QUESTION 1 - Sarojini Naidu is called ‘The Nightingale of
India’. Discuss.OR
Sarojini Naidu’s poetry reflects the typical Indian
sensibility. Discuss
Answer:
Introduction:
Sarojini Naidu is called ‘The Nightingale if India’ due to
fine lyrics used in her poem. She is a great poetess of Indian writing in
English Literature. She is very famous among the readers and poets’ gallery for
her lyrical quality in her poetry. Her poetry has not only the lyrical quality
but also a deep essence of Indian culture.
Her poetry is purely Indian in character because her themes are Indian,
her thoughts belong to India, and her simple melodious tone also matches to
Indian culture. She is a great Indian poetess though her language is English.
Her poetry is based of various themes like Indian customs
and tradition, Indian festivals and celebrations, life of Indian men and women,
Indian myths and legends, Indian places like temples, villages and bazzars,
Indian fairs and fests, the flora (plants) and fauna (animals), landscape and
skyscape etc. We can say that her poetry is a window to the world to look into
Indian life and culture. Her poetry is also considered as a mirror to India.
In her poems Sarojini Naidu opens her heart to show her love
for Krishna. She was a great devotee of Krishna. Many of her poems are filled
with this pure heart filled with love for Krishna. Her lyrics appreciates the
beauty of lord Krishna and she considers herself the lover of Krishna. Her
poetry is full of beautiful lyrics devoted to Radha-Krishna. We can take an
example of this religious theme from her poem- ‘The Song of Radha- The
Milkmaid’-
But my heart was so full of your beauty, …………
…………..Govinda! Govinda! Govinda! Govinda!!
Romanticism:
Sarojini Naidu was full of passion and we can feel that
passion in her love poems. The lyrics of her poem give
her place among the love poets like Robert Browning, Keats, John Donne,
Wordsworth etc. she took love as a theme of maximum of her poems. About one
third of her poetry is filled with this theme. She touched both the aspects of
love i.e. union as well as separation.
Hence, her poetry includes, love, despair, frustration, sorrow, hope,
ecstasy, expectation, challenges etc. she powerfully used the witty images and
words to describe various moods and states of love. Her way of treating love
shows her romantic nature. Her lyrics can easily give us an idea that she is
brilliant in writing love and its both the aspects- union and separation. He touches
this love theme violently as well as delicately.
Her lyrical genius:
Sarojini Naidu is known as the Nightingale of Indian due to
her wealth of lyrics. She weaves her emotions and feelings in her poetry by
using excellent words wit-fully to be noticed by her readers. Hence she can
easily impress her readers by her lyrical quality. She is very much appreciated
in the poets’ gallery for her lyrics which are of first order. Her mastery over
verse-form enables her to write flawless lyrics. She got essential qualities of
lyricism. The melodious phrases make her diction par excellence. She achieved
this excellence by using ‘Sanskrit Samasas’. She uses simile and metaphors
brilliantly and compare two things with natural and common ideas. Being natural
her use of simile brings vividness and graphics in her poem. We can take the
examples of use of simile in ‘Indian Weaver’ and ‘Palanquin Bearer’-
Like the plumes of a peacock purple and green,
We weave the marriage veils of a queen.(from Indian Wearer)
She hangs like a star
in the dew of our song;
She springs like
a beam on the brow of the tide,…(from Palanquin Bearer’)
In her poem ‘Indian Weavers’ she beautifully addresses the
theme of stages of life from childhood the death. The question-answer pattern
in all the stanzas is very charming. Similarly, in the poem ‘Palanquin Bearers’
she took a theme of Indian culture and descries their joyful moods with
simplicity.
