Princess September | Class 8 CBSE English | It So Happened
20 Aug 2023
William Somerset Maugham was the author of the story. September is a story about a princess. The monarch had given each of the nine princesses a parrot. Princess September’s parrot, however, perished. A small bird came into her chamber as she was crying alone in her room. He performed songs about the king’s garden, goldfish, and the willow tree.
The princess imprisoned the bird, but it was unable to sing. She later realised her mistake and let him go. The bird would come up to her and sing for her. She married the King of Cambodia and enjoyed a wonderful life after that.
The King and Queen of Siam had nine daughters in this narrative. The Queen is having difficulty remembering all of their names. As a result, the King chooses to name them after the months. As a result, he called the youngest of them September.
On his birthday, the monarch made a tradition of distributing presents to others. On his birthday one year, he gifted each of his daughters a green parrot in a gilded cage. The princesses were content, and they spent an hour with them every day. In seven languages, the parrots said, “God preserve the king and Beautiful Polly.”
Princess September discovered her parrot dead one morning. She was depressed and sobbed uncontrollably. The queen instructed the servants not to put her to bed until she had eaten. They had to leave her weeping because they had to go to a party. She noticed a little bird flying into her room. It began to sing about the King’s garden, goldfish, willow trees, and so on. She had forgotten to eat supper in the midst of all of this.
The bird begged the princess, bowing, if she would keep it in place of the parrot. The bird was not attractive. It sang, and she fell asleep as the princess clapped her hands. She fed it and washed him with her own hands. She paraded him before the monarch, queen, and her sisters. Everyone was ecstatic to see and hear it. The bird’s song greatly charmed the monarch, who expressed his desire to hear it sing again. He’s had enough of listening to the parrots.
Princess September was envious of the other princesses. September was urged to get a new parrot, but she stated that she already has a pet bird. It sings wonderful nightingale melodies, and she doesn’t need a parrot. They informed her that the bird could fly in and out at any moment. As a result, she should lock him in a cage because it may not return later.
She was concerned about the bird since it took an unusually long time to return. So she placed it in the cage. When the bird inquired, she said that it would be secure from the cats in the cage. The bird requested that she unlock the cage the following day. She, however, declined. Princess September requested that he sing, but he was unable to do it. It wants to view the trees, the river, and so on. It also did not consume food.
The bird warned her the next day that if he was not free, he would be unable to sing and would die. As a result, she set it free. The bird fluttered away, promising to return. The bird returned because she kept her window open. It sang beautiful tunes to her.
Princess September grew up to be stunning and married Cambodia’s King. Her sisters, on the other hand, were unattractive and married to the king’s councillors.
The lesson to be learned from Princess September is that freedom is an essential requirement for the survival of every living thing on this planet. The appearance of the parrots is quite appealing, much like that of the little princesses. However, because they are confined, they develop a despondent and unattractive demeanour.