Practice Reading Poetry (Part - 4) Notes | Study English Class 8 - Class 8

Prayer of a Sportsman

Dear Lord in the battle that goes on through life
I ask but a field that is fair
A chance that is equal with all in the strife
A courage to strive and to dare
And if should win, let it by the code
With my faith and my honour held high.
And if I should lose, let me stand by the road
And cheer as the winner go by
And Lord may my shouts be ungrudging and clear
Let me not cherish a snare or a snarl
Or play any sniveling par
Let me say, There they ride, on whom laurels bestowed
Since they played the game better than I
Let me stand with a smile by the side of the road
And cheer as the winner goes by.
So grant me to conquer, if conquer I can
By proving my worth in the fray
But teach me to lose like a regular man
And not like a craven I pray
Let me take of my hat to the warriors who strode
To the victory splendid and high
Yea, teach me to stand by the side of the road
And cheer as the winners go by

Word-Notes: 

On the basis of your reading of the poem, answer the following questions:

(a) What does the word strife in the third line suggest?
 (b) Explain, ‘field that is fair’.
 (c) Who does ‘I’ refer to?
 (d) What is the message learnt in the above lines?
 (e) Whom are the laurels bestowed?
 (f) Explain, ‘worth in the fray’.

Answers:

Q(a) What does the word strife in the third line suggest?
 Ans. It suggests life’s struggles and challenges.

Q(b) Explain, ‘field that is fair’. 
 Ans. It means a sports ground where the game is being played in fair manner with no team using unfair means.

Q(c) Who does ‘I’ refer to? 
 Ans. Here ‘I’ refers to the sportsman in the poem.

Q(d) What is the message learnt in the above lines? 
 Ans. The poem teaches us to take even defeat in our stride and not to grudge if we lose the game.

Q(e) Whom are the laurels bestowed? 
 Ans. The laurels are bestowed on the winning team.

Q(f) Explain, ‘worth in the fray’. 
 Ans. It means sportsman capability to win the game.