The Frog and The Nightingale Poem Explanation

Poem

After going through the summary of the Poem The Frog and the Nightingale, let us go through the
line by line explanation of the lessons
Once upon a time a frog
Croaked away in Bingle Bog
Every night from dusk to dawn
He croaked awn and awn and awn.

Word meaning
Bingle: name of the bog
bog: an area of land that is very wet and muddy
awn: ‘on’ misspelt and mispronounced as ‘awn’ so that it rhymes with ‘dawn’

Literary devices

1. Rhyme scheme-aa bb
2. Onomatopoeia- ‘croaked’
3. Repetition – awn and awn and awn
4. Alliteration – ‘Bingle bog’ – ‘b’ sound repeated
5. Antithesis – ‘dusk’ ‘dawn’
Explanation of the above poem – The poet is telling the story of a frog and a nightingale who lived
in a marshy land called ‘Bingle Bog’. The frog croaked all through the night from sunset till sunrise. It
croaked non – stop and to emphasize the continuity of his sound, the poet repeats the word ‘awn’
thrice.

Poem
Other creatures loathed his voice,
But, alas, they had no choice.
And the crass cacophony
Blared out from the sumac tree
At whose foot the frog each night
Minstrelled on till morning night
Word meaning
loathed: hated
crass: Rude and insensitive
cacophony: a very loud and unpleasant noise
minstrelled: sang
Literary devices
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘crass cacophony’ – ‘c’ sound is repeated
3. Transferred epithet – ‘And the crass cacophony Blared out from the sumac tree’
4. Antithesis- ‘morning’ ‘night’
Explanation of the above poem – The other creatures in the Bingle bog like rabbits, elephants,
monkeys, birds, etc disliked the harsh and unpleasant sound made by the frog. They could do
nothing about it and the rude and loud sound made by the frog could be heard as it croaked sitting
at the foot of a tree called sumac. (Just like there are various trees – mango, sheesham, mahogany,
acacia, bamboo, etc. this tree was of sumac). It croaked continuously throughout the night.

Poem
Neither stones nor prayers nor sticks,
Insults or complaints or bricks
Stilled the frog’s determination
To display his heart’s elation
Word meaning
elation: great pride and joy
Literary devices
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb
2. Alliteration – ‘his heart’s’ – ‘h’ sound is repeated
Explanation of the above poem – The creatures of the bog tried different ways to stop the frog.
They hit it with stones, bricks and sticks, insulted it, complained against it and even prayed before it
to stop making the unpleasant sound. They were unsuccessful as the frog was determined to ‘sing’
as it was proud of its unique voice.

Poem
But one night a nightingale
In the moonlight cold and pale
Perched upon the sumac tree
Casting forth her melody.
Word meaning
Casting forth: to emit or to send out
Literary devices
1. Rhyme scheme- aa bb
2. Visual imagery- The poet constructs an image in the reader’s mind – The sky in moonlit and a
nightingale is sitting on a sumac tree, singing a melodious song.
3. Alliteration- night nightingale – ‘n’ sound is repeated.
Explanation of the above poem – The character of the nightingale is now introduced in the poem.
One night, the sky was full of the moon’s light. The weather was cold, and everything seemed dull. A
nightingale bird sat on a branch of the sumac tree and sang in it melodious voice.

Poem
Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog.
And the whole admiring bog
Stared towards the sumac, rapt,
And, when she had ended, clapped,
Ducks had swum and herons waded
To her as she serenaded
Word meaning
Dumbstruck: so shocked or surprised as to be unable to speak
Rapt: totally interested, so that you cannot think of anything else
Heron: A water bird
Serenaded: sang beautifully
Literary devices
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Transferred epithet – the whole admiring bog Stared towards the sumac
Explanation of the above poem – The frog was shocked to hear the melodious voice of the
nightingale. It was unable to speak. All the creatures of the Bingle bog appreciated the song. They
clapped and praised it when the song ended. Ducks and herons swam and came near the sumac
tree to hear it as the nightingale sang beautifully.
Poem
And a solitary loon
Wept, beneath the summer moon.
Toads and teals and tiddlers, captured
By her voice, cheered on, enraptured:
“Bravo!” “Too divine!” “Encore!”
So the nightingale once more,

