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“The last Bargain” is a famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore. In this poem the protagonist searches for a job. He wants freedom while doing his work. He becomes disappointed interacting with three people. But ultimately he gets freedom in return of nothing. “The Last Bargain” is a famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore, whose ideas and philosophical concepts enriched the world.
“The Last Bargain” is a poem about a person searching for a job in which he does not have to lose freedom. For this, he meets four people . At first the person meets a king who has lots of power. The king offers him power in return of his labor. But the man refuses king’s offer.
The second man comes with lots of wealth. He offers the man with huge money and gold in return of labor. Again the man denies his proposal. Because he does not want to sell his freedom for money. He receives the third offer from a beautiful girl, who has beautiful smile and beauty. She promises to give her assets for labor of the man. But the man refuses her proposal.
Lastly, the man finds a child playing on the seashore. The child innocently offers him nothing in return of his service. The man accepts the child’s offer because there is no condition behind the agreement. There is freedom hidden under the proposal.
Through the child’s proposal and man’s search for job and failures, the poet Rabindranath Tagore wants to mean that real happiness can not be bought by money , power and sweet words and beauty. Freedom is enjoyed without money, most importantly without nothing. And freedom can make one’s life beautiful and full of happiness.
Our poet- Tagore hits the hard reality of life through the poem “The Last Bargain”. Freedom gives happiness and happiness is the best medicines for our lives. As far as we are bound to duties and bondages, we are slave . But we can get the blessings of freedom through self-dependency and our ability to control our fate through right decision and judgements.
The poem “The Last Bargain”Money can buy materialistic happiness, but not the spiritual happiness and peace. If we want freedom, we should be self-dependent and free from any bondage.
Image Source: NCERT
Word Notes of the Poem “The Last Bargain”, Class 8
Cried- Telling in loud voice.
Sword-A weapon made of steel.
Hire- Bring someone on exchange of money or something.
Naught- Not.
Wandered- Travelling here and there without any cause/aimlessly.
Crooked- Curved, Bent , Twisted.
Pondered- Worry, Consider, Think, Measure.
Weighed- Measure, Ponder, Evaluate, Survey.
Maid- Girl, Woman.
Glistened- Glitter, Sparkle, Spark.
Henceforward- Hence, From this time forward.
Bargain-Agreement, Contract, Pact, Treaty, Exchange.
Struck-Beat, Hurt.
Text and Line by Line Explanation of the Poem “The Last Bargain”
Poem
“Come and hire me,” I cried, while in the morning I was walking on the stone-paved road.”
Explanation
The person needed a job. The person was walking on the stone-covered way. He urged and shouted in a loud voice to hire him, as an employee.
Poem
“Sword in hand, the King came in his chariot.
He held my hand and said, “I will hire you with my power.”
But his power counted for nought, and he went away in his chariot.”
Explanation
To hire the person, a king came and proposed him to hire with lot of power. The king had enough power. He promised to give the man power in return of his labor. But he had no utility of power. So he denied to accept the proposal of the king. The king returned in his chariot.
Poem
“In the heat of the midday the houses stood with shut doors.”
Explanation
All the houses were door- shut at noon. The person felt alone wandering here and there. He was following a stone-covered way. It was a summer day and due to heat at noon the doors of all houses were closed.
Poem
“I wandered along the crooked lane.
An old man came out with his bag of gold.”
Explanation
The man was following a crooked way to search for a job. Suddenly an old man came out with a bag full of gold.
Poem
“He pondered and said, “I will hire you with my money.
He weighed his coins one by one, but I turned away.”
Explanation
The man bought a bag full of gold to hire the narrator. He promised to hire the narrator for gold coins. So he started counting the coins. But the narrator turned back from there and went away.
Poem
“It was evening. The garden hedge was all aflower.
The fair maid came out and said, “I will hire you with a smile.”
Explanation
The narrator had been wandering since morning. And it came evening. The garden hedge became full of flowers. A beautiful lady came and offered the narrator to here him in exchange of her sweet smile and beauty. The man would give his labor for her beauty and sweet smile.
Poem
“Her smile paled and melted into tears, and she went back alone into the dark.”
Explanation
It became evening and the beautiful girl had come out with her proposal. But the narrator denied her. So her smile became converted into tears. And being disappointed, she went back alone into the dark.
Poem
“The sun glistened on the sand, and the sea waves broke waywardly.
A child sat playing with shells.
He raised his head and seemed to know me, and said, “I hire you with nothing.”
From thenceforward that bargain struck in child’s play made me a free man.”
Explanation
The sun rays was fallen on the sand with sparkling. The sea waves were falling rapidly on the seashore. On the seashore a child was playing with some shells. The child looked the narrator in an innocent eyes and went to prove that he recognized the narrator for a long time. The child innocently told the narrator that he won hire him for nothing, for no work and money bound relationship. The narrator found his heart-desired freedom in non-agreement deal. Thus, the bargain stopped and the narrator engaged himself with the play of the child to enjoy freedom.
Question and Answer of “The Last Bargain”
1.Question : Who is the speaker in the poem?
Answer : The speaker of the poem is the person needs a job which has complete freedom.
2.Question : “The king, sword in hand” suggests-
Answer : Power
3.Question : “The old man offered the speaker a lot of money”- why did he turn down the offer?
Answer : The man was looking for a job. The old man came with his lots of gold which signifies money. The old man offered the speaker a job. But the job had responsibility for which the speaker had to bound to the man. But the speaker wanted a job along with freedom. As old man’s proposal of money and job did not fulfill speaker’s requirements, he refused the old man’s proposal. To the speaker wealth was a matter of temporary happiness.
4.Question: What was the speaker’s feeling after talking to the child on the beach?
Answer : After meeting a king, an old man and a beautiful maid the speaker found a child playing on the seashore. The child proposed him to hire with nothing. This proposal gave him a feeling free, who could do whatever he liked beside his association with the child. There was no bound in work and payment the man felt satisfaction and he was convinced by the virtue of freedom lied in the innocence of the child and his playing with the shells.
5.Question : What is bargain? what attempts does the man make to strike a bargain?
Answer : A bargain is a promise in which parties promise to do something.
In the poem The Last Bargain, the speaker wants to be hired for a job. At first a king came to hire him with his power. But to the man power means nothing. So he denies it. Next came an old man, who wants to hire the man with precious gold. Again the speaker denies gold in return of his labor. Next a pretty girl wants to convince his labor with her sweet smile and beauty. But the man wants to power, gold and beauty. He wants only freedom. Finally the man strikes a bargain with an innocent child for no price and no compulsory requirement to be slaved by the work. He is completely satisfied with the fact that he will enjoy freedom with the child.
6.Question : What message does Tagore’s poem convey? What does he try to highlight?
Answer : The poem conveys a deep message. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wants to tell that freedom is more expected phenomena in life than power, money and beauty. Employment puts us bound to the work in return of payment. A person has to be duty bound to his employee or organization. But playing with the innocent child has not any liability and responsibility. He can enjoy freedom as much as he wishes. In our life we can also enjoy freedom if we engage ourselves without duty-bound affairs.