Princess September

1. Introduction to W. Somerset Maugham and the Setting of Siam

The enchanting story titled 'Princess September' is authored by the celebrated British playwright, novelist, and short-story writer William Somerset Maugham (1874–1965). Known worldwide for his incisive psychological insights, lucid prose style, and masterful understanding of human motives, Maugham crafts a deceptively simple fairy tale set in the exotic, mystical kingdom of Siam (modern-day Thailand). For Class 8 Bihar Board students, this chapter serves as both a delightful narrative of royal palace life and a profound philosophical inquiry into the nature of freedom, possessiveness, sisterly jealousy, and selfless affection.

The story opens with a gentle touch of whimsical royal satire. The King and Queen of Siam had a large family consisting of many daughters. The Queen found it extraordinarily confusing and taxing to remember so many names. To relieve her mental exhaustion, the King, who had a peculiar sense of order and administrative eccentricity, decided to name his daughters after the seasons—first Spring, Autumn, Summer, and Winter. But when more daughters continued to arrive, he abandoned the seasons and named them after the months of the year, beginning with January and proceeding right down to the youngest daughter, Princess September.

2. The King's Peculiar Birthday Custom: Giving Instead of Receiving

The King of Siam possessed another delightful eccentricity that distinguished him from ordinary monarchs across history. Instead of demanding expensive gifts, tributes, and taxes from his subjects on his royal birthday, the King had a habit of giving away presents to others. On one particular birthday, having nothing else immediately handy, he presented each of his nine daughters with a beautiful green parrot housed inside a magnificent golden cage.

The nine young princesses were exceedingly proud of their exotic royal pets. They spent an hour every single day teaching their parrots to talk. Soon, every single parrot could recite two specific phrases with mechanical perfection: 'God save the King' in Siamese and 'Pretty Polly' in no less than seven oriental languages. The King took great intellectual amusement in this feat, noting with dry wit that his daughters' parrots reminded him immensely of his royal Councillors, because both the parrots and the politicians repeated the exact same phrases over and over again without attaching the slightest grain of meaning to what they were saying.

3. The Tragedy of the Dead Parrot and Princess September's Solitary Grief

All went pleasantly in the palace until one morning, when young Princess September walked to her golden cage to greet her green parrot. To her absolute horror and devastation, she found the beloved bird lying motionless at the bottom of the cage, stone dead. The young princess burst into a flood of passionate, inconsolable tears. Her tears flowed so ceaselessly that the Queen's Maids of Honour grew thoroughly annoyed and impatient. Unable to quiet the weeping child, the Maids of Honour reported the matter to the Queen.

The Queen, completely devoid of maternal empathy, dismissed the little girl's grief as sheer foolishness and theatrical nonsense. She ordered the Maids of Honour: 'Put her to bed immediately and let her go to sleep without any supper.' The Maids of Honour, eager to attend an evening palace ball, bundled the heartbroken Princess into bed, turned off the lights, and left her sobbing bitterly in the dark, hungry and abandoned. This moment highlights the emotional isolation of the youngest princess in a royal court dominated by rigid decorum and superficial vanity.

4. The Miraculous Arrival of the Little Songbird

As Princess September lay weeping in the silence of her dark chamber, a tiny hop sounded upon her windowsill. She rubbed her wet eyes and watched in wonder as a tiny, unassuming songbird hopped gracefully into the room. Perching gently on the edge of her bed, the little bird cleared its throat and began to sing. Unlike the mechanical parrots who merely squawked repetitive political slogans, this wild songbird sang an exquisite, unrehearsed melody inspired by the living beauty of nature.

The bird sang of the golden carps gliding through the still waters of the palace pond, of the slender willow trees admiring their graceful reflections in the tranquil water, and of the silver moonbeams dancing across the ripening rice fields of Siam. As the sweet, melodious notes filled the bedchamber, Princess September's tears ceased to flow. The deep agony in her chest melted away, and she completely forgot that she had been sent to bed without supper. The little bird possessed a magical, healing artistry that touched the deepest chambers of her wounded heart.