Multicultural Approach:
As an Indian she respects a mix culture in our country. She
didn’t believe in narrow caste and cred philosophy. She was a religious lady
and her poems are also coloured with the spirit of Indian culture. She never
destroys the beauty of her poems by favourism. She was the follower of Hindu
epics-The Ramayan and The Mahabharat but she was also an international figure
hence she touches other religions also in her poems. She believes in ‘karma’
and being Hindu, she wrote about Hindu festivals, culture, tradition,
marriages, festivals, temples, God, Goddess etc
but on the other side she was attached to Buddhism, Christian, Muslims
etc. she spent her childhood in Hyderabad which has a Ganga -Yamuna Culture of
Hindu and Muslim. Hence, we can say she was a follower of Hindu religion but
respects other, too.
Conclusion:
Sarojini Naidu portraits the vivid culture of Indian society
with the help of her marvellous lyrics. She was a true lover of India. she is
passionate as she loves Krishna very much. She is also a philosopher when she
describes the three stages of life in her poem ‘Indian Weavers’. She explains
the philosophy of life and death in a very simple manner with beautiful similes
and lyrics. She also uses symbols for it.
weavers, weaving at break of day,
Why do you weave a garment so gay?
Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild,
We weave the robes of a new- born child.(from Indian Wearer)
She knows every section of Indian society very well. She
touches every part of Indian culture as in ‘Palanquin Bearers’ she touches a
very common but important role of palanquin bearers. She paints them as joyful
performers of their task of carrying palanquin joyfully.
Gaily, O gaily we glide and we sing,
We bear her along like a pearl on a string.(from Palanquin
Bearer’)
Hence, we can say, Sarojini
Naidu is very rich as far as her diction and lyrics are concerned. She is a
true lover of India and Indian culture and respects other cultures too. She is
brilliant in painting Indian scenes wit-fully in a simple language.
Indian weavers
weavers, weaving at break of day,
Why do you weave a garment so gay?
Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild,
We weave the robes of a new- born child.
Weavers, weaving at fall of night,
Why do you weave a garment so bright ?
Like the plumes of a peacock purple and green,
We weave the marriage veils of a queen.
Weavers, weaving solemn and still,
What do you weave in the moonlight chill?
White as a feather and white as a cloud,
We weave a dead man’s funeral shroud.
Question-2- Discuss the three stages of life as described by
Sarojini Naidu in her poem ‘Indian Weavers’
Discuss childhood, youth (adulthood) and final stage (death)
as mentioned by Sarojini Naidu in her poem ‘Indian Weavers’
Answer- Sarojini Naidu is famous for her familiar theme,
simple language and wonderful brillian lyrics in her poems. In ‘Indian Weavers’
she also used a very common theme of life cycle of humans on this earth. Even
in this poem, she used simple language to speak about the three stages of
life-the childhood, the youth, (adulthood) and final stage (death). Though this
philosophical idea requires serious diction but even then poetess used very
familiar words. She could achieve success by the excellent use of images and
similes to express w her idea. The use of this witty source is worth
appreciating. The whole poem consists of three quatrains (four line stanza).
Each stanza describe one stage.
The poem starts with the first stage i.e childhood. The
weavers were weaving cloths early in the morning. The cloth was looking very
beautiful and bright. The colour of the cloth was blue like the wings of
kingfisher (halcyon). Here blue colour symbolises the vast ocean full of life
and energy. This blue cloth is for the
robes of a new born child. A number of images are used to describe the beging
of life. For example-
Break of day’
Garment so gay’
‘blue as the wings of halcyon
New born child’
This stage is full oflife, happiness, hope, beauty etc.
There are no worries, sorrow, pains etc in the early stage of life. Even
weavers are also happy to weave the cloth for the new born.
In the second stanza describe the youth (adulthood of man).
Even during the fall of night, weavers are still on work. Here, poetess uses
image of fall of night. This time is called evening and this is the time when
celebrations starts in light. Maximum number of celebration like marriages
takes place in the evening. This time weavers are busy in weaving cloth which
is very bright and its purple and green colour matches to the plume of the
peacock. Weavers are making garment for a newly bride. The garment is looking
pretty and multicoloured. Purple and green colour show both the aspect of life.