Word meaning
Solitary: alone, single
loon: a large water bird
teal: a small duck
tiddlers: small fishes
enraptured: filled with fascination and delight
encore: ‘sing some more’
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘Toads teals tiddlers’ – ‘t’ sound is repeated
Explanation of the above poem – A large water bird called loon who was alone felt emotional on
hearing the nightingale’s melodious song. It started weeping as the nightingale sang through the
night with the moon in the sky. ‘Summer moon’ means that it was the summer season when the
moon is comparatively lower in the sky. Even the tiny creatures like the small frogs, ducks and fishes
were attracted to the melodious voice and cheered it to sing more. They cheered the nightingale by
saying that it was a brave bird, its song was heavenly and asked it to sing more.

Poem
Quite unused to such applause,
Sang till dawn without a pause.
Next night when the Nightingale
Shook her head and twitched her tail,
Closed an eye and fluffed a wing
And had cleared her throat to sing
Word meaning
Applause: Praise, appreciation
Twitched: A short, sudden jerk or movement
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘Next night’ – ‘n’ sound is repeated
‘twitched her tail’ – ‘t’ sound is repeated
Explanation of the above poem – The nightingale had never received appreciation and it was so
happy that it sang continuously till sunrise. The next night it again prepared to sing – it shook its
head, jerked its tail, closed an eye to concentrate on the song and fluffed its wing. Before starting
the song, it cleared its throat also.

Poem
She was startled by a croak.
“Sorry – was that you who spoke?”
She enquired when the frog
Hopped towards her from the bog.
“Yes,” the frog replied.
Word meaning
Startled: Taken aback, surprised and shocked
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb
2. Onomatopoeia – ‘croak’ is the sound produced by the frog
Explanation of the above poem – The bird was interrupted by the ‘croak’ sound of the frog. As it
hopped towards the nightingale, it asked the frog whether it was the frog who spoke. The frog
replied that it was his sound.
Poem
“You see,
I’m the frog who owns this tree.
In this bog I’ve long been known
For my splendid baritone
And, of course, I wield my pen
For Bog Trumpet now and then”.
Word meaning
baritone: a male singing voice, fairly deep
wield: hold and use
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Personification – The frog has been personified – ‘I wield my pen’
3. Antithesis – now then
Explanation of the above poem – The frog introduces itself to the nightingale as the owner of the
sumac tree on whose branch the bird was sitting and singing. Further it said that it was famous in
the bog for singing in its unique, deep voice. It also wrote occasionally for the Bog Trumpet
magazine.

Poem
“Did you… did you like my song?”
“Not too bad – but far too long.
The technique was fine of course,
But it lacked a certain force”.
Word meaning
technique: a method of doing something
Literary devices –
1. hyme scheme – aa bb
2. Repetition – ‘Did you… did you’
3. Alliteration –‘bad – but’ – ‘b’ sound repeated

Explanation of the above poem – The humble bird asks the frog if it liked her song. The frog
replies that it wasn’t bad, but it was very long. Further it comments on her skill and says that the
method of singing was fine, but her voice lacked force.
 Poem
“Oh!” the nightingale confessed.
Greatly flattered and impressed
That a critic of such note
Had discussed her art and throat:
“I don’t think the song’s divine.
But – oh, well – at least it’s mine”.
Word meaning
Flattered: Happy and pleased
Impressed: influenced
Critic: A person who judges the merits of artistic works.
art: Here, singing talent
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
Explanation of the above poem – The nightingale felt bad that her singing was not upto the mark.
It was happy that such an expert musician had analyzed her song and her voice. It was impressed
by the frog’s style. The bird consoles itself that even if her song is not heavenly, at least it is her own
composition.

