Short Summary
The poem “The Ant and the Cricket” is a fable (a story, consisting of animals as characters, that conveys a moral) written in a poetic format. It is about a silly young cricket and a miser ant. The cricket used to sing all day long and enjoy his good times during the summer season.
He lacked farsightedness, for he never had plans for his future. When the winter arrived, cricket couldn’t find a small amount of food to eat. So the cricket thinks to go to ant to borrow food and to get shelter.
The Cricket knocked on the ant’s door asking to help. Then ant questioned the cricket what he was doing during summer. The poem ends with the ant asking the cricket to try dancing and singing again during his hard times.
Moral: We should work harder for our own sake and for the time of troubles. Moreover, always remembers that today’s saving is tomorrow’s income.
The Ant and the Cricket Summary in English
This poem is a work of the famous Greek poet, Aesop. The two characters of the poem are cricket and an ant. There was a young cricket who used to sing and dance during the summers and springs. He was happy and enjoying but was silly. During the summers and spring, there is greenery everywhere. So, ample food and water are available. One does not need to store any of these. Thus, the cricket was busy enjoying and did not store any food for the winters. In winters, the ground is covered with snow and no flower or leaf could be seen.
The cricket passed the time singing and dancing and soon the winter season came. Now, he was in trouble as there was not even a crumb in his house to eat and due to winter, he could not find any food outside also. He could thus eat nothing and was starving. He somehow gathered his courage and went to the ant asking for help. Due to the starvation, chilling cold and rains, the cricket got wet and was shivering.
He requested the ant to give him some food and shelter in his house else he will die of hunger, sorrow, and chilling cold. He also promised him to repay it.
The ant told the cricket that he thinks itself to be his servant as well as a friend. But, the ants do not borrow nor do they lend to anyone. He also asked the cricket that why did he not gather and store food during the spring and summer. The cricket said that he did not care much about the future and was busy enjoying the pleasant weather. He thought that food and water will always be abundant.
While the cricket was busy enjoying, the ant was storing food for the winter season. The ant thus annoyed told him that he should pass the winter also singing and dancing. The ant thus quickly put the conversation to an end and pushed him out of his house.
In the end, the poet concludes by saying that he thinks that this fable is quite true. As there are many human beings who do not care about the future. They thus repent when the time is gone.
The Ant and the Cricket Summary in Hindi
मूर्ख युवा झींगुर मजे करने का शौकीन था। उसे मौज-मस्ती करना अच्छा लगता था। वह गर्मी के धूपवाले मजेदार महीनों तथा बसंत ऋतु में गाता रहा। वह दूरदर्शी न था। उसने मुसीबत के दिनों तथा शीत ऋतु के ठण्डे दिनों के लिये भोजन संग्रह नहीं किया। जब पृथ्वी बर्फ से ढकी थी तो झींगुर को पता चला कि उसके पास खाने को कुछ भी नहीं है। वृक्षों पर न फूल थे, न पत्ते। वह घबरा गया। भूख उसके चेहरे पर देखी जा सकती थी।
वर्षा से भीगा तथा ठण्ड से ठिठुरता वह भूखा झींगुर एक चींटी के पास आश्रय तथा भोजन माँगने पहुँचा। उसने कहा कि वह यह उधार लिया हुआ अनाज़ कल तक लौटा देगा। कंजूस चींटा विनम्र भाव से बोला कि वह उसका सेवक तथा मित्र है। पर सैद्धान्तिक रुप से चींटे न उधार लेते हैं न देते हैं। उसने पूछा कि तुमने बुरे समय के लिये कुछ बचाकर क्यों नहीं रखा।
झींगुर ने स्वीकार किया कि उसने लापरवाही तथा मूर्खता से काम लिया। उसने ग्रीष्म ऋतु में प्रकृति की सुन्दरता का आनन्द लिया और गाता रहा। इस पर चींटी ने कठोरता से उसे पूरे जाड़े नाचने को कहा। उसने बेचारे झींगुर को बाहर निकाल दिया।