The adulthood is full of energy. Human faces a lot of
challenges in this stage, on the other hand he also utilize this time for
enjoyment, marriage and prosperity. Both the colours are used as images. Purple
symbolises sadness and despair while green symbolises prosperity and growth.
Such ups and downs make human life active.
The third stanza of the poem discuss the third stage of life
which is also called the final stage of life.
Question 3 - Write
critical appreciation of the poem ‘Indian Weavers’.
Answer: Introduction:
Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India, is very famous for
her richness in lyrics. She is an Indo-Angolan poetess whose themes and
thoughts are Indian though her language is English. He has excellence in
lyrics. Her poetry, besides her lyrical excellence, is purely Indian in
characters. The themes of her poetry include
Indian customs and tradition, Indian festivals and celebrations, life of
Indian men and women, Indian myths and legends, Indian places like temples,
villages and bazzars, Indian fairs and fests, the flora (plants) and fauna
(animals), landscape and skyscape etc. We can say that her poetry is a window
to the world to look into Indian life and culture. Her poetry is also
considered as a mirror to India. Her poems have nightingale like melody. She is
really a singer of delicate fancy and haunting melody. She mostly takes her
inspiration from Indian culture and society. Her poetry is considered as a
mirror to India. The same is true to her poem ‘Indian Weavers’. The poem
describes a very important character of Indian society, the weavers, and their
dutifulness towards their job. The poem is simple yet impressive.
Structure and literary devices
The twelve lines of this short poem are divided into three
stanzas (quatrains). Each stanza has four lines. The rhyming scheme of the poem
is – aabb. The poem has a philosophical
note about life cycle. Each stanza uses question and answer format of revealing
the circle of life and death in a very fantastic manner. The first two lines
are used to ask question to the happy weavers while the next two lines are used
to answer the question. The poem has symbols and similes to present the views of
weavers.
Blue as the wing of a halcyon wild
We weave the robes of a new born child
Simplicity and Music
‘Indian weavers’ is a short poem of Sarojini Naidu which is
based on philosophical aspects of life. A very serious issue has been explained
in very simple but powerful words. The
poem is scented with Indian folk. We can find music in the rhyming scheme and
musical words in the poem.
Weavers, weaving at fall of night,
Why do you weave a garment so bright?
In Indian society, weaving is an important part of the folk
vocation in Indian society and weavers are important folk characters. Poetess touches a very petty theme, of weaving
cloth, from Indian society and presents it differently through magical simple
words. She beautifully describes the act of weavers. She retains the simplicity
and sober music of folk songs.
Symbolic Representation
The poem is rich in symbolic representation. It deals with a
very important three stages of life i.e. childhood, youth and death. Poetess
shows that weavers are the fates of Greek Mythology who weave the web of life.
On the second hand, she speaks about the Trinity- Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiv).
Brahma is the God of birth, Vishnu is the God of krma/life, and Shiv is the God
of death. These three are the gods of human’s destiny who create or decay the
mortal being for regeneration in life and death circle. Poetess symbolises that
the process of life is endless like the process of weaving which continues
since dawn till late night.
Weaver start their day with the weaving of a bright,
colourful and beautiful cloth which is specially weaved for a new born baby.
Here, poetess uses symbols and similes to describe the act of weavers in the
morning. The new born baby is a joyful creation of Lord Brahma. The beginning
of life is bright as well as full of enjoyment. Poetess use ‘blue’ colour of
vast and energetic ocean to describe joy while ‘dawn’ is used for the beginning
of life. In Hindu mythology, ‘blue’ colour symbolises the depth and the colour
of ocean out of which white swan and white lotus are emerged which represent
beginning of new life.
During the night, weavers remain busy in weaving the cloth
which is very attractive and multicoloured with purple and green colour. Purple
and green colour resemble to the feathers of peacock. Weavers are weaving this
cloth for the bridal dress for the queen. Here, purple and green colour
symbolises growth and fertility. The feathers of peacock describe joyful life.