Poem
“That’s not much to boast about”.
Said the heartless frog. “Without
Proper training such as I
And few others – can supply.
You’ll remain a mere beginner.
But with me you’ll be a winner”.
Word meaning
Boast: Praise oneself
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
Explanation of the above poem – The frog scolds the bird for being proud. It is harsh towards the
bird and belittles it by saying that it lacks training which only a few masters like the frog can give.
The frog also says that without the training the bird will remain just a beginner all its life and if it
wanted to become a winner – a perfect singer, then it had to learn from him.

Poem
“Dearest frog”, the nightingale
Breathed: “This is a fairy tale –
 And you’re Mozart in disguise
Come to earth before my eyes”.
Word meaning
Mozart: Name of a very talented musician
disguise: Cannot be recognized
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb
2. Metaphor –a comparison between two things without using like or as. – “This is a fairy tale and
you’re Mozart in disguise” The nightingale compares the frog to Mozart, indicating a belief in his
musical talent.
3. Allusion – The nightingale makes a reference to a famous classical composer, Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart: “And you are Mozart in disguise / Come to earth before my eyes”. This reference
functions to highlight how innocent the nightingale is, that she genuinely believes the frog possesses
the same level of musical genius as Mozart.

Explanation of the above poem – The nightingale praises the frog and compares it to the most
famous musician Mozart. It says that this is like a fairy tale – a dream come true that such an
accomplished singer is present before her.

Poem
“Well I charge a modest fee.
Oh!… But it won’t hurt, you’ll see”
Now the nightingale inspired,
Flushed with confidence, and fired
With both art and adoration,
Sang – and was a huge sensation.
Word meaning
Modest: small
flushed: full of, very excited and pleased
adoration: Strong admiration
sensation: Widespread reaction of interest and excitement
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘Now the nightingale’ – ‘n’ sound is repeated
Explanation of the above poem – The frog tells the nightingale that it will teach her the skill but will
charge a small fee. It assures her that the amount will be small and paying it will not be tough for the
bird. The nightingale regains its confidence and takes inspiration from the frog’s consent. It is full of
talent and admiration for the frog. With this new-found confidence, it sang well. The bird’s music
became famous and creatures from far off places were attracted to it.
Poem
Animals for miles around
Flocked towards the magic sound,
And the frog with great precision
Counted heads and charged admission
 Though next morning it was raining,
He began her vocal training.
Word meaning
Precision: exact and accurate
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘He began her’ – ‘h’ sound is repeated
Explanation of the above poem – Animals gathered from far – off places to hear the magical song
of the nightingale. The frog organized concerts and charged an admission fee from all the creatures
who came to hear the bird’s song. The next morning after the concert, it was raining, and the bird did
not want to sing. The frog insisted and commenced her training.

Poem
“But I can’t sing in this weather”.”Come my dear – we’ll sing together.
Just put on your scarf and sash,
Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!”
Word meaning
Sash: a long piece of cloth that you wear round the waist or over the shoulder, usually as a badge of
honour.
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb
2. Alliteration – scarf and sash – ‘s’ sound is repeated
3. Repetition – ‘ko-ash! ko-ash’
4. Onomatopoeia – ‘Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash’ is the sound produced by the frog and the
nightingale
Explanation of the above poem – Despite the nightingale’s refusal to sing in the rainy weather, the
frog forces it to sing. It asks her to cover her head with a scarf to save herself from the rain and to
wear a sash given to her as she has joined his music class. Both sing a song – “Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash!
ko-ash!”
Poem
So the frog and nightingale
Journeyed up and down the scale
For six hours, till she was shivering
and her voice was hoarse and quivering.
Word meaning
Scale: a sequence of musical notes that go up and down, one after the another
 hoarse: rough and unclear
quivering: shaking, trembling

Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aabb
2. Alliteration –‘she was shivering’ – ‘sh’ sound is repeated
3. Antithesis – up and down
Explanation of the above poem – The frog and the nightingale continued singing for six hours.
They sang different musical notes from high to low and vice versa. By the end of the class the poor
bird was trembling, and her voice became rough and shaky due to singing in an unpleasant weather
and for such a long time.

