
अब जब शेरू चला गया है, लोग उसके पंजों के निशानों से नहीं डरते। लेकिन रजिया शोक और चिंता से भरी है। उसे डर है कि कहीं लकड़बग्घे उसके असहाय शावकों पर हमला न कर दें। वह एक कठिन स्थिति में है – जब वह भोजन की तलाश में शिकार के लिए जाती है, तो उसे अपने छोटे बच्चों को अकेला और असुरक्षित छोड़ना पड़ता है। सबसे महत्वपूर्ण बात यह है कि वह उन शिकारियों के निरंतर भय में जीती है जो अपनी बंदूकों के साथ उन्हें मारने के लिए फिर से लौट सकते हैं।
Theme of the Poem Razia, the Tigress
The central theme is the devastation of natural habitats caused by human encroachment. The poem implies that tigers like Razia and Sheru once had vast territories but now face a shrinking world where their traditional way of life is impossible. Poaching – the illegal hunting of protected wildlife – emerges as Razia’s greatest fear. The poem’s final stanza emphasizes this existential dread: “A greater dread, when will again / The poachers with their guns appear?” Razia must simultaneously hunt for food, protect her vulnerable cubs from predators (hyenas), and fear human hunters. This triple burden illustrates the impossible situation facing wildlife – natural survival challenges are compounded by human-created threats. Razia grieves for her lost mate while fearing for her cubs’ future. This anthropomorphization (giving human emotions to animals) creates empathy and makes readers recognize animals as sentient beings deserving protection. The poem shows how ecosystems function – Sheru’s expertise with winds, understanding of prey behavior, and hunting skills. His absence disrupts this balance. The poem suggests that when we destroy one element of nature (killing a tiger), we disrupt the entire ecological systems. The “poachers with their guns” represent human greed and disregard for wildlife. The poem serves as a warning: if we continue destroying natural resources and wildlife, we threaten not just animals but “both wildlife as well as human life and environment.”
Through detailed description of Sheru’s hunting prowess and intelligence, the poem celebrates the majesty and sophistication of tigers. They’re not just animals but intelligent, skilled beings with knowledge of their environment. This dignity makes their destruction even more tragic.
Razia as a mother facing the prospect of raising cubs alone highlights the vulnerability of young animals. The unnamed cubs represent the next generation of tigers, whose survival is uncertain. This maternal anxiety parallels human parental fears, creating emotional connection.
Razia, the Tigress Poem Explanation
Stanza
The tigress Razia lives alone.
Her two cubs haven’t yet been named.
Sheru barely played with them
And now he’s gone, O what a shame!
Word Meanings:
tigress: female tiger
Razia: name of the tigress
lives alone: exists without her mate
cubs: baby tigers
haven’t yet been named: so young they have no names
barely: hardly; very little
played with them: spent time with the cubs
he’s gone: he has disappeared or been killed
O what a shame: expression of sadness or regret
Explanation: This stanza introduces Razia, a tigress who is now alone with her two newborn cubs. The cubs are so young that they have not even been named yet, showing their helplessness. Sheru, the father, hardly had time to play with them before he disappeared, most likely killed by poachers. The line “O what a shame!” expresses sorrow and highlights the tragedy of Sheru’s loss, setting a tone of sadness and vulnerability for the rest of the poem.
Stanza
Sheru was an expert on winds,
Knew how they traversed dale and hill,
And where they put up for the night
When no leaf stirred and all was still.
Word Meanings:
expert: highly skilled
winds: moving air
traversed: moved across
dale: valley
hill: raised landform
put up for the night: settled/rested
stirred: moved
all was still: everything was quiet, motionless
Explanation: This stanza describes Sheru’s deep knowledge of the forest and its winds. He understood how winds moved across valleys and hills and even where they rested at night when the forest became perfectly quiet. His awareness shows how closely animals depend on nature for survival.
Stanza
He knew his winds, their traffic lanes!
He knew the deer would smell him out,
If they were down-wind.
So he would belly-crawl and crouch
Word Meanings:
traffic lanes: paths or routes (used metaphorically for wind directions)
smell him out: detect his scent
down-wind: direction in which the wind blows (scent travels toward deer)
belly-crawl: move low on the stomach
crouch: bend low to hide or move stealthily
Explanation: Sheru used wind directions like a skilled hunter. He understood that if the deer were positioned downwind, they would catch his scent and escape. To avoid being detected, he would crawl on his belly and crouch low, using stealth to approach his prey.
Stanza
And take a long circular route,
Hiding behind bush and shrub
Once he knew his scent won’t carry,
In a flash he would erupt.
Word Meanings:
circular route: going around in a wide circle
bush / shrub: small plants used for cover
scent won’t carry: smell won’t reach the prey
in a flash: very quickly
erupt: burst out suddenly
Explanation: Sheru often approached his prey from a distance, circling carefully and hiding behind bushes. When he was sure the wind wouldn’t carry his scent to the deer, he attacked suddenly with great speed. This shows his intelligence and skill as a hunter.
