“Two Little Kittens” is a poem meant for children. This poem teaches a valuable lesson about the futility of quarrels and the importance of sharing and living in harmony. It uses the story of the kittens to convey this message in a way that’s relatable and understandable to children. Click here for Q/Ans.
Two Little Kittens Poem Text
Two little kittens, one stormy night,
Began to quarrel, and then to fight;
One had a mouse, the other had none,
And that’s the way the quarrel begun.“I’ll have that mouse,” sad the biggest cat;
“You’ll have that mouse? We’ll see about that!”
“I will have that mouse,” said the eldest son;
“You shan’t have the mouse,” said the little one.I told you before ’twas a stormy night
When these two little kittens began to fight;
The old woman seized her sweeping broom,
And swept the two kittens right out of the room.The ground was covered with frost and snow,
And the two little kittens had nowhere to go;
So they laid them down on the mat at the door,
While the old woman finished sweeping the floor.Then they crept in, as quiet as mice,
All wet with the snow, and cold as ice,
For they found it was better, that stormy night,
To lie down and sleep than to quarrel and fight.
Stanza Wise Explanation: Two Little Kittens
Stanza 1
"Two little kittens, one stormy night,
Began to quarrel, and then to fight;
One had a mouse, the other had none,
And that's the way the quarrel begun."
Explanation: On a stormy night, two small cats started arguing and then fighting. One of them had caught a mouse, while the other hadn’t caught anything. This difference about the mouse started the fight between them.
- Introduces two kittens on a stormy night.
- The kittens start to quarrel and fight.
- The reason for the fight: one kitten has a mouse, the other doesn’t.
- This reveals the cause of their conflict – jealousy and possessiveness.
पहले श्लोक में कविता हमें दो छोटे बिल्ली के बच्चों के बारे में बताती है। एक तूफानी रात में, ये दोनों आपस में लड़ने लगते हैं। लड़ाई की वजह दिलचस्प है – एक बिल्ली के बच्चे के पास एक चूहा है, जबकि दूसरे के पास कुछ नहीं है। यही कारण है कि उनके बीच झगड़ा शुरू हो जाता है।
Stanza 2:
"I'll have that mouse," said the biggest cat;
"You'll have that mouse? We'll see about that!"
"I will have that mouse," said the eldest son;
"You shan't have the mouse," said the little one.
Explanation: The bigger kitten claimed ownership of the mouse and challenged the other kitten. The eldest kitten insisted it would have the mouse, while the smaller one disagreed and said it wouldn’t allow it.
- Here, the bigger kitten claims that it will take the mouse from the other.
- The smaller kitten disagrees and asserts its right to the mouse by challenging that they’ll see about that, indicating a confrontation.
- This dialogue shows how both kittens are determined to have the mouse for themselves, escalating the conflict.
- The poem uses playful confusion with “biggest cat” and “eldest son” to emphasise the silliness of the fight.
लड़ाई और बढ़ जाती है। बड़ा बिल्ली का बच्चा चूहा चाहता है, और छोटा उसे देने से इनकार कर देता है। वे एक-दूसरे को धमकाते हैं।
Stanza 3:
I told you before 'twas a stormy night
When these two little kittens began to fight;
The old woman seized her sweeping broom,
And swept the two kittens right out of the room.
Explanation: The poem reminds us again of the stormy night setting. An old woman, possibly their caretaker, intervenes in their fight. Using her broom, she sweeps the kittens out of the room, symbolising her disapproval of their quarrel as well as the result of both the kitten’s behaviour.
- Reminds us of the stormy setting, emphasising the discomfort the kittens create with their fight.
- The “old woman” (presumably the kittens’ owner) gets fed up with the commotion due to the fight.
- She grabs her broom and sweeps both kittens right out of the room.
कवि कहता है की मैंने आपको पहले ही बताया था कि यह एक तूफानी रात थी. बिल्ली के बच्चों की लड़ाई से परेशान होकर बुढ़िया ने झाड़ू उठा ली और दोनों बिल्ली के बच्चों को सीधे कमरे से बाहर कर दिया।
Stanza 4:
The ground was covered with frost and snow,
And the two little kittens had nowhere to go;
So they laid them down on the mat at the door,
While the old woman finished sweeping the floor.
Explanation: The kittens find themselves outside in the cold, with frost and snow covering the ground. They have nowhere to go, so they settle down on a mat at the door, waiting for the old woman to finish sweeping.
- After being swept out of the room, the kittens find themselves outside where it’s cold, with frost and snow covering the ground; a stark contrast to the warmth they had indoors.
- With no other place to go, they lie down on the mat outside the door.
- Meanwhile, the old woman continues to clean inside.
- Here, the kittens face the unpleasant reality of their actions.
