This page features a video of the poem “Modern Machinery”, prescribed under the Karnataka State Syllabus for 8th Standard English First Language. Along with its summary in three languages and transliterated songs. It serves as a valuable learning resource for students and parents, with each song accompanied by its respective lyrics for easy sing-along. The synchronized lyrics help learners follow and recite the song as it progresses, making memorization and learning by heart easier, more effective, and enjoyable.
Lyrics
English
We were taken from the ore-bed and the mine,
We were melted in the furnace and the pit
We were cast and wrought and hammered to design,
We were cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit.
Some water, coal, and oil is all we ask,
And a thousandth of an inch to give us play:
And now, if you will set us to our task,
We will serve you four and twenty hours a day!
We can pull and haul and push and lift and drive,
We can print and plough and weave and heat and light,
We can run and race and swim and fly and dive,
We can see and hear and count and read and write!
But remember, please, the Law by which we live,
We are not built to comprehend a lie,
We can neither love nor pity nor forgive.
make a slip in handling us you die!
Though our smoke may hide the Heavens from your eyes,
It will vanish and the stars will shine again,
Because for all our power and weight and size,
We are nothing more than children of your brain!
We were melted in the furnace and the pit
We were cast and wrought and hammered to design,
We were cut and filed and tooled and gauged to fit.
Some water, coal, and oil is all we ask,
And a thousandth of an inch to give us play:
And now, if you will set us to our task,
We will serve you four and twenty hours a day!
We can pull and haul and push and lift and drive,
We can print and plough and weave and heat and light,
We can run and race and swim and fly and dive,
We can see and hear and count and read and write!
But remember, please, the Law by which we live,
We are not built to comprehend a lie,
We can neither love nor pity nor forgive.
make a slip in handling us you die!
Though our smoke may hide the Heavens from your eyes,
It will vanish and the stars will shine again,
Because for all our power and weight and size,
We are nothing more than children of your brain!
Summary
The poem is spoken from the point of view of machines and describes their origin, abilities, and limitations. The machines are made from materials taken from mines and shaped through melting, hammering, cutting, and careful measurement. They can work continuously and perform many physical tasks quickly. However, they cannot understand lies, love, pity, or forgive, and careless handling can be dangerous. The poem reminds us that despite their great power and size, machines are creations of the human mind. Their power does not give them human emotions or understanding.
Author