5. The Sacred Pact of Companionship

When the songbird finished its enchanting performance, it bowed politely to the young princess. It cocked its tiny head to one side and asked with tender humility whether the Princess would like to take it in place of her deceased parrot. The bird candidly admitted: 'It is true that I am not nearly so handsome to look at as a green parrot, but on the other hand, I have a much better voice.'

Princess September clapped her hands in pure, ecstatic delight. She welcomed the charming little creature into her life with open arms. The songbird hopped onto her hand, sang her into a peaceful, dreamless sleep, and rested quietly upon her pillow throughout the night. A sacred bond of mutual trust, artistic appreciation, and unconditional friendship was formed in the quiet sanctuary of the princess's bedroom.

1. Morning Revelations: Breakfast and the King's Delight

When Princess September awakened the following morning, the little songbird was still perched beside her pillow, chirping brightly to welcome the new dawn. The Princess was overflowing with joyous energy. She fed the bird grains of sweet boiled rice directly from her own hand, and washed its delicate feathers in her own royal water saucer. The bird rewarded her with an entirely new repertoire of sweet songs, flying joyously around the sunlit chamber.

Eager to share her newfound happiness, Princess September decided to show her magical pet to her family. Followed by the singing bird, which fluttered happily around her shoulder, she visited her eight elder sisters one by one. The bird sang a different, exquisite melody for each princess. She then took the bird to the King and Queen. The Queen, who had callously sent September to bed hungry the night before, was utterly astonished and remarked: 'I knew I was right to send you to bed without any supper; see how wonderfully it has cured your temper!'

The King, however, was enchanted by the bird's natural singing. Listening to the wild melodies about Siamese lakes and willow trees, the King chuckled with genuine pleasure and declared that he was exceedingly tired of hearing the eight green parrots say 'God save the King' and 'Pretty Polly'. The King observed that the parrots' mechanical repetition gave him a severe headache, whereas the little bird's music was fresh, original, and deeply uplifting.

2. The Simmering Jealousy of the Eight Elder Sisters

The King's high praise for Princess September's bird ignited an immediate, venomous fire of envy in the hearts of the eight elder sisters. For months, they had enjoyed undisputed superiority in the palace with their expensive green parrots, boasting about their pet birds' linguistic accomplishments. Now, the youngest sister—whom they had always dismissed as insignificant—possessed a miraculous creature that captivated the monarch and eclipsed all their accomplishments without uttering a single political slogan.

The eight princesses retreated to their apartments and held a secret conclave. They looked at their green parrots with mounting frustration. Their parrots could only squawk 'Pretty Polly' in seven languages, sounding increasingly grating and artificial compared to the free-flowing, celestial melodies of September's bird. Possessed by spite, insecurity, and wounded vanity, the eight sisters resolved to conspire against young September's happiness and destroy the pure companionship she shared with her songbird.

3. The Malicious Delegation and the Psychology of False Sympathy

A few days later, the eight elder sisters marched into Princess September's chamber in a solemn, intimidating procession. They sat down in a circle around her, deliberately arranging their silk gowns to project an aura of grave elder authority. Their faces were masked with an expression of feigned sorrow and hypocritical concern. The eldest sister spoke as the official mouthpiece of the conspiracy:

"My poor September, we are all so desperately sorry for the tragic death of your beautiful green parrot. It must be dreadful for you not to have a dignified royal pet like the rest of us. Therefore, we have all pooled our pocket money together and purchased a lovely green and yellow parrot for you!"

The offer was a classic psychological trap designed to re-establish conformity and strip September of her unique distinction. But Princess September, pure of heart and entirely content with her singing friend, declined their offer with innocent grace: 'Thank you for nothing! I have a pet bird who sings the most charming songs to me, and I don't know what on earth I should do with a green and yellow parrot.'

4. Planting the Seeds of Suspicion and Fear

Rebuffed by September's refusal to accept their parrot, the eight sisters immediately shifted their tactical assault from false generosity to insidious fear-mongering. The second sister remarked with cutting sarcasm: 'Well, my dear, it is easy to talk about your bird, but where is he right now? He flies in and out just as he pleases! He has gone off to visit his father-in-law, or perhaps he has found another friend! You never know what may happen to a bird flying around loose in the world.'

