A Friend's Prayer: NCERT Class 6 English Poem (Poorvi)

etmantra3 Nov 20265 min read

What does it mean to be a good friend? In this short poem, the poet does not ask for anything for herself. She prays that she can be a better friend: one who helps, understands and accepts. It is a lovely poem for children to talk about their own friends and what they wish for them.

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From NCERT’s new English book Poorvi for Class 6, unit “Friendship”. Unit 2.

What your child learns

Words for a good friend's qualities: loyal, honest, kind, helpful, caring
Words with similar meanings: blessed, grateful, thankful
Reading a prayer poem aloud slowly and with feeling
Talking and writing about their own friendships

What the poem is about

The poem is a prayer. The poet, Jill Wolf, wishes that her friendships will always matter most to her. She feels lucky to have special friends, so she wants to give them her very best. She wants to do more than just hear about their hopes and plans; she wants to help make their wishes come true.

In the last part, she asks to understand her friends with her heart, not just her mind. She does not want to judge them from a distance. She wants to love them just as they are. The message is simple: a true friend cares, helps and accepts friends for who they are.

New words, with Hindi meanings

prayer: words we say to God or in our heart to wish for something good (हिंदी: प्रार्थना)
friendship: the bond between friends (हिंदी: दोस्ती)
blessed: very lucky and thankful for something good (हिंदी: धन्य, भाग्यशाली)
realise: to understand something clearly (हिंदी: समझना, एहसास होना)
judgement: an opinion about someone, good or bad (हिंदी: राय, आलोचना)
afar: from far away; from a distance (हिंदी: दूर से)
loyal: always standing by someone and supporting them (हिंदी: वफ़ादार)
honest: always telling the truth (हिंदी: ईमानदार)
grateful: feeling thankful (हिंदी: आभारी)
caring: kind and looking after others' feelings (हिंदी: ख़याल रखने वाला)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

Why can we say that this poem is a prayer?
How does the poet feel about her special friends?
What does the poet want to do for her friends, besides sharing their hopes and plans?
What does it mean to love friends 'the way they are'?
What would you pray for your best friend?

Answers for parents

Because the poet is asking, in a wishful way, to be a good friend. Lines begin with 'May' and 'Let me', the way a prayer does.
She feels blessed, or very lucky, to have them.
She wants to try all she can to make their wishes come true.
It means accepting friends with all their qualities, without judging them or trying to change them.
For example: I pray that my friend Riya gets well soon and comes back to school.

Grammar corner: Describing words for qualities

Some describing words tell us what a person is like inside, not how they look. Loyal, honest, kind, helpful and caring are words like this. We often use them after 'is': 'My friend is honest.' Before a vowel sound we say 'an', so we say 'an honest person'.

Meera is helpful; she explains maths to me every day.
Arjun is an honest boy who always tells the truth.
A loyal friend stands by you even when you make a mistake.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: My friend never tells lies. He is very ___.
Choose the two words that mean almost the same as 'blessed': excited, grateful, relaxed, thankful.
Make a sentence about one friend using a quality word (loyal, kind, caring, helpful, honest) and say why.

Answers: 1. honest · 2. grateful, thankful · 3. Sample answer: My friend Kabir is kind because he always shares his lunch.

Try this

Play 'Friend in a word'. Each person thinks of a friend and says one quality word for them, with a reason: 'Sana is loyal because she always waits for me after school.' The next person must use a different quality word. Then each person writes a one-line prayer for a friend, starting with 'May my friend ...', and reads it aloud.

Tip for parents

Ask your child in Hindi first: 'तुम्हारा सबसे अच्छा दोस्त कैसा है? तुम उसके लिए क्या दुआ करोगे?' Let them answer in Hindi, then help them say one line in English, such as 'My friend is kind' or 'May my friend get well soon'. If they mix Hindi and English, that is fine; repeat the full English line warmly and praise the try.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem A Friend's Prayer about?

It is a prayer for friendship. The poet wishes to be a true friend who gives her best, helps make her friends' wishes come true, and loves them just as they are.

Who wrote A Friend's Prayer?

The poem is by Jill Wolf, as printed in the NCERT book.

Is A Friend's Prayer in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is Chapter 5 of NCERT's new Poorvi book for Class 6, in Unit 2 (Friendship).

Learn every Class 6 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Poorvi, NCERT’s new Class 6 book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, listening, grammar, speaking and writing with feedback. ₹1,599 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →