Class 8 English · Original EZT practice
Harvest Hymn (Class 8 English Chapter 11): a song of thanks
In Harvest Hymn, farming families raise a song of praise at harvest time. Men's voices thank Surya, the sun, and Varuna, sender of rain; women's voices thank Prithvi, mother Earth; and all voices together praise Bramha, the Lord of the Universe who is 'the Seed and the Scythe of our harvests'. Sarojini Naidu's hymn stands in Poorvi Unit 4, Environment, and its old-fashioned words - thou, thee, thy, thine - are part of the lesson. This page gives a stanza summary, the archaic-word meanings, themes and practice questions. (Note: this is original practice, not a textbook exercise key.)
6 original worked examples, 6 fresh self-check questions and 4 mixed questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 23 October 2026:
1. Summary - the voices of the poem
The hymn is sung in three groups of voices. Men's Voices praise Surya, 'giver of mellowing radiance', whose bounty prospered the sowing and nurtured the corn, and Varuna, 'sender of rain and the dewfall', whose mercy cherished the furrows. Women's Voices praise Prithvi, sweet mother Earth, 'the womb where our riches have birth'. All Voices close by praising Bramha, the eternal father, offering 'our lives and our labours for tribute'.
2. Language study - archaic words
The poem uses archaic words - words no longer in common usage - because a hymn is an old, formal song of praise. The textbook matching exercise gives the model sentence: 'Thou art my friend, and I trust thee. Thy kindness is great, and everything that is mine is thine.' In modern English: thou means you (subject), thee means you (object), thy and thine mean your and yours, and art means are.
3. Theme and cultural context
The hymn celebrates gratitude - the farmers' reverence for the sun, rain, earth and the divine that together make the harvest possible. It is rooted in India's many harvest festivals and in the idea, central to Unit 4 Environment, that people and nature live in a relationship of care and thankfulness, not conquest.
4. Form and music
Each stanza names its deity with a paired instrument - cymbal and flute for Surya, cymbal and pipe for Varuna, cymbal and drum for Prithvi, cymbal and prayer for Bramha. Regular end-rhyme (morn/corn, tribute/fruit, hail thee/flute) gives the hymn its song-like music, suited to being sung by a gathered community.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
Match voices to deities
Choose the method: Men, women, all.
EZT practice question
Which deity does each group of voices praise, and what gift is each thanked for?
Show the worked solution
- Men's Voices praise Surya, the sun, whose 'mellowing radiance' ripens the crop - 'the bounty that prospered our sowing'.
- Men's Voices also praise Varuna, 'sender of rain and the dewfall', whose mercy 'cherished our furrows'.
- Women's Voices praise Prithvi, mother Earth - 'the womb where our riches have birth'; All Voices praise Bramha, the Lord of all life and blessing.
Answer: Men's Voices praise Surya (the sun, who ripens the crop with 'mellowing radiance') and Varuna (sender of rain and dewfall); Women's Voices praise Prithvi (the Earth who feeds them from her 'plentiful bosom'); All Voices praise Bramha, the Lord of the Universe.
Check: Four deities, three voice groups - the men's stanza carries two deities.
Watch for this: Do not swap Varuna and Prithvi - Varuna sends the rain, Prithvi is the Earth herself.
Now try it yourself
What do the singers bring as tribute, and with what instruments do they praise?
Check your answer
Songs, garlands, the gold of their fields and fruit, and finally their lives and labours; with cymbal and flute, pipe, drum and prayer.
Each stanza pairs its deity with its own instrument - the music builds to prayer.
Explain the 'gold'
Choose the method: Ripe means precious.
EZT practice question
What does the word 'gold' symbolise in 'the gold of our fields and the gold of our fruit'?
Show the worked solution
- The singers offer 'the gold of our fields and the gold of our fruit' as tribute.
- They are farmers, not merchants - their wealth is grain and fruit.
- So 'gold' stands for the precious, ripe, valuable harvest itself.
Answer: The 'gold' is the precious, ripe harvest - the grain and fruit are as valuable to the farmers as gold.
Check: The line turns the crop into an offering worthy of a hymn - value without money.
Watch for this: Do not read it literally as metal - no gold changes hands in the poem.
Now try it yourself
How does 'O giver of mellowing radiance' help us understand Surya's role?
Check your answer
It shows Surya as the gentle, ripening warmth that slowly mellows and matures the crops - a kind giver, not a harsh force.
'Mellowing' carries the slow ripening of grain in the sun.
Modernise the key line
Choose the method: Thou art = you are.
EZT practice question
Rewrite 'Thou art the Seed and the Scythe of our harvests' in modern English, and explain the image.
Show the worked solution
- 'Thou art' is archaic for 'you are' - so: 'You are the Seed and the Scythe of our harvests.'
- The seed is the beginning of the crop - what is sown.
- The scythe is its end - what reaps it. Bramha holds the whole cycle of the harvest, and of life.
Answer: 'You are the Seed and the Scythe of our harvests.' Bramha is both the beginning of the crop (the seed that is sown) and its end (the scythe that reaps it) - the whole cycle of the harvest, and of life, rests in the divine.
