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Poem The following poem was written by Shafi Ahmed, who was born in Bangladesh in 1937. The first-person ‘I’ in this poem is a river gypsy in Bangladesh. Bedeh is a name for the river gypsies. Poetry often creates images in your head. After you have read or listened to the poem, choose some lines from ‘Bedeh’. Illustrate the lines you have chosen using pictures and sketches. You may choose to make the words part of your illustration. => Bedeh ca Wordpool This is the name of my clan. Tam a water-gyps on the eurbuled Pivees of Bangladesh. My boat is home to me, my wife, and our children. w I have some knowledge of words and wild herbs. I treat snake-bites, drive out evil spirits, and attempt things which others dare not. 10 Tigers, robbers, snakes, demons, storms all seem to leave me alone! a — My needs are small and.simple. They_are-easily met Ho deean t wont to the next. Sometimes in fine weather T row out to the river's end. drorlsour I meet many ships at the anchorage. The crew exchanges foodstuffs, old clothes, newspapers, empty cans and bottles with my beads, bangles, bamboo-toys and seashells. Once I had a chance to board an English ship. ~ I marvelled at the ocean-going craft. But the Captain, he marvelled: at me, at the size of my boat, at how we had survived, at how we live! He wrote down our names, and other things in his notebook. He said, one day he would write about us. 25 ot it 35 Why anyone would want Todo that! Ay 5 SHAFI AHMED Wy oll and ashy. a mucl from day to day, from ‘ from one river settlement oem n iw » hoes Comprehension — 1 Apart from treating snake-bites, what does the river gypsy do? 2 What does the river gypsy do in fine weather? 3 What is it about the river gypsy that causes the Captain to marvel at him? 4 What does the Captain do with his notebook? 5 What gives the reader the impression that the river gypsy has a humble opinion of himself? Looking closely 1 The river gypsy describes the rivers of Bangladesh as ‘turbulent’. In what ways would turbulent rivers make life difficult for the river gypsy? [line 3) 2 What is another word for ‘demon’ used in the poem? [line 8) =< 3 Why do you think tigers, robbers, snakes, demons and storms could be dangerous for the river gypsy? (line 10) 4 The gypsy lives a ‘hand-to-mouth’ existence. What does this expression mean? (line 14) 
