How to Tell Wild Animals Poem Explanation

POEM :
If ever you should go by chance
To jungles in the east;
And if there should to you advance
A large and tawny beast,
If he roars at you as you’re dyin’
You’ll know it is the Asian Lion…
Word meaning : Tawny: yellowish brown color
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet is telling the readers that how they can
recognize various animals in the jungles of the east. So, in first stanza she says that if the reader
comes across an animal whose skin is yellowish brown in colour and if it roars at him so strongly that
he can die out of fear, it means that he has encountered an Asian Lion. She has humorously
explained the Asian Lion which could kill a person with its roar.
Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (chance-advance, east-beast, dyin-lion)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (and if there…..tawny beast)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (if there should to you advance)
Assonance: use of vowel sound ’o’ (you should go, should to you, roars,)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Asian Lion)

POEM :
Or if some time when roaming round,
A noble wild beast greets you,
With black stripes on a yellow ground,
Just notice if he eats you.
This simple rule may help you learn
The Bengal Tiger to discern.
Word meaning :
Noble: high born, aristocratic
Discern: recognize

Explanation of the poem passage above: She explains an animal that roams in the jungle and
belongs to a royal clan. The colour of its skin is yellowish with black stripes. She says that if you
notice that he kills you and eats you up, then this means that you have surely seen a Bengal Tiger.
This time also she has used dark humour to explain how a tiger looks like because once a person
has been eaten up by a wild animal, there is no use in determining which wild animal it is.
Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (round-ground, you-you learn-discern)
Alliteration: repetition of consonant sound ‘r’ at start of two or more closely connected words
(roaming round)
Inversion: Change in the format of a sentence (The Bengal Tiger to discern)
Allusion: Reference to a famous thing, place, species of animal, etc (Bengal Tiger)
Assonance: Use of vowel sound ’o’ (or if some time when roaming round)
POEM :
If strolling forth, a beast you view,
Whose hide with spots is peppered,
As soon as he has lept on you,
You’ll know it is the Leopard.
’Twill do no good to roar with pain,
He’ll only lep and lep again.
Word meaning :
Strolling: walking casually
Forth: forward
Hide: skin of animal
Peppered: Here it means the spots
Lept (Leapt): jump towards someone
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that if you are casually walking in a
jungle, you will meet an animal who has a skin with spots on it. This animal is so fast that it will leap
on you at once which means that it will jump on you. This jumping is an indication that it is none
other than the Leopard. Moreover, she adds that if you will cry out in pain, it is not going to be of any
use as it will keep on jumping on you. So, in this stanza the poet has explained the characteristic of
a leopard.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (view- you, peppered- Leopard, pain-again)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘h’ in the beginning of two words (he has)
Poetic license: A liberty to the poet to change the spellings in order to create rhyme or rhythm in a
poem (use of lept instead of leapt)
Repetition: use of ‘lep’ word in the last line.
Assonance: use of vowel sound ‘o’ (strolling-forth-you, whose-spot, do no good to roar)
Consonance: use of ‘l’ sound (he’ll only lep lep)

POEM :
If when you’re walking round your yard
You meet a creature there,
Who hugs you very, very hard,
Be sure it is a Bear.
If you have any doubts, I guess
He’ll give you just one more caress.
Word meaning :
Yard: backyard or the lawn area of a house
Caress: A gentle touch
Explanation of the poem passage above: If you are walking in the lawn area of your house and
you meet a creature which hugs you tightly, it is a bear. She further adds that if you are still in doubt
regarding the animal, the easiest way is that he will keep hugging and touching you very gently. This
act of his will make you sure about its identity. You will come to know that it is a bear.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (yard-hard, there- bear, guess-caress)
Enjambment: Continuation of a sentence to the next line (if you were walking….creature there)
Alliteration: use of ‘w’ sound (when-walking), use of ‘h’ sound (who- hugs), use of ‘b’ sound (be-bear)
Assonance: use of vowel ‘e’ (meet a creature there)

POEM :
Though to distinguish beasts of prey
A novice might nonplus,
The Crocodile you always may
Tell from the Hyena thus:
Hyenas come with merry smiles;

But if they weep they’re Crocodiles

Beast of Prey: Any animals that hunts other animals for food
Novice: Someone new to a job
Nonplus: be confused
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that for someone who is new to the job of
recognizing animals, it will be like a puzzle to recognize animals that hunt other animals for their
food. So here the poet tries to help out the readers by telling the difference between two animals. He
says that Hyenas will be smiling whereas if it is a crocodile, it is always in tears. Both of these
animals are dangerous.
Literary Devices:
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (prey-may, nonplus-thus, smiles-crocodiles)
Alliteration: use of consonant sound ‘n’ (novice-nonplus), use of ‘th’ sound (the-thus)
Enjambment: continuation of sentence to the next line (though to distinguish….might nonplus, The
crocodile…..hyena thus)

POEM :
The true Chameleon is small,
A lizard sort of thing;
He hasn’t any ears at all,
And not a single wing.
If there is nothing on the tree,
’Tis the chameleon you see.
Explanation of the poem passage above: The poet says that the next is Chameleon which is a
small creature. It looks like a lizard but the difference between the two is that chameleon does not
have ears and wings. Moreover she says that chameleon has the ability to change its color
according to the surface on which it is sitting. Therefore, if you see a tree and find nothing else on it,
then it must be a chameleon sitting on it. It has changed its colour into the color of tree.
Literary Devices :
Rhyme: Rhyme scheme ababcc is followed (small-all, thing-wing, tree-see)
Alliteration: use of ‘h’ sound (he hasn’t)
Consonance: use of ‘g’ sound (single wing