Poem
Though subdued and sleep deprived,
In the night her throat revived,
And the sumac tree was bowed,
With a breathless, titled crowd:
Owl of Sandwich, Duck of Kent,
Mallard and Milady Trent,
Word meaning
Subdued: quiet, with little energy
deprived: Not getting enough of something
revived: improved
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘subdued and sleep’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated, ‘Mallard and 3. Milady’ – ‘m’ sound is
repeated
4. Allusion- The poet makes a reference to famous titles – ‘Owl of sandwich’ refers to the Earl of
Sandwich, ‘Duck of Kent’ refers to the Duke of Kent, ‘Mallard and Milady Trent’ refer to My Lord and
My Lady of Trent. The poet wants to say that a royal crowd had gathered to hear the melodious bird.
As the creatures were animals, so the first names have been replaced by such names of animals
which create rhyming effect.
Explanation of the above poem – The sumac tree on whose branch the nightingale sat and sang
in its melodious voice was crowded and it seemed that it had bent as a mark of respect to the royal
gathering which had come for the concert. The royal creatures that had come were the owl of
Sandwich, the duck of Kent, Mallard and Milady of Trent. The poet has added the names of animals
like owl, duck, Mallard to the names of historical figures like ‘Earl of Sandwich’, ‘Duke of Kent’, ‘My
Lord and My Lady of Trent’ to show that a titled crowd had gathered.

Poem
Martin Cardinal Mephisto,
And the Coot of Monte Cristo,
 Ladies with tiaras glittering
In the interval sat twittering –
And the frog observed them glitter
With a joy both sweet and bitter.
Word meaning
Tiaras: a semi – circular metal band decorated with jewels and worn by wealthy women on formal
occasions.
twittering: chatting
Literary devices-
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Allusion -The poet makes a reference to famous titles – ‘Coot of Monte Cristo’ refers to the Count
of Monte Cristo.
3. Onomatopoeia – Twittering is the sound produced by the crowd
4. Imagery – ‘Ladies with tiaras glittering In the interval sat twittering’ – The reader experiences
visual and aural imagery by imagining the royal audience wearing glittering tiaras can be heard
chatting among themselves.
5. Antithesis – sweet and bitter
Explanation of the above poem – The crowd included Martin cardinal Mephisto and the coot of
Monte Cristo. All the royal ladies were wearing tiaras which were full of shining metal and precious
stones. They talked with each other during the interval in the concert. The frog saw the royal
gathering which had come to hear the nightingale’s song. He had mixed feelings of happiness and
jealousy. He was happy as a huge crowd meant monetary gain. He was jealous of the nightingale’s
fame as his song had never got such an exceptional audience.

Poem
Every day the frog who’d sold her
Songs for silver tried to scold her:
“You must practice even longer
Till your voice, like mine grows stronger.
In the second song last night
You got nervous in mid-flight.
Word meaning
Mid – flight: In the middle of the song
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘Songs for silver’, ‘second song’ – ‘s’ sound is repeated
Explanation of the above poem – The greedy frog earned a lot of money by selling tickets to the
nightingale’s concert. Still, he scolded the poor bird and showed it down by saying that its voice was
not strong enough and that it needed to practice more. He also pointed out her mistake and said that
the previous night, during the second song, she had got nervous in the middle of the song.

Poem
And, my dear, lay on more trills:
Audiences enjoy such frills.
You must make your public happier:
Give them something sharper, snappier.
We must aim for better billings.
You still owe me sixty shillings.”
Word meaning
Trills: singing two musical notes one after the other, repeatedly and very quickly
Billings: publicity for a concert, show, etc.
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘must make’ – ‘m’ sound is repeated, ‘better billings’ – ‘b’ sound is repeated
Explanation of the above poem – The frog orders the nightingale to use fancy notes in her song
so that the audience enjoys it more and more and more creatures gather to hear her sing. The frog
wants her to please the audience and use sharp notes, sing snappy songs which are liked by them.
He wants her to aim at earning more and more money. He reminds her that she still owes him sixty
shillings (he is referring to the fee that she must pay him for the music training).

