Three Days to See | Explanation with Summary & Question-Answers | Class VII | English

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Three Days to See

Theme

The central theme of Three Days to See revolves around the value of the senses, especially sight, and the importance of gratitude and mindfulness in everyday life. Helen Keller, blind and deaf since early childhood, powerfully conveys how much people take their senses for granted. Through her imagined "three days of sight," she emphasizes the beauty and richness of the world that most overlook. Her reflections urge readers to cherish life’s simple pleasures and use their senses with greater awareness. The essay ultimately teaches us to live each day fully, appreciating the ordinary as extraordinary.

Summary

In Three Days to See, Helen Keller imagines what she would do if she were granted vision for just three days. Blind from infancy, Keller describes how she experiences the world through touch and how even a leaf or tree bark gives her immense joy. However, she longs to see the world visually.

On the first day, she would look at the faces of her loved ones and appreciate the beauty of human expression.

On the second day, she would observe nature at dawn and visit museums to see humanity’s historical and artistic achievements.

On the third day, she would explore city life, watching people go about their daily routines and learning from their expressions.

As her imaginary experience ends, Keller reminds readers that most people waste their senses and fail to see the world’s wonder. She urges everyone to live as if each day were their last chance to experience the world, using all senses fully.

Her narrative is a powerful reflection on how sensory awareness leads to deeper appreciation and joy. Through her words, Keller inspires us to live with purpose and gratitude, never taking the ordinary for granted.

Hellen Keller

Translation of the Text in Hindi

Original English Text	Hindi Translation
I, who cannot see, find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch.	मैं, जो देख नहीं सकती, केवल स्पर्श के माध्यम से सैकड़ों चीजों में रुचि पाती हूँ।
I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf.	मैं पत्ते की नाजुक समानता को महसूस करती हूँ।
I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, or the rough, shaggy bark of a pine.	मैं अपने हाथों को प्यार से सिल्वर बर्च के चिकने तने या चीड़ के खुरदरे, रेशेदार छाल पर फिराती हूँ।
In spring, I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud,	वसंत में, मैं आशा से पेड़ों की शाखाओं को छूती हूँ कि कोई कली मिल जाए,
the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter’s sleep.	जो सर्दियों की नींद के बाद जागती प्रकृति का पहला संकेत होती है।
Occasionally, I am very fortunate; I place my hand gently on a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song.	कभी-कभी मैं बहुत भाग्यशाली होती हूँ; मैं अपने हाथ को धीरे से किसी छोटे पेड़ पर रखती हूँ और एक पक्षी के गाते समय उसके हर्षित कंपन को महसूस करती हूँ।
At times, my heart cries out with longing to see all these things.	कभी-कभी मेरा हृदय इन सभी चीजों को देखने की तीव्र इच्छा से व्याकुल हो उठता है।
If I can get so much pleasure from mere touch, how much more beauty must be revealed by sight.	अगर मुझे केवल स्पर्श से इतना आनंद मिल सकता है, तो दृष्टि से कितनी अधिक सुंदरता सामने आएगी।
And I have imagined what I should most like to see if I were given the use of my eyes, say, for just three days.	और मैंने कल्पना की है कि यदि मुझे अपनी आँखों की दृष्टि सिर्फ तीन दिनों के लिए भी मिल जाए, तो मैं सबसे अधिक क्या देखना चाहूँगी।
I should divide the period into three parts.	मैं उस समय को तीन भागों में बाँटूँगी।
On the first day, I should want to see the people whose kindness and companionship have made my life worth living.	पहले दिन मैं उन लोगों को देखना चाहूँगी जिनकी दयालुता और साथ ने मेरे जीवन को जीने योग्य बनाया है।
I do not know what it is to see into the heart of a friend through that ‘window of the soul’, the eye.	मैं नहीं जानती कि आत्मा की खिड़की — आँख — के ज़रिए एक मित्र के हृदय में झाँकना कैसा होता है।
I can only ‘see’ through my fingertips the outline of a face.	मैं केवल अपनी उंगलियों के स्पर्श से किसी चेहरे की रूपरेखा 'देख' सकती हूँ।
I can detect laughter, sorrow and other obvious emotions.	मैं हँसी, दुःख और अन्य स्पष्ट भावनाओं को पहचान सकती हूँ।
I know my friends from the feel of their faces.	मैं अपने मित्रों को उनके चेहरे के स्पर्श से पहचानती हूँ।

