KSEEB 9th Eng (TL) 2. The Fox and the Grapes – Meaning,Analysis in MARATHI

"The Fox and the Grapes 📚 Karnataka State Board ✏️ Class 9 English (Third Language)"

Class - 9 

Subject - ENGLISH (3rd Language)

Syllabus  - Karnataka State Syllabus

Poem - 2

🦊🍇 The Fox and the Grapes 

📚 Karnataka State Board 

✏️ Class 9 English (Third Language)

1. Introduction

1. 🌟 Introduction

🔤 English:

This is a famous poem written by Joseph Lauren, based on a classic fable. It teaches us not to get upset when we fail. The fox in the story tries to get some grapes, but when he can’t, he pretends they are sour. The poem helps us learn that sometimes we blame things we can't have instead of accepting our failure.

🔤 मराठीत:

ही कविता जोसेफ लॉरेन यांनी लिहिलेली आहे आणि एक प्रसिद्ध नैतिक गोष्ट सांगते. आपण प्रयत्न करूनही यशस्वी झालो नाही, तर निराश होऊ नये हे ती आपल्याला शिकवते. कोल्हा द्राक्षे मिळवण्याचा प्रयत्न करतो, पण न मिळाल्यावर ती आंबट आहेत असं सांगतो. ही गोष्ट आपल्याला यशापर्यंत पोहोचण्याच्या प्रवासातल्या शिकवणीबद्दल सांगते.

✍️ About the Poet: Joseph Lauren

Joseph Lauren is known for writing poems that are simple, meaningful, and rich in morals. His poem "The Fox and the Grapes" is based on a famous fable that teaches a valuable life lesson. He uses storytelling in poetic form to make his message clear and easy to understand. Lauren’s poems often focus on human behavior, emotions, and lessons we can learn from everyday experiences or animal fables.

Although not much is widely known about his personal life, his writing style shows that he wants young readers to think positively, accept failures gracefully, and never give up easily.

2. ✍️ Poem Text

One summer’s day a Fox was passing through
An orchard; faint he was and hungry, too.
When suddenly his keen eye chanced to fall
Upon a bunch of grapes above the wall.

“Ha! Just the thing!” he said, “Who could resist it?”
He eyed the purple cluster—jumped—and missed it.
“Ahem!” he coughed. “I’ll take more careful aim.”
And sprang again. Results were much the same,

Although his leaps were desperate and high,
At length he paused to wipe a tearful eye,
And shrug a shoulder. “I am not so dry,
And lunch is bound to come within the hour....
Besides,” he said, “I’m sure those grapes are sour.”

🧠 Moral:
We somehow want the peach
That always dangles just beyond our reach;
Until we learn never to be upset
With what we find too difficult to get.

– Joseph Lauren

3. 📖 Poem Meaning in Marathi (Detailed)

ही कविता एका कोल्ह्याची गोष्ट सांगते. एक दिवस उन्हात कोल्हा भुकेला असतो आणि एका बागेतून जात असतो. त्याला भिंतीवर लटकत असलेली जांभळी द्राक्षे दिसतात. तो त्यांना मिळवण्यासाठी उड्या मारतो, पण त्याला ती मिळत नाहीत. शेवटी तो म्हणतो, “ही द्राक्षे आंबटच असतील!”
ही गोष्ट आपल्याला शिकवते की जेव्हा आपल्याला काही मिळत नाही, तेव्हा आपण त्याची किंमत कमी करतो किंवा त्याला दोष देतो.

4. 📘 Glossary / Difficult Words

5. 🔍 Stanza-wise Explanation

🌿 Stanza 1

One summer’s day a Fox was passing through
An orchard; faint he was and hungry, too.
When suddenly his keen eye chanced to fall
Upon a bunch of grapes above the wall.

Meaning (English):
➡️One hot summer day, a fox was walking through a fruit garden. He was feeling very weak and hungry. Suddenly, he saw a bunch of grapes hanging high on a wall.

अर्थ:
 ➡️ एका गरम उन्हाळ्याच्या दिवशी, कोल्हा एका फळबागेतून जात होता. तो खूप भुकेला आणि थकलेला होता. अचानक त्याच्या तीव्र नजरेला भिंतीवर लटकणारी द्राक्षांचा एक घड दिसला.