Poem
Day by day the nightingale
Grew more sorrowful and pale.
Night on night her tired song
Zipped and trilled and bounced along,
Till the birds and beasts grew tired
At a voice so uninspired
Word meaning
Zipped: sang quickly
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘birds and beasts’ – ‘b’ sound is repeated
3. Repetition – ‘Day by day’, ‘Night on night’
Explanation of the above poem – With each passing day the nightingale became sad and weak.
With each passing day, the bird’s song reflected its tiredness and lack of interest. It sang quickly and
would not enjoy singing. The songs were no longer melodious, and the creatures of the bog did not
enjoy them anymore. The bird’s voice did not attract crowds any longer.

Poem
And the ticket office gross
Crashed, and she grew more morose
For her ears were now addicted
To applause quite unrestricted,
And to sing into the night
All alone gave no delight.

Word meaning
Morose: miserable, bad tempered
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘more morose’ – ‘m’ sound is repeated.
Explanation of the above poem – There was no audience for the nightingale’s concert. This made
the bird sad as now, she had got used to the praise from the audience. Now, it no longer enjoyed
singing alone all through the night.

Poem
Now the frog puffed up with rage.
“Brainless bird – you’re on the stage –
Use your wits and follow fashion.
Puff your lungs out with your passion.”
Word meaning
Rage: anger
Wits: intelligence
Puff: take a very deep breath
Passion: show strong emotions
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb
2. Alliteration – ‘Brainless bird’ – ‘b’ sound is repeated.
Explanation of the above poem – As the frog’s earnings stopped, it got furious at the nightingale.
It called it a ‘brainless bird’ and scolded it. It said that it should realize the importance of performing
on a stage and should use its intelligence. It asked the bird to sing according to the choice of the
audience and to follow the latest trends. It forced the bird to take very deep breaths and sing with
lots of force and emotions.

Poem
Trembling, terrified to fail,
Blind with tears, the nightingale
Heard him out in silence, tried,
Puffed up, burst a vein, and died.
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme- aa bb
2. Alliteration – ‘Trembling, terrified’ – ‘t’ sound is repeated
Explanation of the above poem – The nightingale was trembling with fear of the frog as it had
failed to perform well. It cried and as its eyes were full of tears, it could not even see properly. It did
not oppose the frog’s words. It tried to take a deep breath but could not bear it. As a result, the
nightingale died as one of the vein in its body burst.

Poem
Said the frog: “I tried to teach her,
But she was a stupid creature –
Far too nervous, far too tense.
Far too prone to influence.
Well, poor bird – she should have known
That your song must be your own.

Word meaning
Stupid: unintelligent
Prone: likely to suffer from
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb cc
2. Alliteration – ‘tried to teach’, ‘too tense’ – ‘t’ sound is repeated, ‘she should’ – ‘sh’ sound is repeated.
3. Anaphora – repetition of ‘far too’ in line 3 and 4
Explanation of the above poem – The frog comments on the dead nightingale bird. It says that the
nightingale was not intelligent and that it tried to teach her also. She was nervous, became tense
and lacked self – confidence. It further added that the poor bird should have sung her own song in
her own way. It should not have changed its style and get influenced by the frog. This shows that the
frog is a cheat. It forced the bird into the wrong path due to jealousy.

Poem
That’s why I sing with panache
“Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-ash!”
And the foghorn of the frog
Blared unrivalled through the bog.
Word meaning
panache: a very confident, elegant style
foghorn: a very loud, unpleasant noise
unrivalled: unopposed
Literary devices –
1. Rhyme scheme – aa bb
2. Alliteration – ‘foghorn of the frog’ – ‘f’ sound is repeated
3. Repetition – ‘ko-ash! ko-ash’
Explanation of the above poem – The frog ends by saying that it had confidence in its singing
talent and sang in its unique style. Once again, the frog sang its song – “Koo-oh-ah! ko-ash! ko-
ash!”. The frog’s song could be heard all over the bingle bog and he became the unopposed singer.