The sisters leaned forward, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent. They bombarded the naive young girl with terrifying hypothetical disasters:

• The Danger of Birds of Prey: Hawks and falcons might attack the little songbird in the forest.
• The Peril of Snare Nets: Cruel hunters and bird-catchers might trap him in sticky lime twigs or nets.
• The Agony of Inconstancy: What if the bird simply forgot Princess September, met a prettier bird, and decided never to return to her palace room?

The sisters delivered their poisonous verdict in chilling unison: 'If you want to be safe, you must put him into a cage. That is the only way you can ever be sure of him!' Having planted the toxic weeds of paranoia, possessiveness, and anxiety in the young girl's tender mind, the eight sisters rose, swept their skirts, and walked out of the room, leaving poor September in an agony of suspense.

1. The Anatomy of Possessive Anxiety

After the departure of her eight sisters, Princess September was left alone with a mind swirling in emotional turmoil. Prior to this poisonous intervention, she had lived in absolute, carefree trust with her avian companion. She had celebrated his freedom to soar into the Siamese skies, knowing that he loved her and would return at dusk. But now, the sisters' sinister words echoed relentlessly through the corridors of her thoughts: 'What if he forgets you? What if he gets caught in a net? What if he never comes back?'

This psychological transition is a brilliant study by Somerset Maugham in the destructive power of possessiveness. When love is pure, it delights in the sovereign freedom of the beloved. But when fear, insecurity, and ownership enter the equation, love degenerates into a suffocating desire to control, confine, and dominate. September sat by her window, her heart pounding with dread as twilight fell across the palace grounds and the little bird had still not appeared.

2. The Delayed Return and the Panic of Ownership

Minutes felt like agonizing hours. Shadows deepened across the garden willow trees, and the evening breeze turned cold. September convinced herself that the worst had happened: a hawk had devoured him, a hunter had trapped him, or he had found another princess in a distant palace. Suddenly, with a cheerful flutter of tiny wings, the songbird hopped through the open window and perched affectionately upon her shoulder.

The bird chirped happily, explaining the innocent reason for his delay: his father-in-law had hosted a family gathering in the country, and everyone had begged him to stay for the feast; he had only barely managed to slip away to return to his beloved princess. Under normal circumstances, September would have laughed with delight at this domestic tale. But gripped by the lingering panic of her sisters' warnings, her heart hardened into an impulse of desperate, irrational self-preservation. She resolved that she would never subject herself to such agonizing terror again. She would follow her sisters' advice: she would lock him up!

3. The Snap of the Golden Door: Imprisonment in the Gilded Cage

Reaching out with a trembling hand, Princess September scooped up the tiny bird. The bird was so accustomed to being handled with gentle affection that it suspected nothing. Carrying it across the room to the empty golden cage that had once housed her dead parrot, September popped the songbird inside and slammed the cage door shut, dropping the brass latch with a sharp, metallic click.

For a brief moment, the bird was so startled by this abrupt treatment that it could not speak. It hopped onto the ivory perch, looked around at the gleaming golden bars, and cocked its head in bewilderment. Then it asked with gentle surprise: 'What is the joke?'

Princess September, rationalizing her oppressive act with the classic rhetoric of protective ownership, replied: 'There's no joke! Mama's cats are prowling around the palace tonight, and you are much safer in here where nothing can harm you.'

4. The Vanishing of Song: Captivity as the Death of Art

Accepting her explanation with trusting innocence, the bird remarked that if it was only for one night, it did not mind, provided she let it out in the morning to fly in the fresh air. It ate a hearty supper of boiled rice from her hand and began to sing its evening lullaby. But after singing two or three joyful bars, the bird abruptly broke off. The melody withered in its throat. It stopped and said softly: 'I don't know what is the matter with me, but I can't sing tonight.'

Princess September stroked its head through the bars and said: 'Never mind; go to sleep instead.' The bird tucked its tiny head under its wing and fell asleep in the golden prison. But Somerset Maugham underscores a profound aesthetic and spiritual truth: Art and creativity cannot survive in captivity. The bird's song was not a mechanical trick that could be turned on like a water tap; it was the spontaneous emotional overflow of a soul vibrating in harmony with the wild, untamed beauty of the living universe. Confined behind golden bars, the music died at its source.

