1. V. S. NAIPAULV. S. NAIPAUL

2. ABOUT THEABOUT THE
AUTHORAUTHOR
Born – 17 August, 1932
Full name – Sir Vidiadhar
Surajprasad Naipaul
Works – Heart of darkness,
A House for Mr. Biswas,
The Enigma of Arrival
Awards – Somerset
Maugham
Award, Nobel Prize in
Literature in 2001,

3. THE AUTHOR himself
B. WORDSWORTH – A poet and a
good friend of the author

4. MAIN THEMEMAIN THEME
OF THE STORYOF THE STORY
Close interaction between
the poet and the author.
How the author was
inspired by the poet and
both had they formed a
commune between them

5. Three punctual beggars came for the
hospitality to the Miguel Street.
An Indian came at ten, who was
given a tin of rice.
At twelve, a lady arrived who was
given a cent.
A penny was given to an old man led
by his boy.

6. One day, a strange man came who
asked for a meal and then compelled
the author to light a cigarette for
him.

7. A strange man arrived again one day
wearing clean outfits.
He exclaimed that he wanted to
watch the bees flying near the palm
tree.
The author’s mother allowed him
and also signaled his son to keep an
eye on the man.
He spoke good English. He thanked
the lady.

8. The man questioned the little boy
whether he liked watching bees and if
he had ever watched scorpions,
centipedes or congorees.
The boy enquired the man his
profession to which he replied he was
a poet.
He introduced himself that he was
Black Wordsworth. His brother was
White Wordsworth.

9. He said he could watch the morning
glory and cry.
The boy questioned why did he cry.
He replied that he would also cry
when he would grow up and become
a poet.
The poet asked the lad if he liked his
mother to which he replied only
when she doesn’t beat him.
He removed a printed sheet of paper
and professed that it contained the
greatest poem about mother.

10. He would sell it for four cents.
The boy questioned his mother if she
wanted to buy a poem for four cents.
The mother replied to get lost from
her yard.
The poet kept the paper back in his
pocket.
The boy professed it was amusing
selling poems like that. The man said
none had bought a single copy.

11. But he cheerfully said in this way he
sees many things like that and hopes
to get a poet like him.
When he left, he gave the boy a
hope that he wad a good poet.

12. After a week, when the boy was
returning from school he saw the
poet.
He invited him to his yard which had
juicy red mangoes.
Both of them went to Albert Street
where the poet stayed.
His house was embraced with wild
coconut, palm and mango trees.
They ate the juicy mangoes.

13. When the boy returned to his abode,
his mother shouted at him if he
thought he was a man and could
roam anywhere.
Since he was also beaten up from his
mom, he ran from the house
swearing that he would never return.
He went to the poet’s house.

14. The poet consoled him and took him
for a walk to St. Clair Avenue to the
Savannah.
Both of them then lied on the grass
and looked at the stars.
While gazing at the stars, the boy
felt so light hearted and ecstatic that
he forgot all his worries.
They discussed the names of the
constellations.

15. Suddenly the police threw light on
them and enquired what were they
doing there.
In a poetic manner, the poet replied
that he had been asking himself the
same question.
The poet and the boy became good
friends.

16. Once the boy asked the poet why does
he keep the bush in the yard though it
spoils the beauty of the surrounding.
He narrated a story :
“A boy and girl, both poets loved
each other and got married. The
poetess exclaimed that they were
about to have a new poet in the family.
They went for walks together and
enjoyed life.

17. The poet told a secret to the boy.
He was writing a poem that is the
greatest in the world.
He had been working on that poem since
22 years and will finish it within 5 years.
He writes only a line in a month but
ensures that it is a good one.
His last line was “The past is deep”.
He distills the experience of the whole
month in one line.

18. The boy threw a pin in the water to
check if it sinks or floats.
The boy asked what was his line this
month.
He simply said “It comes. It comes”.

19. The poet enquired how does he live.
He replied he sings calypsos in the
calypsos season.
The boy exclaimed that he would be
the richest man in the world when he
will finish writing that poem.
There was no response.
One day the boy saw him lying on the
bed.

20. He said the poem is not going on well as
it used to go in his 20s.
The boy was about to cry.
He called the boy near him.
The poet said that he will be narrating
him an amusing story.
But he made him promise that after
finishing the story he would never come
to see him.
He cracked that the story narrated by
him about the boy and girl as well as the
greatest poem in the world was all a LIE.

21. The boy ran home crying.
Now after one year when the boy
(the author) visited the Alberto
Street, there was no sign of the
poet.