Original English Text	Hindi Translation
The next day I should arise with the dawn and see the thrilling miracle by which night is transformed into day.	अगले दिन मैं सुबह भोर के समय उठूँगी और उस रोमांचकारी चमत्कार को देखूँगी जिससे रात दिन में बदल जाती है।
I should behold with awe the magnificent panorama of light with which the sun awakens the sleeping earth.	मैं विस्मय से उस भव्य प्रकाश दृश्य को देखूँगी जिससे सूर्य सोई हुई पृथ्वी को जगाता है।
This day I should devote to a hasty glimpse of the world, past and present.	इस दिन मैं अतीत और वर्तमान की दुनिया की एक त्वरित झलक देखने के लिए समर्पित करूँगी।
I should want to see the pageant of man’s progress, and so I should go to the museums.	मैं मानव प्रगति की झाँकी देखना चाहूँगी, और इसलिए मैं संग्रहालयों में जाऊँगी।
There my eyes would see the condensed history of the earth—animals and the races of men pictured in their native environment;	वहाँ मेरी आँखें पृथ्वी का संक्षिप्त इतिहास देखेंगी — जानवर और मानव जातियाँ अपने प्राकृतिक वातावरण में चित्रित होंगी;
gigantic carcasses of dinosaurs and mastodons that roamed the earth before man appeared,	विशालकाय डायनासोरों और मैस्टोडोन के कंकाल जो मनुष्य के आने से पहले पृथ्वी पर घूमते थे,
with his tiny stature and powerful brain, to conquer the animal kingdom.	जिन पर काबू पाने के लिए मनुष्य ने अपने छोटे कद और शक्तिशाली मस्तिष्क का उपयोग किया।
The following morning, I should again greet the dawn, anxious to discover new delights, new revelations of beauty.	अगले दिन सुबह, मैं फिर से भोर का स्वागत करूँगी, नई प्रसन्नताओं और सुंदरता के नए रहस्यों को खोजने के लिए उत्सुक रहूँगी।
Today, this third day, I shall spend in the workaday world, amid the haunts of men going about the business of life.	आज, तीसरे दिन, मैं इसे रोजमर्रा की दुनिया में बिताऊँगी, जहाँ लोग अपने जीवन की गतिविधियों में लगे होते हैं।
The city becomes my destination.	शहर मेरी मंज़िल बनेगा।
First, I stand at a busy corner, merely looking at people, trying by sight of them to understand something of their daily lives.	सबसे पहले, मैं एक व्यस्त चौराहे पर खड़ी होऊँगी और लोगों को देखकर उनके दैनिक जीवन को समझने की कोशिश करूँगी।
I see smiles, and I am happy.	मैं मुस्कानें देखती हूँ, और मैं खुश होती हूँ।
I see serious determination, and I am proud.	मैं गंभीर संकल्प देखती हूँ, और मुझे गर्व होता है।
I see suffering, and I am compassionate.	मैं दुःख देखती हूँ, और मुझे सहानुभूति होती है।

Word-Meanings

Word	Meaning	Example Sentence
Mere	Just; only	She found joy in the mere touch of a leaf.
Symmetry	Balanced and proportionate arrangement	The symmetry of the leaf fascinated her fingertips.
Silken	Smooth and soft like silk	The spider dropped with a silken thread.
Filmy	Thin and almost transparent	The spider spun a filmy clue from the ceiling.
Awaken	To wake up or arouse from sleep	She hoped to feel the buds—the first sign of awakening nature.
Quiver	A slight trembling movement	The bird quivered with song when she touched the tree.
Longing	A strong desire	Her heart was filled with longing to see.
Hasty	Done quickly without delay	She planned a hasty visit to the museum to see history.
Panorama	An unbroken view of a wide area	The dawn revealed a breathtaking panorama of light.
Carcass	The dead body of an animal	She saw the carcasses of ancient creatures in the museum.
Mastodon	A large extinct elephant-like mammal	The mastodons amazed her with their gigantic size.
Native	Belonging to a particular place by birth	The museum displayed men in their native environment.
Haunts	Places where people frequently go	She visited the haunts of busy city life.
Compassionate	Feeling or showing sympathy for others	She saw suffering and became compassionate.
Stricken	Seriously affected by an undesirable condition	Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind.
Tactile	Related to the sense of touch	Touch each object as if your tactile sense will vanish tomorrow.
Relish	Enjoyment or delight	Taste each morsel with relish as if it’s your last.
Facet	One side or aspect of something	Nature offers many facets of beauty through our senses.
Descend	To go or come down	Darkness would again descend after her three days of vision.
Delightful	Giving great pleasure	Of all senses, sight is the most delightful to her.

Nature imagined by Hellen Keller

City Busy life as envisaged by Hellen Keller

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