NCERT Book Class 8 English Princess September

Princess September

THE King and Queen of Siam had many daughters, and the Queen said that it confused her to have to remember so many names. One day the King decided to call them January, February, March (though of course in Siamese) till he came to the youngest whom he called September.

The King of Siam had a peculiar habit. Instead of receiving gifts on his birthday he gave them. One year on his birthday, not having anything else handy, he gave each of his daughters a green parrot in a golden cage. The princesses were very proud of their parrots and they spent an hour every day in teaching them to talk. Presently all the parrots could say ‘God save the king’ and some of them could say ‘Pretty Polly’ in no less than seven Oriental languages.

But one day when Princess September went to say good morningto her parrot she found it lying dead at the bottom of its golden cage. She burst into a flood of tears, and nothing that her Maids of Honour could say comforted her. She cried so much that the Maids of Honour, not knowing what to do, told the Queen, and the Queen said it was stuff and nonsense and the child had bettergo to bed without any supper. The Maids of Honour wanted to go to a party, so they put Princess September to bed as quickly as they could and left her by herself. And while she lay in her bed, crying still even though she felt rather hungry, she saw a little bird hop into her room. She wiped her tears and sat up. Then the little bird began to sing and he sang a beautiful song all about the lake in the King’s garden and the willow trees that looked at themselves in the still water and the goldfish that glided in and out of the branches that were reflected in it. When he had finished, the Princess was not crying any more and she quite forgot that  she had had no supper. “That was a very nice song,” she said. The little bird gave her a bow. “Would you care to have me in place of your parrot?” said the little bird. “It’s true that I’m not so pretty to look at, but on the other hand I have a much better voice.” Princess September clapped her hands with delight and then the little bird hopped on to the end of her bed and sang her to sleep. When she awoke next day the little bird was still there, and as she opened her eyes he said, “Good morning!” The Maids of Honour brought in her breakfast, and he ate rice out of her hand and he had his bath in her saucer. He began to sing again so beautifully that the Maids of Honour were quite surprised, for they had never heard anything like it, and Princess September was very proud and happy.

“Now I want to show you to my eight sisters,” said the Princess. She stretched out the first finger of her right hand so that it served as a perch and the little bird flew down and sat on it. Then, followed by her Maids of Honour, she went through the palace and called on each of the Princesses. And for each of them the little bird sang a different song. But the parrots could only say ‘God save the king’ and ‘Pretty Polly’. At last she showed the little bird to the King and the Queen. They were surprised and delighted. “I knew I was right to send you to bed without any supper,” said the Queen.

“This bird sings much better than the parrots,” said the King. “I should have thought you got quite tired of hearing people say ‘God save the king’,” said the Queen. “I can’t think why those girls wanted to teach their parrots to say it too.” “The sentiment is admirable,” said the King, “and I never mind how often I hear it. But I do get tired of hearing those parrots say ‘Pretty Polly’.”

“They say it in seven different languages,” said the Princesses. “I dare say they do,” said the King, “but it reminds me too much of my Councillors. They say the same thing in seven different ways and it never means anything in any way they say it.”

Comprehension Check

1. How many daughters did the royal couple have?

2. Why were they named after the months of the year?

3. The King had a peculiar habit. What was it? Why is it called peculiar?

4. (i) What was Princess September’s reaction to the loss of her parrot?

    (ii) What was her mother’s reaction to it?

    (iii) What do the reactions indicate about the nature and temperament of each?

5. What pulled the Princess out of her gloom?

6. How did the Maids of Honour come to know that the Princess and the bird had become intimate friends?

7. The new bird was full of new songs but the old parrots always repeated themselves. What did they say?

8. What is the King’s opinion about his Councillors? Why did he form that opinion?

9. (i) The eight Princesses made an offer to Princess September. What was it?

    (ii) Why, in your view, did they do it?

10. What did the sisters advise the Princess to do about her bird?

Please refer to attached file for NCERT Class 8 English Princess September