4.English (Poetry) - Poem 4

Thinner Than A Crescent

Class 10 English (Poetry) - Poem 4

Poet: Vidyapati

🌙 About the Poem & Poet

Vidyapati was a great Maithili poet, known as "Maithil Kokil". His poems often describe the divine love of Radha and Krishna. In this poem, a friend (Sakhi) of Radha goes to Lord Krishna to report Radha's pitiable condition. Radha is suffering deeply because of her separation from Krishna.

📖 Summary (हिन्दी सारांश)

यह कविता विद्यापति द्वारा लिखी गई है। इसमें राधा की सखी (Friend) भगवान कृष्ण को राधा की हालत बताती है।

राधा की दशा:

• राधा के आंसू रुकने का नाम नहीं ले रहे हैं। उसने रो-रोकर आंसुओं की एक नदी (River of tears) बना दी है।
• वह इसी नदी के किनारे उदास और भ्रमित (Confused) बैठी रहती है।
• वह इतनी कमजोर हो गई है कि जब वह उठने की कोशिश करती है, तो गिर पड़ती है।
• वह लगातार "माधव, माधव" (कृष्ण का नाम) पुकारती है, लेकिन दुख के कारण कभी-कभी अपने ही नाम को भी "माधव" समझ बैठती है।

तुलना (Comparison):

सखी कृष्ण से कहती है: "हे माधव! मेरी सखी राधा वियोग में दिन-ब-दिन सूखती जा रही है। वह अब आकाश के दूज के चाँद (Crescent Moon) से भी ज्यादा पतली और कमजोर हो गई है।"

📚 Word Meanings (शब्दार्थ)

Word	Meaning (Hindi)	Meaning (English)
Crescent	बालचंद्र (दूज का चाँद)	The curved shape of the waxing moon
Broods	सोच-विचार करना/गमगीन होना	Thinks deeply with sadness
Confused	भ्रमित/उलझन में	Unable to think clearly
Cease	रुकना/बंद होना	To stop
Carved	उकेरा/बना दिया	Created by cutting (here, by flowing tears)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

B.1. Short Answer Questions

Q1. Why is Radha crying?

Ans: Radha is crying due to the pain of separation from Lord Krishna.

Q2. What do her friends do?

Ans: Her friends try to console her and give her hope that Krishna will come back, but they are also worried about her condition.

Q3. Why did Radha not answer?

Ans: Radha did not answer because she was confused, weak, and lost in her grief for Krishna.

Q4. To whom does the friend make a report?

Ans: The friend makes a report to Lord Krishna (Madhav) about Radha's pathetic condition.

C.1. Long Answer Questions

Q1. "Her tears carved a river." Explain the meaning of this line.

Ans: This is a hyperbolic expression (exaggeration) used by the poet to show the intensity of Radha's grief. It means she has been crying continuously and excessively. The flow of her tears is so heavy that it seems to have cut through the earth and created a river. It highlights her extreme sorrow and longing for Krishna.

Q2. Why is Radha compared to a crescent moon?

Ans: The crescent moon (especially of the second day) is very thin and faint. Radha is compared to it because, due to the pain of separation and lack of food or sleep, she has become extremely weak and thin. Her friend says she is even "thinner than the crescent," meaning her condition is worse than the fading moon.

Q3. What does the friend report to Krishna?

Ans: The friend reports that Radha is in a terrible state. She tells Krishna that Radha cries constantly, creating a river of tears. She is confused and hurt. When she tries to look for him, she falls down. She has become physically frail and mentally disturbed, chanting his name continuously. The friend urges Krishna to save her before she fades away completely.

-- Class 10 English (Bihar Board) Notes --