🌿 Stanza 2

“Ha ! Just the thing !” he said, “who could resist it ?”
He eyed the purple cluster-jumped-and missed it.
“Ahem !’’ he coughed. “I’ll take more careful aim.”
And sprang again. Results were much the same,

Meaning (English):
➡️ The fox got excited and said, “Wow! That’s exactly what I need!” He tried to jump and get the grapes but missed. He cleared his throat and said he would aim better, but even with the second jump, he failed again.

अर्थ (मराठीत):
➡️ कोल्हा आनंदाने म्हणाला, “अरे वा! हाच तर हवाय!” त्याने उडी मारून द्राक्षं पकडण्याचा प्रयत्न केला, पण तो चुकला. त्याने खोकला टाकत म्हटले, “या वेळी जरा नीट प्रयत्न करतो,” पण दुसऱ्यांदा प्रयत्न करूनही त्याला यश मिळाले नाही.

🌿 Stanza 3

Although his leaps were desperate and high.
At length he paused to wipe a tearful eye,
And shrug a shoulder. “ I am not so dry,
And lunch is bound to come within the hour....

Meaning (English):
➡️ The fox tried very hard, jumping high, but still couldn’t reach the grapes. Finally, he stopped, wiped the tears from his eyes, and shrugged his shoulders. He said to himself, “I’m not that thirsty, and I’ll get something to eat soon anyway.”

अर्थ (मराठीत):
➡️ कोल्ह्याने जोरात आणि उंच उड्या मारल्या, पण तरीही द्राक्षांपर्यंत पोहोचू शकला नाही. शेवटी त्याने थांबून डोळ्यातील अश्रू पुसले आणि खांदे उडवले. तो स्वतःशीच म्हणाला, “मी इतका तहानलेलो नाही, आणि लवकरच काहीतरी खाण्यास मिळेल.”

Stanza 4

Besides, he said, “ I’m sure those grapes are sour.”
The moral is : we somehow want the peach
That always dangles just beyond our reach;
Until we learn never to be upset
With what we find too difficult to get.

Meaning (English):
➡️ The fox then pretended that he didn’t want the grapes, saying they must be sour anyway. The poem teaches us that we often desire things we cannot easily get. And instead of feeling sad, we should learn to accept when something is too hard to achieve.

अर्थ (मराठीत):
➡️ नंतर कोल्हा म्हणाला, “द्राक्षं आंबट असतीलच.” हे फक्त स्वतःला समजावण्यासाठी त्याने सांगितले. या कवितेचा संदेश आहे – आपण नेहमी अशा गोष्टींची इच्छा करतो ज्या आपल्या आवाक्याबाहेर असतात. पण जेंव्हा एखादी गोष्ट खूप कठीण वाटते, तेंव्हा निराश न होता ती गोष्ट सोडून द्यायला शिकले पाहिजे.

Moral of the Poem  :

“we somehow want the peach
That always dangles just beyond our reach;
Until we learn never to be upset
With what we find too difficult to get.”

English:
➡️ We often want things that are difficult to get. When we can't have them, we try to act like we didn’t want them. This poem teaches us not to be sad or disappointed when we fail, but to accept it and move on.

Marathi:
➡️ आपल्याला नेहमी अशाच गोष्टी हव्या असतात ज्या आपल्यासाठी अवघड असतात. जेंव्हा त्या मिळत नाहीत, तेंव्हा आपण स्वतःलाच समजावतो की त्या नकोच होत्या. ही कविता आपल्याला शिकवते की अपयशामुळे दुःखी न होता पुढे जायला हवे.

7. 📚 Grammar Activities

✅ A. Fill in the blanks with the correct word:

1.     The fox was __________ and hungry. (faint / fine)

2.   He __________ again to get the grapes. (jumped / ran)

3.   “I’m sure those grapes are __________.” (sweet / sour)

✅ B. Match the following:

✅ C. Answer in one sentence:

1.     Why did the fox give up?
👉 Because he could not reach the grapes even after many attempts.

2.   What did the fox say about the grapes?
👉 He said the grapes were sour.

3.   What is the moral of the poem?
👉 We should not get upset when we fail.

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