Lord Vishnu is in happy mood and creating beautiful lively things. The word
‘night’ resembles the YOG-NIDRA of Lord Vishnu which gives eternal power to
Vishnu to order the chaos.
In the last paragraph, weavers weave a white cloth in the
calm atmosphere of chilled moonlight. In Hindu mythology white cloth resembles
peace, stillness and death. The chilled moonlight shows the lifeless situation.
It also symbolises the end of life.
Likewise, the circle of life and death goes on continuously.
Death means re union of soul to eternal power and it makes the starting of new
life possible.
Palanquin bearers
Lightly o Lightly, we bear her along,
She sways like a flower in the wind of our song;
She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream.
She floats like a laugh from the lips of a dream.
Gaily. O Gaily we glide and we sing,
We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Softly, O softly we bear her along,
She hangs like a star in the dew of our song;
She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide,
She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.
Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing,
we bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Question-1 write the central idea of the poem ‘Palanquin
Bearers’.
Context of the poem
The poem Palanquin bearers’ is written by Sarojini Naidu.
Through this poem, poetess reflects the Indian marriages and their cultures. In
older times each and every parent wanted to get their daughters happily
married. Carrying a palanquin of a bride was considered as a privilege. We are
reminded of one of the ancient customs of carrying royal brides in India in
decorated carriages to their husband’s home. Occasionally, the men of the royal
families would travel on horseback along with the bride. The men who carried
the carriages were happy about their work and believed that they had a
distinguished job.
The poetess knowingly
used the contradictory feeling of laughing and weeping. The bride is sad and is
crying as she is separated from her family. But simultaneously she is also
overjoyed as she is starting a new family.
In Indian culture earlier woman were considered as a burden.
But when the palanquin bearers carry the bride as she is married they feel no
burden because of the ecstatic environment.
Central idea
‘Palanquin bearers’ is a melodious poem which describes the
scene of a bride being carried on a palanquin. The poem generates images of
royal wives being carried on a palanquin to their husband’s house. The men who
carried the palanquin felt that their job was special and did it with much
happiness. The similes, in the poem, point to the fact that the men did not
feel that their job was tiresome. Some examples of the same are,
'Softly, O softly we bear her along',
'She hangs like a star in the dew of our song' .....
.....'Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing'.
‘Palanquin bearers’ is melodious and one of the most
appealing poems of Sarojni Naidu. The poem describes the expressions of the
palanquin bearers while palankeen is being carried in a palanquin. They did not
feel their job burdensome. The poem is written in such a way that one can see
and feel as if the palanquin is moving. The poet brings in so many images
describing the movement. The words she has used seem to have a magic touch. In
short we can say that the liberal use of imagery mainly similes make the poem a
pictorial delight.
The poem creates an imagery of a moving palanquin through
the use of similes.
2222. The poem is being sung by the palanquin bearers, who
have got the esteemed job of carrying the bride while carrying the palanquin on
their shoulders. She sways with the movement of the palanquin, just like a
flower sways in the wind. She is so light that they compare her to a bird that
skims on the faming froth of a stream. She is ethereal, just like a tender
laugh that energies from the lips of a person. The palanquin bearers are happy
to carry the light weight bride and they sing along. The bride within is
compared to a beautiful and precious pearl on a string.
The palanquin bearers further describe the delicate and
tender bride, saying that they carried her softly on their shoulders. The bride
is compared to a star that is reflected in the soft dew drops. She is so
brightly clad that she appears to be like a shining beam of light that is
reflected from the surface of waves. Yet, at the same time, she is so tender
and delicate that they compare her to a gentle drop of tear that falls from the
eyes of bride (here, we get a picture of the bride crying softly, as she leaves
her loved ones, to start a new life). The palanquin bearers sing happily, as
they smoothly carry the palanquin bearing the bride, so that she would not feel
the journey, strenuous.They carry her along as if she were a precious jewel
writing to be possessed by her husband.