1. The Morning Plea for Liberty

When Princess September opened her eyes the following morning, the sun was shining brightly across the palace gardens, and the morning breeze was sweet with the fragrance of blossoming jasmine. She ran to the golden cage to greet her little companion, expecting him to burst into glorious morning song. Instead, the bird stood upon its perch with downcast eyes, looking out through the bars at the distant blue horizon. The moment it saw September, it cried out with urgent, pleading desperation:

"Open the door! Let me out of this cage! I want to fly out while the dew is still wet on the grass and the morning sun is touching the lake!"

Princess September, still trapped in the delusion of protective ownership, refused to unlock the door. She attempted to pacify the desperate creature with material luxury: 'You are much better off where you are! You have a beautiful golden cage with an ivory perch. You will have three meals of rice a day, no cats can touch you, and you will have nothing in the world to do but sing sweet songs for me!'

2. The Golden Cage vs. the Open Skies: The Incompatibility of Captivity

The little bird looked through the gleaming bars and uttered words that define the core philosophy of Somerset Maugham's masterpiece:

"The cage looks beautiful, but the golden bars keep out the sun! The lake, the willow trees, and the green rice fields look completely different when you look at them through the bars of a cage! I cannot sing unless I am free, and if I cannot sing, I die!"

The bird refused to touch a single grain of boiled rice. It sat in a gloomy corner of the cage, its delicate feathers ruffled and dull, staring silently into the empty air. September was troubled, but when she sought the advice of her eight sisters, they laughed with cold, triumphing malice. The sisters urged her to be firm and uncompromising: 'He is just being stubborn and ungrateful! If he refuses to eat, he will starve, and it will serve him right! Once he realizes that you will not give in, he will get used to his cage and sing as before.'

3. The Agony of the Third Day: The Looming Shadow of Death

September tried to follow her sisters' ruthless advice, hoping against hope that hunger and habit would break the bird's spirit and reconcile it to captivity. But on the third morning, when she went to the cage to bid it good morning, she received no answering chirp. Peering anxiously inside, she cried out in horror. The little songbird was lying on its side at the bottom of the cage with its eyes tightly shut, looking exactly like a dead bird!

Tears of genuine anguish burst from September's eyes. Dropping all restraint, she unlatched the golden door, reached inside, and lifted the limp, feather-light body out into the palm of her hand. She pressed its tiny chest against her cheek, weeping desperately: 'Wake up, little bird! Please wake up!' As her warm tears rained down upon its chest, the bird's eyes fluttered faintly open, and it whispered with fading breath: 'I cannot sing unless I'm free, and if I cannot sing, I must die.'

4. The Supreme Act of Love: Renunciation and Unconditional Freedom

In that terrifying instant, Princess September underwent a profound moral and spiritual awakening. She looked at the dying creature in her hands, then looked back at the empty, glittering golden cage that had nearly extinguished its life. She recognized with blinding clarity the horrifying truth: Her love had been selfish, cruel, and destructive. She had prioritized her own pleasure and possession above the life, happiness, and essence of the creature she claimed to love.

Wiping her tears, Princess September made the ultimate sacrifice of selfless love. She walked to the large open window, held out her open hands toward the sunlit Siamese sky, and declared with magnificent nobility:

"Then go! Fly away into the sky, little bird! I put you in a golden cage because I loved you and wanted to have you all to myself, but I never knew that it would kill you. I love you enough to let you be happy in your own way!"

She opened her hands completely, granting the bird absolute, unconditional liberty. The bird shook its wings, stretched its delicate legs, and hopped onto the windowsill. Looking back at the weeping princess with deep gratitude, the bird promised: 'I shall always come back to you, my dear September, because I love you too. I will sing you the loveliest songs I know. Even though I fly far away across the world, I will never forget you.' With a joyful flutter of wings, the little bird soared into the vast blue sky, vanishing into the sunlit clouds like a flying jewel.