Stanza
(Deer hadn’t sniffed that thick and musty
Smell of his which people dubbed
As tiger-scent.) He got the stag,
His claw fell like a giant club
Word Meanings:
sniffed: smelled
thick and musty: strong, heavy animal smell
dubbed: called or named
tiger-scent: natural smell of a tiger
stag: male deer
claw: sharp curved nail of a tiger
giant club: large weapon used for striking
Explanation: The deer couldn’t sense Sheru’s strong tiger smell in time. Humans call this distinctive smell “tiger-scent.” Sheru successfully caught a stag, striking it so powerfully that his claw fell like a heavy club. The stanza highlights the tiger’s strength and dominance.
Stanza
On neck and antler, both were crushed
Now Sheru’s gone. Not any more
Do people fear his dreaded spoor,
Pug-marked on the forest floor.
Word Meanings:
neck and antler: parts of a deer
crushed: broken completely
gone: dead or killed (likely by poachers)
dreaded: feared
spoor: track or trail of an animal
pug-mark: footprint of a tiger
Explanation: Sheru’s attack was so strong that he crushed the stag’s neck and antlers. But now Sheru is gone, and the fear people once felt on seeing his tracks in the forest has disappeared too. This suggests his death and the fading presence of a powerful predator.
Stanza
Grief and fear start competing
In Razia’s heart. With Sheru gone,
Will the hyenas hound her cubs?
Can she leave the little ones alone,
Word Meanings:
grief: deep sadness
fear: worry, anxiety
competing: struggling at the same time
hound: chase or harass
leave alone: go away from them
Explanation: Razia feels both immense sorrow and fear after Sheru’s death. She worries that hyenas might attack her defenseless cubs. She wonders whether it is safe to leave them alone when she goes hunting for food. Her struggle highlights the harsh challenges of surviving without a mate.
Stanza
When she goes hunting flesh and bone?
The tigress Razia lives in fear.
A greater dread, when will again
The poachers with their guns appear?
Word Meanings:
hunting flesh and bone: searching for prey
lives in fear: constantly afraid
dread: great fear
poachers: illegal hunters
appear: come back again
Explanation: Razia must hunt to feed herself and her cubs, yet she fears leaving them behind. Worse, she lives with the constant dread that poachers, who likely killed Sheru, may return with their guns. The poem ends on a powerful message about human threats to wildlife and the vulnerability of endangered animals.
Razia, the Tigress Literary Devices
The poem “The Tigress Razia” uses various literary devices to convey the challenges of survival in the wild, the loss of a mate, and the constant threat from poachers. These devices transform the story of the tigress and her cubs into vivid, memorable poetry, making readers feel the fragility and beauty of wildlife.
1. Personification
Giving human qualities to non-human things.
Examples:
1.“Grief and fear start competing in Razia’s heart.”
2. “The tigress Razia lives in fear.”
Effect: Makes the emotions of the tigress relatable to humans and emphasizes her vulnerability.
2. Metaphor
Direct comparison without “like” or “as.”
Examples:
1.“Traffic lanes” for winds.
2. “His claw fell like a giant club.” (simile within metaphorical context of strength)
Effect: Helps readers visualize Sheru’s hunting skills and the power of nature in a concrete way.
3. Symbolism
Objects or actions representing deeper meanings.
Examples:
1. Pug-marks/spoor = tiger’s power and presence.
2. Cubs = innocence and vulnerability.
3. Poachers = human threat to wildlife.
Effect: Adds layers of meaning, showing the danger, innocence, and survival struggles in the wild.
4. Imagery
Descriptive language appealing to senses.
Examples:
1. “Belly-crawl and crouch” (visual and tactile)
2. “Thick and musty smell” (olfactory)
3. “No leaf stirred and all was still” (visual and auditory)
Effect: Creates vivid, sensory-rich scenes of the forest and hunting.
5. Alliteration
Repetition of consonant sounds.
Examples:
1.“Belly-crawl and crouch”
2.“forest floor”
3. “behind bush”
4. “Hyenas hound her”
Effect: Adds rhythm and musicality, enhancing the flow of the poem.
Effect: Highlights emotional tension and danger in the forest.
6. Simile
Comparison using “like” or “as.”
Example:
1,“His claw fell like a giant club.”
Effect: Emphasizes Sheru’s strength and the suddenness of his attack.
7. Repetition
Repeating words or ideas for emphasis.
Examples:
1. “The tigress Razia lives…” (used twice)
Effect: Reinforces Razia’s loneliness and the constant threat she faces.
8. Mood
Atmosphere or emotional feeling in the poem.
Examples:
1.Sadness after Sheru’s death
2.Fear of hyenas and poachers
Effect: Makes readers empathize with the tigress and feel the tension of wildlife survival.
9. Tone
Author’s attitude toward the subject.
Examples:
1.Sympathetic and concerned
Effect: Highlights cruelty towards animals and the harsh realities of forest life.
10. Enjambment
Lines that run into the next without pause.
Examples:
1. “He knew the deer would smell him out,
If they were down-wind.”
Effect: Mirrors the continuous movement of the forest and hunting process.
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Conclusion
This comprehensive study material covers the poem “Razia, the Tigress” from PSEB Class 10 English Main Course Book. Students can use the detailed analysis, word meanings, stanza explanations, literary devices to develop a deep understanding of the poem’s themes, literary techniques, and emotional impact. The poem serves as both a celebration of wildlife’s magnificence and a warning about human-caused destruction of nature.