Samacheer Class 9 English - The Envious Neighbour

1. The narrator identifies that the honest couple gathered the treasure. 2. The dog speaks these words about the pine tree under which it was buried, expressing its wish to be transformed into a mortar to continue serving people. 3. The narrator describes how the greedy neighbours dug under the tree but found nothing but dirt and nasty offal instead of treasure. 4. The narrator explains that the envious neighbour was summoned to the prince's palace and ordered to demonstrate his magical power. 5. The dog makes this sound, which is the magical incantation that the dog taught the honest farmer, enabling him to revive the withered trees and earn the prince's reward.

The old farmer was a kind man. He helped the poor and the needy with what he had. He had a pet dog, which they used to feed with fish and tit-bit from their kitchen. One day, when their dog helped them in getting wealth, they did not take it all for themselves.
But gave alms to the poor and then bought for themselves rice fields and corn-fields. When his neighbour killed his dog, he did not scold him. He just wept for his pet, kept some food, burnt incense, and adorned its grave with flowers. He also showed his kindness to his envious neighbours, as they were distressed, by giving them a share of his own riches.

The good oldman’s neighbour killed the dog and buried it under the roots of pine-tree. The oldman adorned its grave with flowers and shed tears over his lost pet.
That night the dog appeared to him. It asked him to make a mortar from the pine tree wood and use it. When he ground his rice, it turned into rich treasure. The neighbour borrowed the mortar. They tried to use it but all their rice turned into filth. So they broke the mortar and burnt it.
One night dog appeared to the good old man and told him that if he took the ashes and sprinkle them on whithered trees, the trees would revive and blossom.
He verified the power to bring back dead trees to life. A certain prince sent for him, he sprinkled the ashes on the poumpland cherry trees. The trees shoot out and Put forth flowers. So the prince gave him a rich reward and sent him rejoicing. Thus the dog helped the good oldman even after its death.

The prince rewarded the farmer because he successfully used his magical power to revive all the withered plum and cherry trees in the palace, making them shoot out and put forth beautiful flowers. The prince was delighted with this display of genuine magical ability and sent the farmer home rejoicing with plenty of valuable presents. In contrast, the prince punished the envious neighbour because he could not perform the same act. When the neighbour scattered the ashes on the trees, they did not revive. Instead, the ashes flew into the prince's eyes and mouth, blinding and choking him. The guards then caught the neighbour and beat him almost to death. The prince's different treatment of the two men reflects the reward for honesty and genuine ability versus the punishment for greed, envy, and deception.

The two neighbours in the story are of opposite characters. One old man was honest and kind. The other old man was cruel and wicked. He borrowed the dog to use it and become rich. But it did not come true. So he killed it and burnt it. The dog’s ashes had the power to revive dead trees. The cruel old man wanted to use it to become rich.
But he failed and he was beaten almost to death by the Prince’s retainers. They are similar to the two women who came to King Solomon’s court. Both the women claimed to be the mother of a living child. The king ordered the servant to cut it into two with a sword.
The false mother opted to take one half of the baby. But the true mother requested the king not to cut and kill the baby. She asked the king to give the baby to the other woman. The king caught the wicked woman. The child was restored to the real mother. The wicked woman was punished by the king.