Wind Class 9: Full Notes, Poem & MCQs
Welcome to the complete study guide for Class 9 English Beehive poem, “Wind”. Written originally in Tamil by Subramania Bharati and translated into English by A.K. Ramanujan, this highly motivational poem uses the wind as a powerful metaphor for the hardships, challenges, and adversities of human life.
The Poem: “Wind”
Don’t break the shutters of the windows.
Don’t scatter the papers.
Don’t throw down the books on the shelf.
There, look what you did — you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
You’re very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
crumbling hearts —
the wind god winnows and crushes them all.
He won’t do what you tell him.
So, come, let’s build strong homes,
Let’s joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.
Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.
The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.
Complete Summary of the Poem ‘Wind’
The poem “Wind” is deeply philosophical and encourages readers to develop physical and mental strength to survive the hardships of life.
Part 1: The Destructive Nature of the Wind
The poet begins by requesting the wind to blow softly. He asks the wind not to break the shutters of the windows, scatter papers, or throw books down from the shelf. However, the wind doesn’t listen. It throws the books down, tears their pages, and brings heavy rain. The poet tells the wind that it is very clever at making fun of the weak.
Part 2: The Wind God and The Weaklings
The poet describes how the wind destroys everything that is weak and fragile. It ruins weak houses, doors, wooden rafters, and even human bodies and hearts. The poet compares the wind to a “winnowing” process. Just as a farmer separates the grain from the chaff using wind, the Wind God separates strong people from the weak, crushing those who cannot withstand his force.
Part 3: The Solution – Building Strength
The poet realizes that the wind will not listen to our requests. Therefore, instead of asking the wind to be gentle, we must prepare ourselves. He advises us to build strong homes with firm doors. More importantly, we must make our bodies strong and our hearts steadfast (firm and unwavering) to face the challenges of life.
Part 4: Friendship with the Wind
If we become strong, the wind (adversities) will become our friend. The poet gives a beautiful example of fire: the wind blows out a weak fire, but it makes a strong fire burn even brighter and roar. Similarly, weak people are crushed by hardships, but strong people emerge even stronger. The poet concludes that the wind’s friendship is good, and we should praise it every day for making us tougher.
Important Word Meanings
| Word/Phrase | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Poking fun | Making fun of; teasing someone. |
| Weaklings | People or things that are physically or mentally weak. |
| Frail | Delicate; easily broken; weak. |
| Crumbling | Falling apart; breaking into pieces. |
| Rafters | Wooden beams that support the roof of a house. |
| Winnows | To blow a current of air through grain to remove the chaff (weak parts). |
| Steadfast | Firm; determined; unwavering. |
| Flourish | To grow strongly and vigorously. |