Wind — Class 9 English (Beehive Poetry)
"He is friends with the strong
He won't let the strong-hearted weaklings flourish."
— Subramania Bharati (translated by A.K. Ramanujan)
1. About the Poem
'Wind' is a striking poem originally written in Tamil by the legendary nationalist poet Subramania Bharati and translated into English by the great Indian poet-scholar A.K. Ramanujan. The poem uses the wind as a metaphor for the difficulties and adversities of life — and urges us to build inner strength to withstand them.
Central Idea
The wind:
- Destroys the weak — breaks shutters, scatters papers, throws down books
- Befriends the strong — those with firm hearts and minds
- We must therefore make ourselves strong — strong bodies, strong hearts, firm minds
Why This Poem Matters
- A motivational allegory about resilience
- An introduction to Tamil literature in English translation
- A bridge between traditional and modernist Indian poetry
- A poem of building character through hardship
2. About the Poet — Subramania Bharati
Quick Facts
- Full name: Chinnaswami Subramania Bharati
- Born: 11 December 1882, Ettayapuram, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu
- Died: 11 September 1921, Madras (Chennai), aged 38
- Profession: Tamil poet, journalist, freedom fighter, social reformer
- Title: 'Mahakavi Bharati' (Great Poet Bharati)
Why He Matters
- One of the founders of modern Tamil literature
- A fierce nationalist who used poetry as a freedom-struggle weapon
- A social reformer — against caste, for women's rights, opposed untouchability
- Wrote devotional, patriotic, romantic, and revolutionary poems
- His poems are sung as folk songs across Tamil Nadu
Famous Works
- 'Panchali Sapatham' (Panchali's Vow) — epic poem retelling Draupadi's story
- 'Kuyil Pattu' — songs to the cuckoo
- 'Kannan Pattu' — songs to Krishna
- 'Pappa Pattu' — songs to little children
- 'Senthamizh Naadu' — patriotic anthem of Tamil Nadu
His Influence
- Honoured on Indian postage stamps, statues across Tamil Nadu
- His poetry has been translated into 20+ languages
- Tamil Nadu celebrates his birth anniversary as Bharati Day
3. About the Translator — A.K. Ramanujan
Quick Facts
- Attipate Krishnaswami Ramanujan (1929-1993)
- Indian poet, scholar, translator, professor (University of Chicago)
- Padma Shri (1976), MacArthur Fellowship (1983)
- Wrote in English, Tamil, Kannada
- One of the great Indian-American scholars of the 20th century
His Translations
- Brought Tamil and Kannada poetry to global English readers
- Translated Sangam classical Tamil poetry
- Translated Subramania Bharati's Tamil verses
His Own Poetry
- 'The Striders' (1966), 'Relations' (1971), 'Selected Poems' (1976)
- A founding figure of Indian English poetry
4. The Poem (Full Text — Translated)
Wind, come softly.
Don't break the shutters of the windows.
Don't scatter the papers.
Don't throw down the books on the shelf.
There, look what you did — you threw them all down.
You tore the pages of the books.
You brought rain again.
You're very clever at poking fun at weaklings.
Frail crumbling houses, crumbling doors, crumbling rafters,
Crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives,
Crumbling hearts — the wind god winnows and crushes them all.He won't do what you tell him.
So, come, let's build strong homes,
Let's joint the doors firmly.
Practise to firm the body.
Make the heart steadfast.
Do this, and the wind will be friends with us.
The wind blows out weak fires.
He makes strong fires roar and flourish.
His friendship is good.
We praise him every day.
5. Detailed Explanation
Stanza 1 — The Wind's Destruction
The poem opens with the speaker addressing the wind directly — as if speaking to a person:
- 'Wind, come softly'
- 'Don't break the shutters'
- 'Don't scatter the papers'
- 'Don't throw down the books'
This is a personification — the wind is given human qualities. The speaker pleads with the wind to be gentle, but the wind ignores the request.
The wind mocks weakness:
- Breaks frail houses
- Crumbles doors and rafters
- Destroys weak bodies and weak hearts
- 'Winnows and crushes' (separates the strong from the weak)
The wind is a bully — it picks on whatever is weak.
Stanza 2 — The Solution: Build Strength
The poet realises the wind 'won't do what you tell him'. So instead of pleading with the wind, we must change ourselves:
- Build strong homes — physical infrastructure
- Joint the doors firmly — secure foundations
- Practise to firm the body — physical strength
- Make the heart steadfast — emotional strength
When we are strong:
- The wind will be 'friends with us'
- Just like fire — the wind 'blows out weak fires' but 'makes strong fires roar'
- The strong become the wind's allies
The closing line — 'We praise him every day' — shows that the wind, like life's adversity, deserves respect once we have learnt to face it.
6. Themes
1. Resilience in the Face of Adversity
The wind = life's hardships (illness, failure, loss, hard times). We cannot stop hardships — but we can build ourselves to face them.
2. The Necessity of Inner and Outer Strength
The poem calls for:
- Strong homes (physical)
- Strong bodies (health)
- Strong hearts (emotional)
- Firm minds (mental)
All four dimensions of strength are needed.