बाहर निकाले जाने के बाद, बिल्ली के बच्चे ठंड और बर्फीली रात का सामना करते हैं। उनके पास जाने के लिए कोई जगह नहीं है, इसलिए वे ठंडे दरवाजे की चटाई पर लेट जाते हैं। इस बीच, बूढ़ी औरत कमरे की सफाई पूरी कर लेती है
Stanza 5:
Then they crept in, as quiet as mice,
All wet with the snow, and cold as ice,
For they found it was better, that stormy night,
To lie down and sleep than to quarrel and fight.
Explanation: The kittens, now cold and wet from the snow, quietly return inside. They’ve learned their lesson that it’s better to sleep peacefully than to fight, especially on such a stormy night.
- The cold and discomfort make the kittens regret their fight.
- They sneak back in, quiet as mice. The contrast between “quiet as mice” and their earlier behaviour is humorous and ironic – considering the fight was over a mouse
- They are cold and wet, learning a hard lesson about the discomfort of being outside.
- The poem concludes by stating that the kittens found it better to be warm and together even without the mouse, rather than to fight and be left separated and alone.
बिल्ली के बच्चे अपने किए पर पछताते हैं। वे बूढ़ी औरत से डरते हुए बिल्ली के बच्चे घर वापस चले आते हैं। वे बिल्कुल चुपके से आते हैं, मानो चूहे हों। वे बर्फ से भीगे हुए हैं और बहुत ठंड महसूस कर रहे हैं। यह अनुभव उनके लिए एक सबक बन जाता है। वे महसूस करते हैं कि उस तूफानी रात में लड़ने-झगड़ने से बेहतर है कि वे चुपचाप सो जाएं।
Message of The Poem
The poem teaches children about the importance of getting along and sharing. It shows how fighting can lead to negative consequences, and cooperation is always a better choice. The playful language and the clear consequence-cause relationship make the lesson about sharing and getting along both entertaining and effective.
यह छोटी सी कविता बच्चों को एक महत्वपूर्ण सीख देती है। हमें दूसरों की चीजों के लिए लालच नहीं करना चाहिए और न ही झगड़ना चाहिए। सहयोग और शांति से रहना ज़्यादा अच्छा होता है।
While the poem is targeted at children, there’s definitely a message for humans as well. Here are a couple of ways to interpret the message for adults:
- Conflict Resolution: The poem highlights the importance of finding peaceful solutions to conflict. Just like the kittens, disagreements can lead to worse situations if not handled constructively. Adults can learn to communicate better and find compromises to avoid unnecessary fights.
- Value of Togetherness: The poem emphasizes that being together and supportive, even in difficult times, is better than being alone and facing challenges on your own. This can be applied to relationships, work teams, and even societies as a whole.
- Perspective Shift: Sometimes, a little discomfort or hardship can put things in perspective. The kittens likely valued the warmth and security of their home more after experiencing the harshness of the storm. Similarly, adults can benefit from taking a step back from a disagreement to see the bigger picture and prioritize maintaining positive relationships.
Altogether, the poem reminds us that cooperation, communication, and valuing relationships are essential for navigating life’s challenges, regardless of age.
बिल्लियों की कहानी से सीख: ये कविता बच्चों के लिए भले ही लिखी गई है, इसमें बड़ों के लिए भी सीख छिपी है। आइए देखें ये सीख कैसी है:
- मनमुटाव सुलझाना: कविता हमें बताती है कि झगड़ने से बेहतर है शांति से किसी भी समस्या का हल निकालना। बिल्लियों की तरह, अगर हम आपस में बातचीत ना करें और समझदारी से काम ना लें तो छोटी सी बात भी बड़ी समस्या बन सकती है।
- एकता की ताकत: कविता इस बात पर भी ज़ोर देती है कि मुश्किल समय में साथ रहना और एक-दूसरे का सहारा बनना, अकेले रहने से कहीं ज़्यादा फायदेमंद होता है। ये सीख रिश्तों, काम की जगह और पूरे समाज पर लागू होती है।
- दृष्टिकोण बदलना: कभी-कभी थोड़ी सी तकलीफ या मुश्किलें हमें ज़िंदगी को नए नज़रिए से देखने में मदद करती हैं। ठंड और बर्फ़ का सामना करने के बाद बिल्लियों ने शायद अपने घर की गर्मी और सुरक्षा को ज़्यादा महत्व दिया होगा। उसी तरह, बड़े होने पर भी हमें किसी भी झगड़े से थोड़ा पीछे हटकर, पूरी स्थिति को समझने की कोशिश करनी चाहिए, ताकि रिश्ते मज़बूत बने रहें।
कुल मिलाकर, ये कविता हमें याद दिलाती है कि सहयोग, बातचीत और रिश्तों को संजोना, ज़िंदगी की चुनौतियों से पार पाने के लिए हर उम्र में ज़रूरी हैं।