1. The Open Window: A Sanctuary of Trust and Radiance

Following the bird's departure, Princess September experienced an initial pang of loneliness, but her heart was elevated by the purity of her moral choice. In defiance of her eight sisters' mocking warnings, September made a radical domestic decision: She left her bedroom window wide open day and night, through blazing Siamese summers, refreshing monsoon showers, and cool winter evenings.

She refused to place any barriers between her private space and the natural world outside. She trusted the bird's promise completely, refusing to grasp or possess. And true to its word, the magical songbird returned regularly. Whenever it pleased, the little bird would fly through the open window, perch gently upon September's shoulder, eat rice from her fingers, and sing to her the most exquisite, unearthly songs composed during its flights across distant mountains, exotic waterfalls, and blooming lotus valleys.

2. The Physical and Spiritual Transformation of Princess September

By sleeping with her window open day and night, Princess September immersed herself continuously in the fresh, living breezes of nature. Somerset Maugham illustrates a beautiful law of nature: Living in harmony with freedom cultivates radiant physical and moral beauty. The fresh air, sunlight, and constant breeze endowed Princess September with a glowing, healthy complexion, bright sparkling eyes, and a graceful, joyous spirit. As she grew into womanhood, she blossomed into the most breathtakingly beautiful maiden in the entire kingdom of Siam.

Her outer beauty was the natural reflection of her inner nobility. Having practiced selfless love, trust, and detachment in her youth, she possessed an aura of serenity, compassion, and charm that drew admiration from everyone who entered the royal court. When she reached marriageable age, her fame spread far beyond the borders of Siam, capturing the devotion of foreign monarchs.

3. The Sour Fates of the Eight Envious Sisters

In sharp, tragic contrast to September's radiant destiny, Somerset Maugham portrays the miserable fate of the eight elder sisters. Enslaved by petty jealousy, control, and fear, the eight princesses strictly kept their bedroom windows tightly shut night and day. They feared the outside wind, mistrusted the natural world, and lived in stuffy, suffocating chambers smelling of stale perfumes and bitter gossip.

Because they slept in windowless, stagnant rooms and harbored rancorous envy in their hearts, the eight sisters underwent a horrifying physical deterioration. They grew up pale, sickly, wrinkled, and remarkably ugly. Their faces hardened into permanent scowls of discontent, and their personalities became so intensely disagreeable and quarrelsome that no prince or foreign king would dream of courting them.

4. The Royal Marriages: A Fable of Poetic Justice

The story culminates in an exquisite display of poetic justice that delights Class 8 readers:

• The Radiant Queen of Cambodia: Because Princess September was so wonderfully beautiful, virtuous, and graceful, she was sought in marriage by the powerful and enlightened King of Cambodia. She was escorted across the border in magnificent royal splendour, seated upon a towering white elephant draped in gold and pearls, and crowned Queen of a glorious realm.
• The Unhappy Consorts of the Councillors: In humiliating contrast, the eight ugly, disagreeable elder sisters could find no royal suitors. When the time came to marry them off, the King of Siam gave them away to his elderly, weary royal Councillors, tossing in a pound of ordinary Siamese tea and a screeching Siamese cat as their meager dowry!

Maugham's conclusion is both comical and morally absolute. Those who hoard, control, and shut their windows to the fresh air of life end up in stagnant misery, rewarded with bitter tea and clawing cats. Those who open their windows, embrace vulnerability, and grant freedom to others inherit kingdoms of love, radiance, and perpetual song.

1. Deep Literary and Thematic Analysis of 'Princess September'

For Bihar Board Class 8 English students, Somerset Maugham's 'Princess September' is far more than an entertaining nursery tale. It is a multi-layered literary allegory that examines fundamental questions of human psychology, interpersonal ethics, and the spiritual conditions necessary for true happiness. Below is an exhaustive breakdown of the central themes embedded in the text:

2. Possessive Attachment vs. Unconditional Love

The central thematic dichotomy of the chapter revolves around two fundamentally opposing concepts of love:

• Possessive Love (The Eight Sisters and the Gilded Cage): This distorted form of love is driven by fear, insecurity, and the desire to control. It views the beloved object not as an independent, sovereign soul, but as private property. The eight sisters insist that the bird can only belong to September if it is imprisoned in a cage. This love suffocates, destroys creativity, and ultimately brings death to the spirit.
• Unconditional Love (Princess September's Renunciation): This genuine, mature love seeks only the happiness, flourishing, and autonomy of the beloved. When September realizes that the golden cage is killing the bird, she chooses the bird's life over her own emotional comfort. By declaring 'I love you enough to let you be happy in your own way', she elevates love to a divine, liberating force.