Question 3 - Write the Critical appreciation of the poem
‘Palanquin Bearers’.
Answer-
Sarojini Naidu, the Nightingale of India, is very famous for
her richness in lyrics. She is an Indo-Angolan poetess whose themes and
thoughts are Indian though her language is English. He has excellence in lyrics.
Her poetry, besides her lyrical excellence, is purely Indian in characters. The
themes of her poetry include Indian
customs and tradition, Indian festivals and celebrations, life of Indian men
and women, Indian myths and legends, Indian places like temples, villages and
bazzars, Indian fairs and fests, the flora (plants) and fauna (animals),
landscape and skyscape etc. We can say that her poetry is a window to the world
to look into Indian life and culture. Her poetry is also considered as a mirror
to India. Her poems have nightingale like melody. She is really a singer of
delicate fancy and haunting melody. She mostly takes her inspiration from
Indian culture and society. Her poetry is considered as a mirror to India. The
same is true to her poem ‘Palanquin Bearers’. The poem describes a very
important character of Indian society, the Palanquin bearers, and their
dutifulness towards their job. The poem is simple yet impressive.
Structure:
This is a small poem of twelve lines which is divided into
two stanzas. Each stanza has 6 lines (sestet). The rhyming scheme is
–aabbcc. As usual poetess used similes
and images to express her emotions in the poem.
She sways like a flower in the wind of our song;
She skims like a bird on the foam of a stream,
Simplicity: Sarojini Naidu’s poem ‘Palanquin Bearers’
exactly matches to her poetic qualities. The lyrics are musical yet simple and
easy to understand. This poem is simple but enchanting, too. The title of the poem is showing the love of
poetess to India. She describes one of the Indian traditions of carrying women
in palanquin carried by the palanquin bearers. The theme is very common,
language is very simple but the use of literary devices make is worth chanting.
Softly, O softly we bear her along,
She hangs like a star in the dew of our song;
The whole poem deals with the act and merriness of the
palanquin bearers. Poetess describes the pleasure of the palanquin bearers
while carefully noting the movements of palanquin as well as the emotions of
palanquin bearers related to palanquin. Poetess very nicely describes the
honesty of the palanquin bearers through positive words uttered by them. They don’t consider palanquin as a burden
rather they feel pleasure in carrying it. They don’t feel fatigue as well. They are very careful about the palanquin;
hence they are moving slowly and singing happily their songs. Both the stanzas
are showing their care and love for palanquin.
Poetic qualities:
Sarojini Naidu’s poetry is lyrical in nature that’s why she
is known as ‘The nightingale of India’. The poem is marked with melody and a
vision of colourful, natural and happy world. The poetess expresses her views
in a simple manner but the use of poetic devises (similes, repetition etc)
impresses her readers. The theme of the poem is very familiar to the reader in
Indian context. Poem shows how happy are the palanquin bearers while performing
their job of carrying palanquin. The
language is , as usual, very simple but the selection of the melodious words
and use of lyrical devices make this poem good enough to love it.
She springs like a beam on the brow of the tide,
She falls like a tear from the eyes of a bride.
Lightly, O lightly we glide and we sing,
We bear her along like a pearl on a string.
Alliteration such as ‘she sways’ or ‘she springs’ gave a
very vibrant and a rhythmic outlook.
Poetess knows how and
when to use correct poetic devices. She used very familiar things like flower,
wind, bird, foam of stream, stars, beam etc to compare palanquin to them. The
brilliant use of comparing palanquin to common things makes this poem a fine piece
of poetry.
Conclusion :
‘Palanquin Bearers’ is one of the fine works, in English
literature, of Sarojini Naidu. The poem is remarkable for its simplicity and
melody. Use of simple words and their placement in poem is fantastic. Poem has
musical quality. Poetess addressed a very common subject of Indian society. She
has a talent to treat a common subject like this with great perfection. She
uses her lyrical expertises to make this poem, enchanting, memorable and fine
piece of art.