3. Adversity Reveals Character
The wind 'winnows' — separating the strong from the weak. Hard times show who we really are.
4. The Bully and the Strong
The wind 'pokes fun at weaklings' but befriends the strong. Adversity, like a bully, respects strength.
5. Fire as a Parallel Symbol
- Weak fire → blown out by wind
- Strong fire → made stronger by wind This parallel reinforces the central message: Be strong, and adversity will fuel you.
6. Practical Wisdom
The poem is specific — it doesn't just say 'be strong'; it advises:
- Build strong homes
- Practise to firm the body
- Make the heart steadfast
This is actionable advice.
7. Literary Devices
Personification
The wind is treated as a human being / god throughout — 'don't break', 'won't do what you tell him', 'friends with us'.
Apostrophe
The poet directly addresses an absent or non-human listener — the wind. This is a classical poetic device.
Repetition
'Crumbling... crumbling... crumbling...' — drives home the impact of the wind on weak things.
Imagery
- Visual: scattered papers, fallen books, broken shutters
- Physical: bodies, hearts, fires
- Auditory: implied roar of wind, crackle of fire
Simile / Parallel
- Wind blows out weak fires vs makes strong fires roar = wind crushes weak people vs strengthens strong people
Free Verse
The poem (in translation) is in free verse — no strict rhyme or metre. Gives a conversational, urgent tone.
Tone
- Opens with pleading (don't break...)
- Shifts to firm resolution (come, let's build...)
- Ends with respect (we praise him every day)
8. Central Message
- Don't wish for an easy life — wish for the strength to face life.
- Adversity is universal — like the wind, it cannot be stopped.
- Strength is built, not given — practise, train, prepare.
- The strong are befriended by the very forces that destroy the weak.
- Strong fire grows with wind; weak fire dies in wind — be a strong fire.
- Respect what cannot be defeated — the closing line.
9. Symbolic Reading
| Element | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Wind | Adversity, hardships, life's challenges |
| Shutters / books / papers | Weak structures, things easily destroyed |
| Crumbling houses / hearts | The fate of the unprepared |
| Strong homes | Inner strength + outer preparation |
| Strong fire | A resilient, well-prepared person |
| Weak fire | A fragile, unprepared person |
| Praise | Respect for life's challenges once mastered |
10. The Tamil Original
The poem was written in Tamil with the same emotional intensity. Bharati's Tamil is famously musical, urgent, and forceful. His original works were composed in a time of:
- Indian freedom struggle (early 20th century)
- Social reform movements in Tamil Nadu
- Bharati's exile in Pondicherry (under French rule, escaping British surveillance)
The 'wind' could thus also symbolise:
- British colonialism (a destructive force)
- The freedom struggle (which only strong nations can win)
Bharati's poems often had double meanings — nature poetry on the surface, freedom struggle underneath.
11. Memorable Lines
"Don't break the shutters of the windows."
"Crumbling wood, crumbling bodies, crumbling lives, / Crumbling hearts..."
"Make the heart steadfast."
"The wind blows out weak fires. / He makes strong fires roar and flourish."
"We praise him every day."
12. Why This Poem is in the CBSE Syllabus
Educational Reasons
- Introduces students to Tamil literature in English translation
- Models translated literature as a serious art form
- Practical theme — resilience, character-building
- Accessible language for Class 9
- Rich themes for analysis
Cultural Reasons
- Subramania Bharati is a national poet (along with Tagore, Iqbal, Nazrul)
- Tamil Nadu's literary tradition deserves national recognition
- A.K. Ramanujan was India's great cultural ambassador
Personal Development Reasons
- Class 9 students face academic pressures, peer issues, family expectations
- The poem's message — build strength to face life's winds — is timely
- Builds psychological resilience alongside literary appreciation
13. Today's Relevance
Modern Stresses
- Academic pressure (CBSE, JEE, NEET, social comparison)
- Mental health crises in young people
- Climate anxiety, global instability
The Poem's Wisdom
- Build resilience NOW, before storms come
- Don't expect adversity to soften — change yourself
- Strong people are befriended by life's forces
Sports / Skill / Career
- Athletes who train hard befriend the 'wind' of competition
- Entrepreneurs who prepare meticulously befriend the 'wind' of market disruption
- Students who study deeply befriend the 'wind' of exams
14. Conclusion
'Wind' is a short but powerful poem with a clear, practical message: build strength, and life's storms will fuel you rather than destroy you. Subramania Bharati, writing in Tamil over a century ago, gave us a meditation on resilience that is timeless. A.K. Ramanujan's translation brings the poem's force into English without losing its directness.
For Class 9 students, 'Wind' is a piece of practical wisdom in poetic form:
- Strong homes
- Strong bodies
- Strong hearts
- Firm minds
These are the foundations of a life that adversity cannot break. The poem ends with a quiet declaration: 'We praise him every day.' Once we have built strength, even the forces that once threatened us become allies.
In a world full of unavoidable winds — academic, professional, personal — Bharati's poem is an invitation to become strong fires that roar and flourish in the gusts that would blow out lesser flames.