Check: The pair Seed/Scythe covers sowing to reaping - nothing in between is left out.
Watch for this: Do not explain only the seed - the image works because both ends of the cycle are named.
Now try it yourself
Match thou, thee, thy, thine, art to their modern meanings.
Check your answer
Thou = you (subject); thee = you (object); thy = your; thine = yours; art = are.
The textbook's model sentence uses all five: 'Thou art my friend, and I trust thee. Thy kindness is great, and everything that is mine is thine.'
Justify the old words
Choose the method: Ceremony keeps old words.
EZT practice question
Why does a hymn use archaic words instead of everyday words?
Show the worked solution
- Archaic words are words no longer in common usage.
- A hymn is a traditional, ceremonial song of praise, often passed down for generations.
- The old words give the song a solemn, reverent, timeless feeling suited to worship.
Answer: Hymns are traditional, ceremonial songs of praise; the old words give the song a solemn, reverent, timeless feeling suited to worship.
Check: The same reason prayers and rituals in many traditions keep older forms of language.
Watch for this: Do not call the words errors or old-fashioned mistakes - they are a deliberate ceremonial choice.
Now try it yourself
Find one pair of rhyming line-endings in the poem.
Check your answer
For example morn/corn, tribute/fruit, or thee/flute in the Men's Voices stanza.
Regular end-rhyme is what makes the hymn singable.
Read the tribute's tone
Choose the method: Offerings, not fear.
EZT practice question
What does bringing 'songs and garlands for tribute' suggest about the people's relationship with the divine?
Show the worked solution
- Tribute is usually paid to a ruler - but here it is songs, garlands and harvest gold.
- The offerings are joyful gifts of thanks for gifts received.
- So the relationship is reverence and gratitude, not fear - like honoured guests bringing offerings to a beloved giver.
Answer: It suggests reverence and gratitude, not fear - the people offer songs and garlands joyfully, as thanks for gifts received, like honoured guests bringing offerings to a beloved giver.
Check: The final tribute - 'our lives and our labours' - is the deepest gift, given freely.
Watch for this: Do not describe the singers as frightened or forced - the hymn's mood is celebration.
Now try it yourself
Name a harvest festival celebrated in your region and one way it is celebrated.
Check your answer
Any real regional harvest festival - for example Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Baisakhi in Punjab, Bihu in Assam, Onam in Kerala - with its custom, such as cooking the new rice or community feasting.
The hymn belongs to the same culture of thanksgiving as these festivals.
State the theme
Choose the method: Thanks, not conquest.
EZT practice question
What is the central theme of Harvest Hymn?
Show the worked solution
- Every stanza is a thank-you: to sun, rain, earth and the divine.
- The people sow and plough, yet sing that bounty, mercy and womb-like richness come from Surya, Varuna and Prithvi.
- So the harvest is nature's gift answered by human work and thanks - gratitude is the theme.
Answer: Gratitude - farming families thank the sun, rain, earth and the divine for the harvest, showing reverence and the bond between people and nature.
Check: The theme is Unit 4's environment idea in song form: people and nature in a relationship of care, not conquest.
Watch for this: Do not call the theme farming techniques - the poem is about thankfulness, not agriculture.
Now try it yourself
Why do millets fit a unit on environment, as the 'Let us explore' activity suggests?
Check your answer
Millets are traditional Indian grains tied to local farming and hardy growing conditions, so they connect food, farming culture and care for the land.
The 'Nutritious Cereal of India' activity extends the hymn's land-and-food theme.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. Who wrote Harvest Hymn?
Show answer and reason
Sarojini Naidu.
Byline printed under the poem in Poorvi Unit 4.
2. Four deities praised?
Show answer and reason
Surya, Varuna, Prithvi, Bramha.
Sun, rain, Earth, Lord of the Universe.
3. 'Thou art' in modern English?
Show answer and reason
'You are.'
Archaic second person, like thee/thy/thine.
4. Instrument paired with Bramha?
Show answer and reason
Cymbal and prayer.
The last stanza's praise is prayer itself.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- Quote the line that names both ends of the harvest cycle.
- List the four deity-instrument pairs in order.
- In one sentence, give the hymn's theme.
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Questions about this practice page
- Who wrote Harvest Hymn in Class 8 Poorvi?
- Sarojini Naidu. The poem appears in Unit 4, Environment, of the NCERT Class 8 English textbook Poorvi.
- Which gods are praised in Harvest Hymn?
- Surya (the sun) and Varuna (sender of rain) by the men's voices, Prithvi (mother Earth) by the women's voices, and Bramha (Lord of the Universe) by all voices together.
- What does 'Thou art the Seed and the Scythe of our harvests' mean?
- The divine is both the beginning (seed) and the end (scythe) of the harvest - the whole cycle of sowing and reaping rests in Bramha.
- What are archaic words? Give two examples from the poem.
- Words no longer in common usage, such as thou (you), thee (you), thy (your), thine (yours) and art (are).
- What is the central theme of Harvest Hymn?
- Gratitude - farming families thank the sun, rain, earth and the divine for the harvest, showing reverence and the bond between people and nature.