3. Liberty as the Essential Condition of Art and Life

The little songbird serves as the living metaphor for artistic creativity, inspiration, and the human spirit. When the bird is locked behind golden bars, it cannot sing. Why? Because art cannot be produced on command under coercion. The bird's melodies require the dew on the grass, the reflection of willows in the lake, and the boundless blue sky. As the bird famously declares: 'I cannot sing unless I am free, and if I cannot sing, I die.' Maugham asserts that political, intellectual, and creative liberty is not a luxury; it is the vital oxygen of the soul.

4. The Symbolic Architecture of the Window

The bedroom window is the primary architectural symbol of the story, representing an individual's openness to the universe:

5. Satire of Conformity and Rote Learning

Maugham's portrayal of the King's Councillors and the green parrots offers a biting satire of unthinking conformity. The parrots that recite 'Pretty Polly' in seven languages represent individuals who memorize phrases mechanically without understanding their philosophical essence. Like the rote educational paradigms critiqued throughout the Class 8 syllabus, the parrots produce noise without life, contrasting vividly with the wild, soulful originality of the free songbird.

1. Comprehensive Chapter Glossary and Contextual Terminology

Mastering Class 8 BSEB English examinations requires an accurate understanding of advanced vocabulary used throughout Somerset Maugham's 'Princess September'. The table below outlines key literary terms, their contextual definitions, and illustrative sentences:

2. BSEB Key Grammar Focus: Conditional Clauses (Types 1, 2 & 3)

A favourite grammatical topic in Bihar Board Class 8 English papers is the proper construction of conditional sentences. 'Princess September' offers outstanding authentic examples of conditional reasoning:

• Type 1 Conditional (Real/Open Possibility in Present/Future):
  Structure: If + Simple Present, ... will + base verb.
  Example: "If you do not put him into a cage, he will fly away forever."
  Example: "If I cannot sing, I will die."
• Type 2 Conditional (Hypothetical/Unreal Condition in Present):
  Structure: If + Simple Past, ... would + base verb.
  Example: "If I kept you in a cage, your sweet songs would cease."
  Example: "If the sisters opened their windows, they would become beautiful."
• Type 3 Conditional (Impossible Condition in Past):
  Structure: If + Past Perfect, ... would have + past participle.
  Example: "If Princess September had not unlocked the golden cage, the little bird would have perished."

3. Reported Speech (Dialogue Conversion for Board Exams)

Bihar Board papers frequently ask students to transform the direct dialogue between Princess September and the bird into Indirect Speech:

• Direct Speech: The bird said to September, "I cannot sing unless I am free."
  Indirect Speech: The bird told September that it could not sing unless it was free.
• Direct Speech: September said, "I love you enough to let you be happy in your own way."
  Indirect Speech: September declared that she loved it enough to let it be happy in its own way.
• Direct Speech: The sisters asked September, "Where is your bird right now?"
  Indirect Speech: The sisters asked September where her bird was at that moment.

4. High-Scoring Step-by-Step Answer Structuring for BSEB Exams

To secure maximum marks in Bihar Board descriptive questions (ranging from 2-mark short queries to 5-mark long analytical prompts), students should strictly adopt the Triadic Structure (Context → Direct Action → Core Significance):

1. Opening Reference (1 sentence): Identify the story title, author (W. Somerset Maugham), and situational context (e.g., 'In Somerset Maugham's 'Princess September', when the little songbird stops eating...').
2. Direct Core Answer (2-3 sentences): Provide exact factual narrative details without vague generalities.
3. Thematic Significance (1 sentence): Conclude with the moral or conceptual implication (e.g., 'This underscores Maugham's philosophical assertion that true love liberates rather than imprisons.').