Poem 7 - The Duck And The Kangaroo

This article will help you understand the NCERT Class 9 Poem The Duck and the Kangaroo by Edward Lear in detail. You can also find The Duck and The Kangaroo Question and Answers Class 9 and The Duck and The Kangaroo Class 9 NCERT Solutions here at UrbanPro.

Summary

Said the Duck to the Kangaroo,

“Good gracious! how you hop!

Over the fields and the water too,

As if you never would stop!

My life is a bore in this nasty pond,

And I long to go out in the world beyond!

I wish I could hop like you!”

Said the Duck to the Kangaroo

The Duck praises the Kangaroo on how he can travel around the world, while he is only constrained to the boundaries of the pond. The Duck expresses his desires to go out and visit other places in the world, just how the Kangaroo can.

“Please give me a ride on your back!”

Said the Duck to the Kangaroo.

“I would sit quite still, and say nothing but ‘Quack’,

The whole of the long day through!

And we’d go to the Dee, and the Jelly Bo Lee,

Over the land, and over the sea;

Please take me a ride! O do!”

Said the Duck to the Kangaroo

The Duck wants to roam the world on the back of the Kangaroo. He joked about how he would sit still and ‘quack’ on the kangaroos back. He wants to take a ride on the kangaroos back and cross the land, and they see and see what is beyond.

Said the Kangaroo to the Duck,

“This requires some little reflection;

Perhaps, on the whole, it might bring me luck,

And there seems but one objection,

Which is, if you’ll let me speak so bold,

Your feet are unpleasantly wet and cold,

And would probably give me the roo-

Matiz!” said the Kangaroo

The Kangaroo decided to reflect on the idea of carrying the Duck on his back. However, the thought came into his mind about the wet feet of the Duck, which could end up giving him body pains. However, carrying the Duck also might provide him with luck.

Said the Duck, “As I sat on the rocks,

I have thought over that completely,

And I bought four pairs of worsted socks

Which fit my web-feet neatly.

And to keep out the cold, I’ve bought a cloak,

And every day a cigar I’ll smoke,

All to follow my own dear true

Love of a Kangaroo!”

The Duck also thought about his feet and therefore bought two socks. To keep himself dry, he bought a cloak, and cigars to smoke every day.

Said the Kangaroo, “I’m ready!

All in the moonlight pale;

But to balance me well, dear Duck, sit steady!

And quite at the end of my tail!”

So away they went with a hop and abound,

And they hopped the whole world three times round;

And who so happy — O who,

As the Duck and the Kangaroo?

The Kangaroo agreed to the proposal of the Duck. When the night was starry, they started their journey with a hop and happily roamed the world thrice.

Characters

• The Duck

• The Kangaroo

Literary Devices Used

The ababccaa, ababccbb, and the ababccdd rhyme schemes have been used in this poem. Besides, alliterations, anaphoras, refrains, and enjambments are the literary devices used.

Themes

The central theme of this poem is the curiosity and the preparation that is required to explore the unknown, with good friends and companions.

To know more about this poem, refer to The Duck and The Kangaroo Class 9 NCERT Solutions PDF.