The Last Bargain Class 8 English Poem Summary & Analysis

Poem: The Last Bargain

Poem Summary

This poem by Rabindranath Tagore is about a man looking for a job. He walks along a stone-paved road, looking to be hired. Several people try to hire him, each offering a different kind of payment, but he rejects them all until he finds the perfect "bargain."

First, a king comes in his chariot and offers to hire the man with his power. The man feels that power is temporary and meaningless ("his power counted for naught"), so he refuses the offer.

Next, at midday, an old man comes out with a bag of gold and offers to hire him with his money. The man is tempted, but he realizes that wealth cannot buy true happiness and is also transient ("his coins... one by one"), so he turns down this offer as well.

Later in the evening, a beautiful young woman offers to hire him with her smile. He is attracted by her beauty, but soon her smile "paled and melted into tears," symbolizing that beauty and emotions are also fleeting and can bring sorrow. He rejects this offer too.

Finally, as the sun sets, the man reaches the seashore. He sees a young child playing with seashells. The child innocently offers to "hire" him with nothing. The speaker accepts this bargain. The child's innocent play represents freedom, joy, and simplicity. By accepting the offer, the man finds a happiness and freedom that power, money, and beauty could not provide. The bargain "made me a free man," he concludes. It is the "last bargain" because it is the only one that truly satisfies him.

Working with the Poem

1. Who is the speaker in the poem?

Answer: The speaker in the poem is a man who is looking for work and wants to be hired.

2. “The king, sword in hand” suggests (i) wealth (ii) power (iii) more power than wealth. Mark the appropriate item in the context of stanza 1.

Answer: (ii) power.

3. The old man offered the speaker a lot of money. Why did he turn down the offer?

Answer: He turned down the offer because he realised that money cannot buy everlasting happiness. He felt that wealth was not as valuable as freedom and joy, and it would eventually be spent and disappear.

4. Find in the poem, lines that match the following. Read both one after another.
(i) I have nothing to give you except goodwill and cheer.
(ii) Her happiness was no more than sorrow in disguise.
(iii) The king’s might was not worth much.

Answer:
(i) Answer: "I hire you with nothing."
(ii) Answer: "Her smile paled and melted into tears..."
(iii) Answer: "But his power counted for naught."

5. How did the speaker feel after talking to the child on the beach?

Answer: After talking to the child on the beach, the speaker felt a sense of immense freedom and joy. The innocent offer from the child, to be hired with "nothing," was more valuable to him than power, money, or beauty. He felt that this bargain made him a free man, finally finding the satisfaction he had been searching for.